My Top Ten Sleep Tips for Twin

Getting twins to sleep can be one of the most demanding tasks at first. By taking some few initial steps and creating a sleep routine for both children, you can clear yourself of the burden of having to stay awake all night to check on them. According to research, there are a few causes which may lead to a lack of sleep among twins and multiples. It is therefore important for parents to discover early in advance what the cause could be, and, therefore, take appropriate measures to put twins to sleep. According to Durham University’s Parent-Infant Sleep Lab’s findings, one of the reasons as to why twins may be wakeful is premature birth. This then requires that twins spend time in neonatal care where they get used to close attention and frequent nursing in order to get sleep. When they come home, this kind of attention is not provided and their sleeping habit is altered which leads to them being wakeful.

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My Top Ten Sleeping Tips for Twin

If you have been struggling to create a healthy bedtime routine for your little ones, here’s how to put twins to sleep.

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1. Follow a schedule

It is important to establish a particular time when your twins should sleep. Getting on a schedule is also important for both mom and dad, especially when they need peace and a quiet time. Always ensure that the little ones sleep at almost the same time. In case one of them wakes in the middle of sleep time, it is recommended that you wake the other twin. This will help them develop similar sleep habits.

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Babies and children need a lot of sleep—much more than we adults need.

The facts are that the amount of sleep children get can affect:

• Learning and memory: Sleep causes memory consolidation and enhances organizational skills, planning, multitasking, and executive functioning.
• Safety: Overtired children have impaired hand-eye coordination, which can impact their fine motor skills.
• Mood: Children who are tired can be more hyperactive, oppositional, and aggressive. Children also become more irritable, angry, and easily upset when they are overtired.
• Illness: A person’s immune system has more trouble fighting off illness when he or she hasn’t gotten enough rest.

Alanna McGinnSleep Consultant at Good Night Sleep Site

2. Practice co-bedding

Co-bedding your twins will help them get used to each other, and also bring about a soothing effect which is vital in inducing sleep. However, co-bedding is only suited when the babies are still very young, and should be abandoned when they are three months old since they will start moving and may knock each other when asleep.

3. Keep them in the same room & train them to get sleep on their own

When it’s time to separate them into different cribs, ensure that they sleep in the same room and arrange the cots in such a way that they can see each other. This creates a soothing effect for both of them.

For very young babies, contact is needed for babies to get to sleep and to relax. However, as they get older, it would be useful that they are trained to sleep on their own. Help them differentiate between day and night by dimming the lights at night, to stimulate sleep.

4. Take your baby out to enjoy fresh air

Exposing your twins baby to fresh air has been shown to improve on their sleep routine. This can be done quite regularly depending on your schedule though it is important to ensure you don’t skip a day.

5. Develop cues for your baby to insinuate sleep

Giving your baby sleeping cues can be an effective technique to get them to sleep. This can be done by repeating certain phrases as you cuddle them to sleep.

6. Study each of your twin’s sleep habits

It is possible that twins have different sleep cycles and, therefore, coming up with a harmonious bedtime routine becomes a hard task. In this case, try to create different schedules each of them.

7. Sleep when the babies sleep

For moms who are caught up in their daily chores, it may be difficult to restrict your routine especially when you have twins. It is highly recommended that you sleep along with your twins even during the day. This will create more rest for your babies and you as well. You can call off any duties until you are free. It is worth a lot in the end when you realize the benefits of sleeping alongside your twin babies.

8. Make the process efficient

Streamlining your preparation process when it comes to changing diapers, feeding bottle and anything else, could be a major difference in catching up the extra snooze that is vital for your twins. When they wake in the middle of the night, you can get things done as quickly as possible so that you get back to sleep fast.

9. Create bedtime rituals

Bedtime rituals are one of the most important practices that you can adopt. They will help streamline your twins’ adaptability to sleep. Bedtime rituals become a strong basis for babies’ sleep habits and will give them a clue when you need them to fall asleep. This can be achieved by a consistent pattern of activities which become a cherished part of a routine that you and your twins get used to. Activities such as bathing and book reading are good starting points. This can be followed up by cuddling and relaxing to create a soothing effect. Additionally, this enhances bonding between you and the babies.

10. Get information and help

Taking care of twins requires a lot of effort and sacrifice, which is genuinely not an easy task. To help you see through this ‘amazing’ tough times, you can hire a nighttime nurse to take care of your twins, or at whatever time suits you. You will then get some quiet time to relax and reflect which is also important for you. Additionally, you can seek further help on how to take care and manage your twins. There are many online forums and blogs which give excellent tips and advice, becoming a member is all useful too.

Remember that sleep is a biological need; it’s not a luxury. It’s just as important to sleep your children as it is to feed them. And parents need to sleep too! Well-rested babies are happier babies, and well-rested parents are happier parents and better parents for the entire unit.

Alanna McGinnSleep Consultant at Good Night Sleep Site

Final Words

Finally, when you are able to create a bedtime routine by following the above given steps, you will find it easy and enjoyable to see your baby grow. Passing through this stage is very crucial, and helping your baby adopt the right sleeping habits is all important in dictating how healthy they will be when they grow up. Twins require double input to get them to sleep well at night, and to help them have similar sleep patterns is again a lot of work. These tips will make it handy for you to put twins to sleep. As a result, you will create more quality and peaceful time for your family.