EVENING CRYING

[pop]

Help! I have 10 week old twins (6 weeks prem. so really only term + 4 weeks) who are a joy all day and then cry all evening. I know this is very common and ds did the same thing but it is driving me mad. We are putting them down after a 7 ish feed and regardless of sleep in the day, burped or not, sleepy when put down, they both bawl pretty much constantly till their 10ish feed. we are trying to be hard and leave them in their beds instead of bringing them downstairs to be cuddled mainly because I need a bit of a break but don't know if we are being too cruel. Have not tried water may try that tonight. Please let me know if you have ANY tips.

Pop
your twins are still very young, with my twins i found there was no routine until 4-5 months , they were quite unsettled in the evening and I remember thinking i would never again eat without a child in my arms..
Change your mindset, invite people around in the evening for a glass of wine, give them a baby to coo over and enjoy!

Do they cry when they are cuddled? I used to love just sitting with a baby cuddled in under my chin watching the telly. You will not spoil them.
Agree with inviting others round to help. Hopefully it will pass soon.

Not sure if they cry when cuddled or not. My ds did evening crying for weeks and it didn't matter if he was being cuddled or not. It was truly horrible. Still, felt it was better than leaving them to cry (though believe me, I'm not judging you, I think leaving them in their cots and going in regularly is totally understandable as a coping strategy). Have you tried them in together? Tried the Colief? Whatever you do or don't do, they will stop eventually and then life will feel so much more normal (as I'm sure you remember!). Have you tried taking one twin each, giving each one a good, tight swaddle, popping in a dumming, and rocking them both vigorously and quickly while saying shhh, shhh quite loudly in their ear. This seems to block out stimulation so they can relax and sleep. Maybe worth a try? Good luck.

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Hi Pop,
It will, it will, it will get better I promise! I have triplets and was nearly 46 when they were born! Harry and I kept a daily diary for the first year of their lives, and looking back, you wonder how you survived! There never seemed to be a time in the first four months that someone wasnt awake and screaming. They were born at 32 weeks, spent just over three weeks in special care where they had them in some sort of routine, til they came home! We were just walking zombies, had very little outside help, none at night, so if you get any offered, TAKE IT! When they were around four months they settled down, and you soon forget those awful times. We didnt put them up til around 10pm, often they would all sit in their bouncy chairs whilst we had supper, in fact we always enjoyed that, also we always kept them close to each other, for instance we had a double pushchair and a single, they were always so much more content if they were all snuggled up together in one! They are actually more trouble now than they were then, they are four and a half, and are up around 7am, go up to bed at 7pm, and are still going at 9! But they may be three times the trouble, but they are also three times the joy, and so will yours be!