Baby Sleep Tips for Parents of Twins.
My 5 sleep tips with twins or multiples. Well hats off to you, for not only carrying two or more baby’s at the same time but raising them too. I have no doubt it is both the toughest yet most rewarding time of your life. I have put together some top tips for sleep with multiples. I hope it helps! 1. Routine For most parents with one baby the importance of routine is made clear, very quickly - let alone multiples. Creating a routine within your home is a great way to get to know your baby’s needs. It allows your little ones predictability and familiarity within their daily lives. When it comes to maintaining a routine with more than one little one I generally encourage clients to use a feed, play and sleep pattern. 2. Awake times matter. It can be really tempting to stretch awake times out in order to keep babies on the same sleep times. When I work with clients I encourage them to wake their little ones within 30 minutes of each other and then put their baby’s back down again within 20 minutes of one another. So rather than stretching the awake time for one bub in order to keep up with the other(s) leaving them really overtired. I would pop twin (a) down 15 minutes earlier than twin (b) (as example). Over tired babies sleep less, wake more regularly and have trouble settling into deep sleep. 3. Self-Settling is a lifesaver for many. The number one reason I work with families of multiples is because their little ones are unable to settle off to sleep independently requiring constant holding, feeding or patting off to sleep and then back to sleep time and time again. Now I will say that I am not anti any type of attachment parenting nor baby wearing but for many that is either not an option, they don’t want to take that path or their baby fights sleep no matter what they do - leaving both the parents and their baby’s in a state of significant sleep deprivation. By allowing their baby a supportive way to settle off to sleep independently the outcomes are so positive. Self-settling allows babies the ability to settle off to sleep and then back to sleep between cycles. 4. White noise I find white noise particularly beneficial when working with multiples as a way to reduce disruption from one to the other. I don’t recommend loud machines but low, gentle white noise is a great way to drown out some of the noises that come with having two or more little ones in the same room. 5. Night Feeds. For some waking both baby’s at the same time or when one wakes for a night feed works well to create less wake ups during the night. So for example if twin (a) woke at 2 am feeding twin (b) at the same time means they both then sleep well without further disruption. For many this isn’t the case. If you find your little ones are still waking at other times or soon after you have woken them for a feed then I wouldn’t wake the other/s but rather let each one wake as they need to. You might be surprised at their ability to sleep for longer stretches when not being brought out of a sleep cycle to feed. Tara xo - The Gentle Sleep Specialist
As a Paediatric Nurse, Mother and qualified infant and toddler Sleep Consultant I work one on one with families to bring about healthy sleep habits. The work I do allows me to guide and support parents/caregivers to make the changes necessary to bring about personalised feeding and sleep routines that work for each individual family. I am passionate about the work I do and the relationships I build with clients. If you are struggling with sleep issues feel free to reach out and get sleep sorted!
