To share a cot or not...

[rowrowroar]

I'm 23 weeks with twins and am in discussion with DH about whether or not we should plan for the babies to share a cot initially. Most of what I have read suggests that cot sharing would be the most natural thing to do and that it will help to settle and reassure the babies. However, DH is not so convinced... We have a 15 month old and have used a movement sensor monitor with him from birth, first in his moses basket and we still use it in the cot. DH in particular has always loved the reassurance of the tick-tock on the monitor screen and is worried about not using a sensor as obviously it would be pointless with two in the same bed... What are other people's experiences? Has anybody used separate moses baskets from birth? My only concern about sharing is that we'll have to separate at some point and I guess that will unsettle them.

[Bazoo23]

Well my boyfriend is a twin and he and his sister would only settle in the same cot as newborns.
Then at about 6 months they started kicking,poking etc each other and had to be seperated!

[andadietcoke]

Mine initially slept in sleepyhead bed nests in the same cot. So together, but in their own space if that makes sense? At the moment we're effectively co sleeping, with me sleeping between the two bed nests. They haven't slept any worse I don't think. I'll put their cots next to each other when they move in to those so they won't be any different to how they are now in terms of proximity. Mine are DCDA though - might be different with mono twins.

[neversleepagain]

My twins were separated at birth in the SCBU and have never shared a cot. It makes no difference to their relationship.

However, if we go visit friends for the day, they will happily nap together in the same travel.

[neversleepagain]

travel cot

[Margetts]

My DT shared a big old Moses basket during the day, but had separate Moses baskets at night. The only reason I could get both in a Moses basket was that it was mine when I was little and much bigger than modern baskets. It meant I could lift it downstairs and they could sleep downstairs during that day.
At night when they were in their separate baskets I rolled up a blanket and out in behind them, as they seemed to like the comfort of a small space!

[HighVoltage]

After sleeping very sweetly together in the hospital bassinet, my two had separate Moses baskets for first couple of months (I would have put them in one big one but they were too big to share one and they were happier being enclosed than together in the open cot).

Now at five and a half months they are getting too big for one cot (heads are in the middle but legs pointed diagonally to furthest corner).

[beachesandbuckets]

Mine were put in same plastic cot in hospital when born and seemed to like being nose to nose. However I brought them home in the summer heatwave and they were getting too hot next to each other and I was worried about SIDS so separated them. They didn't seem to mind. Also didn't want to make a rod for my own back - in that they are only able to settle/sleep together in the event I have to separate them, ie if one poorly, visiting people etc. Quite like treating them as individual, just like any other siblings, rather than being lumped together, but that's just me!

[MultipleMama]

My boys are 14 months old and have been co-sleeping/cot sharing from birth firstly I've done research, secondly because it saves space and thirdly because they refuse to sleep seperate.

We use the Angel monitors but because the twins share we just use the video monitors and the cot is by the bed.

Just had our 2nd set of twins and plan to do the same thing. At the moment only one twin is home and sleeps in the snuggle nest on the bed but if they don't settle together when they start sharing then we'll use the Angel mats but so far so good.

Sometimes I think the moniters scared us more! However I'd wish they'd make something for shared xots though!

[MultipleMama]

Andadietcoke - Funny you say that my eldest twins are Momo and hate being seperated especially when sleeping. My 2nd set are b/g so it'll be interesting to see their sleep pattern. However they've been seperate since birth (one in NICU) so who knows. I shall experiment! Haha... or not.

[Linguaphile]

Ours are 3 months, and they share out of sheer necessity to save space! We actually do use the angelcare motion sensorsdh managed to rig them so they only sense the twin on their side of the cot. Have even had a few scareswe definitely know they work for each twin individually. Ours do the feet to foot on either end.

They are getting to the point where they run into into each other if they scoot back, and they can also wake each other up, so I'm thinking it'll be time to separate them soon.

[Nancy54]

Mine shared a co sleeper cot attached to our bed for the first four months. However in hindsight I would put them in separate Moses baskets because whenever one was waking during the night I was worried about them disturbing the other and I think that me picking them up and putting them back in did disturb the other sometimes. We separated them at four months and they did sleep better. They're still not the greatest sleepers though!