My babies are 12 weeks. They used to nap really well in their swings. Now I'm just getting cat naps. I know I'm probably missing the window of putting them down for a nap but how do you put down twins for a nap that are relatively on the same schedule? I've read other posts that say to start the nap routine at the first sign of a yawn or after 90 min of awake time. I just don't know how to do this with two. It seems like we only get long naps in the car and sometimes if they fall asleep nursing. Any suggestions or advice would be great.
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I STRUGGLED with this for awhile, and we ended up doing nap training (not CIO) at 15 weeks.
Basically, I start their nap routine about 10 minutes before I want them to actually fall asleep...or at around 75 minutes of awake time. One of them goes into the swing, and one of them goes into the bouncy chair. I have to time this REALLY carefully, because if I wait until one of them is to the point of crying, it's HARD to get the other one to sleep.
I then start the nap routine. I do this one at a time while the other sits in the swing/bouncy. I tell them it's time for nap, then put them into their sleep sacks and recite a short poem. Once their eyes start to close and they are drowsy, I walk that baby up to the crib. Then it's rinse and repeat with the other baby.
The nap routine -- and careful timing -- allows me to get each baby to sleep in about 5 minutes, so their naps are only staggered by about 5 minutes, as well.
But seriously...timing. It doesn't work if you've waited long enough for one of them to be crying! -
I should add that when one is up, the other is up. You can't really let the other twin continue to sleep if you want them to stay on the same schedule, unfortunately!
Also, full disclosure, I'm still struggling with 30-40 minute naps. Nap training helped me get them to go to sleep, not stay asleep, unfortunately
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We didn't do anyform of sleep training (not sure if I will). I just did go with the flow. I'm the Mom of Twins (that was my mantra) and I could break any rule I wanted to...the secret to long sleeping times was putting them down on their bellies. They sleep better, like it more and it works. I trust myself and my kids. I won't say they slept at the same time, but they slept.
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@twoofeverything: @Ms.SK: Thanks for your different approaches and perspectives. Thankfully they are both napping in their cribs. I think the days of swing napping are over since it doesn't really work for them anymore. I guess I have to be more consistent with swaddling and white noise for my babies to nap. My girl needed some extra rocking while my boy was able to fall asleep after a little fussing while I was rocking my girl. This twin thing is hard!
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@WALLAROO: they will change so fast. You are right at a wonder week so it could be a stage of development and they could end up loving their swings again. Don't give up for good. Mine will nap in their swings sometimes. I also put them in it if they wake up at night and want to play. I put them in, lights off with a little night light in the room. Then I lay down on the couch and go to sleep. Usually they fall asleep but I am resting also which is so important.
We also have white noise in the room we sleep in, temperature plays a role and they may be out growing the swaddle. This shall pass and you will miss it, I promise.
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My twins have very different personalities, especially when it comes to sleeping and eating, so we have a set bedtime and that's the only thing set in stone. Honestly, I kind of try to attend to their naps as if they were a singleton - and this is where, for me, having them not on an identical schedule is REALLY nice. When they are staggered, I can typically keep one happily playing without me for 10-15 minutes while I get the other down. When they both want to sleep at the same time, that's when it get's ugly! (they both cry and neither will sleep because they can hear the other) We also sleep them in separate rooms - when they were younger just naps, but now, at night too.
Here's kind of an example: my son often wakes at 6:15, then my daughter at 7. Waking her up when DS wakes would mean a cranky DD the rest of the day, not worth it in our house. So DS will be ready for a nap again at plus or minus 8:15, so around 8, I make sure DD is comfortable with no legit reason to cry - not hungry, dirty, whatever - and put on PBS kids and contain her with a few toys (packnplay/jumper/bouncer). Then I take DS upstairs to his room, turn on white noise, read a quick book, rock him, give a bottle, and he'll pass out (a good nap routine will help make this part more efficient). Then I can come back down and have a little alone time with DD, and get her down typically while DS is still sleeping. Then it's just rinse lather repeat a few times during the day. Bedtime routine starts at 5:45, no matter what, and they are in their cribs by 6:30.
At that age, we did the 90 minute thing, but watched for sleepy signs, so sometimes it was 60 minutes or so. And I occasionally got a longer nap out of DD, but typically they did the 45 minute naps at that age too. So it was a LOT of my day just getting them to nap over and over and over! I never found a magic bullet to get them to sleep longer, but because they went down more often, they still got plenty of sleep throughout the day. It really only lasted a few months, and now at 8 months they nap twice a day, and I have my wits about me again
Ok, that's a ton of words, and probably way more stuff than you actually asked. But in short, napping twins is HARD work no matter how you slice it. Good luck!
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I agree, it was our goal to have them nap at opposite times so I could play with one while one slept. But bedtime was 6:30 for my son and my daugher could hang out with me until about 9 when we both passed out (if I remember that correctly because there wasn't a lot of sleep happening at that time).
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@MerryC: thank you! It is very helpful to hear everyone's routines. When you put them down are they already asleep or awake?
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@WALLAROO: I rock them til they are asleep. Sometimes they stir when I put them in the crib and I just pat them til they settle. They were not fans of drowsy but awake
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My boys are 13 weeks and I keep them on the same sleep schedule. I try to follow the 90 minute program with both of them. Once I notice the first one getting tired, I carry him to the crib, swaddle him and put him in the crib with the mobile on. Then I go get the other twin and repeat. Both boys sleep with pacis so that helps them fall asleep. My one twin tends to fall asleep quickly for naps, the other may take 10-15 minutes. I've always put them down drowsy but awake.
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