Night Nanny

@Blondeshavemorefun

Thank you! Very informative as always !

No, I really don’t want to cry it out - I really struggle with that

Few other questions if I may
If someone comes and does this , how many days normally
What would be the rate roughly I’d expect to pay

And important one pls, currently the twins sleep in same room. I love them being together.
However, my reason for wanting to sleep train is that one twin, my daughter has really regressed in her sleep. Lately waking up almost hourly after 2am. My other twin does sleep well and often through the night - just wakes up too early at 5 - 530am which id love to change

Would I need to split them up for this to be any level of success

Me again ..

My husband and I are thinking hard to go down the route of sleep training our twins. Ad hoc nanny is lovely lady who I trust. However, it is still hard having someone else in the house settling my babies - I know this sounds silly. Also, for longevity we can’t keep nanny. I will go back to work etc and we have to find a way on our own without being completely sleep deprived.

Any tips on this pls. I see so many options ,,. Online, phone, someone coming in in person.
Any views on best route to go down pls

They did, well one agency.

The nanny seems lovely so will give it a try, and definitely gave us a break. Hopefully she can guide us too.

@Blondeshavemorefun thank you, I appreciate you taking time out to explain all this.

I know the daytime is not working , but I just can’t manage to get them to sleep same time for a decent stretch each day. I will keep persevering.

I have started a night nanny this week , for couple days a weeks. I’m asking as a couple agencies I had approached said after 6 months they don’t offer night nanny but only sleep consultants / nannies.

Plan is for them to go to nursery. They actually start for two afternoon or morning sessions a couple months before I start work, and build up to 3 full days a 3 - 4 weeks before I start. I want to be at home if they really don’t settle, get sick etc and if I need to look for alternative.

We do put them into bed for 7, but it’s around 8ish or past that when they fall asleep. Sometimes one of my twins wakes up hungry and crying at 530, other times will just wake up playing.

@Blondeshavemorefun thanks for coming back to me. I’ll answer one by one..

1. 8 months, 6.5 adjusted ( they were premature)
2. twin a sleeps pretty well, only wakes if real issue and in pain etc. Twin b is harder, wakes up a few times and I have to settle. Either shh and tap, but otherwise I do have to pick her up and rock. I don’t feed them, maybe just a bit of water

I don’t know why they wake. With twin b, wind used to be an issue, but now I make sure she is winded, floppy etc before I put down. So I don’t know what wakes her.

They also wake around 6am but often too early like 530am. It’s just too early. I’ve tried to change the bedtime and make later, but it just made the night worse so I quickly went back to what they were used to

Twin b can wake about 2 - 4 times, usually sleeps well from when she falls asleep around 8 / 830pm until midnight / 1am, then sleep seems to be hit and miss, always wakes around 4am

3. they don’t sleep well in the day time. I try, but sometimes I can see the cues .. rubbing of face, ear etc but they just won’t sleep. Today they had 2 half hour naps, twin a slept probably half an hour more

They are overtired , I can see by the crying to get them to bed

We did take the twins to see a gastro paediatrician as they have had lot of tummy issues, and he suggested speaking to a dietician too - we are weaning currently

I did try to make post not too serious, but I am utterly exhausted. They definitely don’t sleep the worst , but they don’t sleep through either. My days are hard too as day sleep isn’t good. I’m just very tired, getting anxious that maternity leave will end soon and I’m going back to work, and husband going back to office physically from Oct which means he won’t be able to help me with the first AM feed or possibly bath time etc

I don’t know how best to address. Get a night nanny for a couple days a week over a longer stretch of time for some rest or invest in shorter term what seems to be a crash course to help twins sleep through. Just worried it wouldn’t work and we’d spend all that money!

Me again ,

Is it worth investing in a nanny for ‘sleep training’ as opposed to a night nanny to look after. I understand that sleep training is more intensive and across consecutive nights, but costly too ! Is it worth it? Would they really sleep like 11 hours without us having to settle them

Worth it *

@Blondeshavemorefun, yes, my post is long winded but we figured after trying both that the agency fee is with it for the peace of mind

@Blondeshavemorefun thanks, yes, not keen on assumption that babies need gripe water to settle! I found it strange. So I asked her to check with me before giving.

She said my daughter didn’t want the milk. But she always always drinks her milk in the morning as they don’t feed during the night now. She sometimes moves her head around a bit, but then does take the bottle. So I fed her in front of her. My son was fed but he had a burp when I was trying to calm him down. This is probably why he didn’t want to sit in bouncer , the wind really hurts them. Having a nanny who can recognise and wind our babies properly is a really big thing for us. They were premature and it’s always been an issue. So in general it really did spoil my day so I was a bit miffed ! Maybe I’m being unfair there !

I did check references and DBS, as in written references, I didn’t call anyone. I’ve only used one of the agencies mentioned here, so wanted to see others hence the post. But this one, the nannies seem to be consistently good. I wonder if there is vetting.

I thought the nanny provided by the agency was great (Nanny A). She came in, asked the right questions, twins took to her. They slept well in the night (I was up as it was just one night and I am looking for someone regular) and I found she settled them really well. I felt like she knew what was wrong, whether they just needed settling, wind or feeding (didn't need feeding). In the morning she brought the twins downstairs, and they were fed, settled and happy. Bottles were all done etc... I felt so well rested and ready for the day.

The nanny that came directly from the website (Nanny B), she did come in and ask lots of questions, almost too many, but that is fine. I probably just didn't agree with her methods of settling. She wanted to fill up syringes with gripe water to give if they woke, before they really became unsettled she said. Personal preference, I just don't like giving a lot of these medicines especially if not really needed.

Main thing was in the morning, the twins were really unsettled. My normal morning routine is to bring them down after they wake, and they sit in bouncer for a small while, whilst I talk or read to them and drink my coffee (for my sanity !!) , it always works and I can get a few bits done. Nanny A from agency did just that, and did the bottles whilst talking to them (I have a kitchen lounge type area so you can get a few bits done in kitchen and talk across to them on the bouncer, it keeps them happy for a reasonable amount of time to get things like bottles washed). Everything was clean, babies were changed etc.

With Nanny B, the twins were on the sofa with her. She said they did not want to sit in bouncer (they sit every morning and throughout day many times). But my son now rolls instantly, so sofa really isn't great. It meant she had to sit there trying to hold them.
She hadn't fed my daughter (this was the only feed she had to do) as I fed them in the evening when she came.
Then my son was really crying when she did attempt bouncer, to which she kept playing these musical toys. She asked if she should deal with the crying or bottles. In the end I told her politely I will deal with twins if she can help finish bottles (there were only the 2 from the morning) and a 'spare' she had said she wanted to prepare for the night. But she didn't know how to sterilise and I didn't really have time to help, so told her to leave them, and then she went. I did show her the prior evening. It did mess up my day somewhat as I had to feed my daughter so she was out of synch. Then all the bottles etc (I have bottle OCD and like to wash them asap!!). My son had a big burp that was bothering him hence didn''t want to sit in bouncer and crying... wind really hurts them

Long story, but that's the reason. Both were same rate, but of course agency fee on top. Though id be willing to pay that for the confidence I had in nanny A

@Namechangesagain, thanks, what is a sleep consultant ? Is that the same as a night nanny ?