To leave my twins in their cots until 2pm?

[TammySwansonTwo]

The last couple of days my twins have decided they don’t want their usual nap (usually about 2 hours, although that’s only been for the last month or so - before that they rarely napped but I’ve gotten used to it!). Instead they’re shouting, yelling, jumping up and down, refusing to lie down. They have at least now mainly gone quiet with the occasional yell, bang and slam.

If they’re not crying, is it wrong to leave them in there?!

I didn’t say I’d leave them for two hours, I said they usually nap for about two hours these days.

Besides, they’re now both asleep - just can’t let them sleep too long or they won’t sleep tonight.

Exercise is tricky - only one of them can walk, and not well enough to walk outside (he’s seriously wobbly!) so I do my best but it’s a challenge right now.

Can’t take them swimming either, not by myself! There’s a twin swimming group where I can but they’re not old enough yet

Sorry to tell you that this might not be a phase that you will get past.

By 17 months my twins would really only sleep if we’d gone out for a long walk in the pram. By 20 months they’d completely dropped all daytime naps.

Op you sound tired and that’s the way with twins. I know I had some too.

You are doing great and glad they are napping now. It gets easier honestly

You’d be mad NOT to leave them there!

Is there absolutely no way you can separate them? Travel cot somewhere?

At two, mine was put in her cot at 1.15 every day, 90% of the time she slept, the other 10% she played with books, teddies, sang, talked etc. I always left her until 3pm without fail (unless she was screaming in a way I knew she was wet or poorly etc). She wasn't a climber thank goodness and thankfully knew that as soon as lunch, after lunch potty, wee story was over, and I'd get her dummy and we'd go 'sleeps'.
She did this until gone 3 years old!
As long as they're safe and not distraught, I'd leave them for some 'rest time'.

Yes rest time and quiet play is very beneficial to all and whether they nap or not is immaterial.

Both you and they need the quiet time. Mainly you

No, sadly we can’t - my DH works from Home and uses our bedroom, and downstairs is open plan (thought this would be good for family life, turns out to be a giant Pain). To be honest they mainly ignore each other at this stage, it will be trickier when they are older and actually want to play together!

We had months where they barely napped at all and I never even bothered putting them in their cots in the day, just used their bouncers, but they’ve been like clockwork recently and really need it - they didn’t nap at all yesterday as they were crying when I left the room so I gave up after a while, and they were so tired by dinner time. Hopefully the bit they’re getting now will help.

Yes, I’m exhausted. They still wake up frequently at night so not getting much rest.

Its fine! I do this with my 21 month DS at his nap time. He happily chats to his teddies etc, then usually goes to sleep after about 40-50 mins. If he was crying/shouting for me then obviously i would get him out but he seems to enjoy pottering/quiet time in his cot after lunch.

I’m dreading the stage where they can escape their cots - one is an absolute daredevil, managed to climb out of his high chair the other day while I put milk in his cereal, didn’t make a sound until he was emptying the toy box. No idea how I’ll survive it 😂

you need bath books. or cloth books. more indestructible. most of our board books had to be recycled rather than given away. funnily enough it was the current voracious reader who destroyed the books.

They have a lovely dinosaur board book with a thing that makes noise - or it did,because one ate the corner off it while I was changing the ofher one. Cloth books just get thrown around!

They have company, they are happy, I can’t see the problem.

Personally I’d have a video baby monitor in there so if all went quiet I could check it was because they were sleeping!

My friend was phoned by a neighbour once to be told her baby was climbing out of the window. All had gone quiet - she thought she was asleep - nope she’d climbed out her cot (first time) scaled a chest of drawers and was trying to push up the window...sticking her arm out of the small gap because it was open a little...

Also sometimes they don’t scream but are still unhappy and it’s nice to see that and go give them a hug.

If they’re happy leave them.

Mind you, one morning my two year old woke up at 4.30am and was happy singing to herself. I left her and had a bit more sleep and when I went in she’d stripped off half the wallpaper.

DD dropped naps entirely by 14 months. Unless we were in a car driving at over 40mph during the approx 10 minute window around 1pm when the eyelids drooped a bit. Then she would nap for a bit.

get a video baby monitor. my oldest was 18 months when he learned to climb out ...