How do you get twins to nap?!

[comradelouise]

I've got 3 month old twins (1 month corrected) and they've recently gone from being mostly asleep all day, just waking to feed, to mostly being awake all day. They've also been crying a lot, so having eliminated being hungry or needing a nappy change, I'm guessing they're crying because they're tired and need me to create the right conditions to help them sleep in the daytime.

So I've started taking them up to our bedroom to nap where it's dark and I can put some white noise on and put them in the baby nests they've been sleeping in inside their cot. The problem is, by the time I've fed one twin and got her nice and dozy and taken her upstairs , the other one is crying for attention, and as soon as I start taking care of her, the other one wakes up upstairs - I'm running up and down the stairs all day, and neither is napping more than 30 minutes at a time.

(Another issue is that they've got used to sleeping in these baby nests so I'm having to carry those up and down stairs all day with them depending on where each of the babies is).

I feel like I'm going a bit mad either having to run up and down stairs all day long between two babies, who tend to have slightly different needs at different times, however much I try to synch them up. Or otherwise maybe just take supplies up and live in our bedroom all day long? Any suggestions to make my life easier and encourage them to nap better?

[naughtynorm]

After the first couple of months when I wanted a bit more routine to their naps I'd take them both upstairs, feed them at the same time and settle them in their cribs.

The would also nap in the pram if I took them for a walk straight after their bottles.

[neversleepagain]

I lived upstairs until mine were 6 months old. Dh would bring me tea in a big flask and prepare my lunch and leave it in the fridge for me. Upstairs I had my flask of tea, snacks, TV and my phone. I would feed, change and settle them upstairs and once settled for their morning nap I would go downstairs wash and sterilise bottles and wash nappies and clothes.
I would go between cots settling them like a mad woman but with perseverance it worked.

It's tough but is not forever and it gets much easier.

This was all I did, not one scrap of house work or cooking.

[parrotfashionista]

We had a cot downstairs for naps (in same cot), fed together (if bottle feeding) and were very strict with routine. They'll soon find their way. I do feel for you, the first six months are really tough

[GreenTulips]

I swaddled them and left them to sleep - downstairs in Moses baskets or the pram lights in curtains open - 2 year old had TV on or was running round like mad

Never had a issue of them sleeping

[parrotfashionista]

Ah yes to swaddling too

[yummyscummymummy01]

I rocked mine in their pram and left them to sleep in the hall. Eventually they came to associate it with sleep and now they are pretty good at napping at the same time during the day.

Night time on the other hand

[LoveCatzzz]

Mine napped downstairs in Moses baskets, and when outgrew them upstairs in their cots. I was very lucky that their timing was in sync.

[Zillaindie]

Mine napped in the pram until 8/9 months old. Rocked them both to sleep at the same time. Then woke the other up as soon as one woke so they were on the same schedule. It meant we weren't tied to the house for sleeping either.

[Itwouldtakemuchmorethanthis]

Duvet on the floor in front of the telly. Fed them at the same time and then cuddled them to sleep, left them sleeping like sated starfish with the telly as white noise. Worked till they could crawl.

[comradelouise]

Thanks everyone, those are all really helpful suggestions! They do sleep quite predictably in the buggy but it only has one carrycot (I have a 2 yr old in the second seat) so one would have to be in a carrier until they're big enough for the upright seats. I think I'll try a mix of that and just installing myself in the bedroom for a double feed and nap

[Taytotots]

We used to rock ours to sleep in pram too. We had a song we used to play as sleep cue music and that and the rocking worked well.

[dreichuplands]

Swaddling, I came to this a little late. I had one Moses basket upstairs, one down stairs, they shared them for ages. Sometimes they had a nap in their bouncers.
At 3 months I realised no routine was destroying us, me particulary, so they developed one. I fed them at the same time, put them down at the same time and got them up at the same time.

[dreichuplands]

But I expressed and topped up with formula. I think a strict routine might be harder with breast feeding.
It was hard but they do get into a routine. I remember a friend visiting and me saying oh it's 12, time to feed them and for them to sleep. She was amazed when they both just went to sleep.
But getting to that point was tough and the first three months of chaos nearly broke me.

[mumwithovertime]

Travel cot in the lounge , big enough to lay them both down with space for them to move without touching the other one .Also big enough to take both stage 1 car seats when coming in from the car and they had gone to sleep .
This was 18 years ago though and I had 3 older children under 6 years old to deal with so as long as the twins were fed and burped and seemed comfy I would happily leave them in the travel cot if required , do whatever I needed to whilst still having them in sight and earshot.