Advise on Getting Twins to Sleep Through the Night

I have b/b twins that are 10 now, and they did not sleep all night until they were 2. On my next baby I let him cry himself to sleep. It seemed harsh to me at first but you have to do it to survive. I finally put a full size box spring and mattress on the floor ( so if they fell off it would not be a big deal) and put them back together. The first few nights I had to be consistent and put them back in the bed every time they got up, but it got easier and they started to sleep all night very soon. They needed each other. You need to do whatever it takes because after so long of no "good sleep" then you are not a good mom anymore, believe me I know!!
I hope this helps. It looks like you have lots of good thins to try!

My twins are 4 years old. They started sleeping 5-6 hours a night at about 5 months and were sleeping 10-12 hours a night by 6-7 months. We played an instrumental cd at night & put it on a loop so that it would play all night long. We did that until they were about a year old. As I put them to bed I would rock them (at the same time) for no more than 5 minutes (w/a bottle until they were about a year old, then a sippy of milk until they were about 2). After rocking, I laid them in their beds (separate cribs in the same room), covered them up, told them I loved them, and then left the room. When I first started this routine they would cry their fool heads off for up to 20-30 minutes. Unless I could tell by the tone of their cry that they were sick or hurt, I WOULD NOT go back in. This period lasted for only a couple of weeks. By the time they were 6-7 months old they were putting themselves to sleep without fussing.

It is very important to stick to a routine and be consistent. It is o.k. if they cry. They will not be permanently scarred. I promise. It really, really hurt my heart to hear them cry at first. Then I got over it. Now they are happy, healthy 4 year olds!

I have two sets of twins, ages 17 mo and 4 years. I was never ever successful in getting my children to sleep through the night until age 2 or more. I sleep in the room with them and if one wakes I remove him (or her for the older ones) from the room. My 17 mo olds are better than they were at 12 mo; for example I may get one or two nights with no waking, but last night one woke at 3 and the other woke at 4 and they were both up until 5. Crying it out never worked for me. Eventually with my 4 yr olds it got to the point that I could just pick them up and put them in bed with me and they would go back to sleep - I work and needed the sleep. But that has not yet worked with the boys, they do not want to go to sleep many times and they sure do not want to lie still in my bed. good luck to you and I share your pain. It did eventually get better with my 4 yr old twins; they now go to bed in their room and stay there except when dad goes out of town and they are scared. When dad's out of town, I generally let them sleep with me if they wake up, but they will go back to sleep and sleep all night. You might try giving them a blanket or teddy bear that they can cuddle with; my boys enjoy snuggling with their Pooh blanket. I also make sure their binky is nearby so they can soothe themselves. Sometimes it works.

I feel your pain!! I have 2 year old identical twin girls and they too share a room. My babies didn't get here easily so believe me when I say that I have a weak heart to their cries. I needed my rest too so I would and still do let them cry regardless of one sleeping and one not. They do comfort each other in some strange way and eventually will lay back down and close their eyes.
I got a christmas gift from my sister in law that has been a blessing. It's a Dora projector (inexpensive). Not sure where she got it but try Toys R Us. It projects on the wall/ceiling while they lay in bed and tells a bedtime story. It works wonders!!!

Good Luck!

Hi M.,
I too feel your pain. I have 20 month old twin girls and have the exact same problem. What I try to do is let them cry as long as possible before I go in and get them and sometimes they go back to sleep but if they do not I just go get them. I also have kind of loud fan that I keep on to help sooth them to sleep. They do not wake up every night just about 3 times a week. I know it's not much but I hope this help. Please keep me posted I'm anxious to get a good night sleep.
J.

M.,

It may not be a popular response but I will share what I had to do with my b/b twins who are now 2 1/2. If one would wake up and it was obviously not because he was sick, if he wouldn't lay down nicely, then I set up the playpen in an extra bedroom and that's where he was moved to. Some nights there would be screaming for 15 minutes but he would eventually lay down and go back to sleep. Some moms are against that though but really, there's not a whole lot more options. I thinking sitting up and holding them until they go back to sleep can lead to some bad habits that are hard to break. Anyway, I hope that they'll settle down for you really soon. :-)

My son is 22 months old and he still wakes up once at night. I tried the cry it out method also and it did not work. I could not stand my son crying for hours on end. Since he is off the bottle all I do is give him water in his sippy cup and he falls asleep. That way he still has something to drink but it won't damage his teeth. Try just putting water in their bottle, especially if you think they are not really "hungry". It might take a couple of days but hopefully, for your sainty, it will work. Good luck!!

Hi there !
Give them a warm bath every evening in that lavender johnson & johnson bath soap, makes them feel relaxed,
also give them some gas medicine that will help them sleep better, try that and see if that works ! I know i did this with my 2 and they became great sleepers !!!
Good luck !