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moving twins from cots to beds

15 replies

MamaChocoholic · 25/02/2012 19:32

I think we need to move our 16mo twins from cots to beds. For the last couple of months they climb the outside of the cots and try and hang off them. Two accidents waiting to happen and it means I can't leave them unsupervised in their bedroom (my last sanctuary when I wanted to go to the loo etc). Now they are trying to climb out when in the cots too. Only dt2 I think is big enough to actually do this, but they both manage to climb up a little by wrapping their feet round the bars. So far, it's still ok whilst they're in growbags, but it's just too unnerving, I feel the cots are no longer safe.

BUT... how on earth do I persuade them to move to beds and stay there? They understand most of what I say, but don't have any words of their own yet, so communication isn't going to be easy. I also can't imagine how they will stay on their own bed and sleep, I think they will be off to play with/annoy the other one. And when one wakes in the night currently, I can get in, feed back to sleep, without waking the other. Without the restraint of cots, I think the waker will be off to wake up the sleeper, and trying to resettle two is so much harder than one.

So, has anyone moved twins to beds around this age and do you have any tips? Even if we don't do it now, it will have to be soon, they are such climbers, and dt2 is determined to get out. He has already dived out when the cot wasn't on its lowest setting, and he only has to grow another 2cm or so before his hips are high enough to do it again.

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randommoment · 25/02/2012 20:31

I had a rather untidy but successful in-between stage with the DDs, we dismantled the cots but kept the mattresses and put them on the floor. They were frequently both on the same mattress when I went to check on them, and even more frequently both on the floor. There was one night when one had passed out right in front of the door and I had to roll her away gently with my hand through a six inch gap, but that was the only disaster, and even then it wasn't a full on disaster as she didn't wake up. We called it the Baby-arium.
After a couple of months, they were nearly always asleep where we'd put them, so we bought beds and anti roll devices. I kept leaving a spare duvet on the floor ready to cushion a fall, but it never happened.
On the subject of climbing, have you double checked how much weight it would take to topple any piece of furniture eg chest of drawers? My friend's twins were caught both sitting in the same drawer that they'd managed to pull out and clamber into and it was very near over-balancing point.

MamaChocoholic · 25/02/2012 20:42

Good point re climbing. We currently have a very old, heavyweight chest of drawers in there that they can't open a drawer on, but were all set to head off to IKEA and refit the room. Perhaps we're stuck with that chest of drawers for another year or two.

Did you leave the room and let them go to sleep on the mattresses themselves? Currently I sit in the room till they're both asleep in cots, otherwise they end up screaming. Also lets me distract them from playing silly buggers games with each other when they should be sleeping!

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randommoment · 26/02/2012 10:13

I'd stick with the heavyweight one too, apart from anything else it's more likely to stay intact than anything from Ikea!

We used to snuggle together for a bedtime story and last bottle until they were both dopey, usually on dd2's mattress as it was better lit, then do tucking up and kisses. Then sit quietly with them until I was reasonably certain they were settled. Then lights out and baby monitor on while we enjoyed an hour of grown up time/post watershed telly. They weren't noisy, but so often they'd moved in that time! I had them in grobags btw so they couldn't get too far.

MamaChocoholic · 27/02/2012 16:55

well dt2 slept last night on a mattress that is in the room for when I give up resettling and just co sleep some time after midnight. He seemed fine with it, although the first thing he did when he woke up (at 10pm, 12am etc) was try and poke dt1 through the bars of her cot). dt1 (the smaller one, who has less hope of climbing out) was rather miffed to be stuck in a cot watching her brother on the mattress though :)

Beginning to think it may be easier get dt2 used to mattress, then move him into ds1's room when he wakes a bit less frequently and put dt1 into a bed then. If I can persuade him to stop trying to wake his sister, at least.

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randommoment · 28/02/2012 21:55

Good luck MamaChoc! How much older is ds1? I'm assuming long term that you were planning on separating them so that the boys can be smelly and Action Man obsessed in one room and the girl(s) can do Angelina Ballerina in the other ...

BrainLikeASieve · 29/02/2012 23:01

Omg what a fascinating read!
Please please keep me informedSmile

My two are 1 year & in cots. They both love to stand & shake the bars & my girl climbs on everything. I'm going to have exactly the same dilemma.
Except we don't soothe them to sleep. We take them to their cots & leave them to cry & they're usually asleep within a couple of minutes.
I hadn't thought about them being able to roam free!
I do love the twin-arium idea.
How're they getting on?
Have you braved them both on mattresses yet?

Oh - and Genius suggestion re the drawers. I'll pick up some drawer safety clip things next time I'm in ikea.
I would never have thought they'd both go climbing like that.
Blimey.... So much to learn...

randommoment · 01/03/2012 09:52

Hi Brain! If you go with the Twin-arium, you have to think worst case scenario with everything. The room we used had nothing but mattresses and built in furniture, and a low bedside type chest with a lamp right in the middle with the cable carefully led round the back - the idea was to limit the possibility of disasters. Because unlike a single baby, twins conspire work together. At one time they had some crayons in their room (this was around age 3) and one morning they had drawn on the walls far higher than one on its own could reach. Apparently dd2 had crouched down and made a step with her shoulders so dd1 could reach higher.
It was wax crayon. You can shift it with those weird Flash cleaning sponges that dissolve away as you use them, but I only found this out by a lot of trial and error and exhausting scrubbing with other products.
Are you surprised we used to call them destructa-babies?

randommoment · 01/03/2012 09:53

And I assume you have already learnt to panic when it goes too quiet? That mean's they're up to something, and it's probably no good.

MamaChocoholic · 01/03/2012 19:27

Thanks for checking on me. It's all gone wrong :( Sunday ds2 went to sleep quite happily on the mattress, Monday he got really upset, and I had to feed him to sleep (on the mattress, but it doesn't really count). Tuesday he went back in his cot and cried so hard he was sick within a few minutes. Now I'm sat outside the bedroom, listening to him scream while dp is in with him. :( :(

I wish we could leave him for a couple of minutes and they'd just go to sleep like yours BLAS, but he has already been crying for 30 minutes and I don't think has reached his peak yet.

Why do I grow non-sleeping babies?

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SuzysZoo · 01/03/2012 22:10

my two are nearly 3 and still in cots. I will probably let them out when they are about 5!!! My friend with twins just lowered the cot base when hers climbed out (she got her husband to drill some extra holes!). I hope you find a solution for you that works...

randommoment · 02/03/2012 05:28

Oh MamaChoc, so sorry to hear about last night. How did dd manage with her brother going off on one so loudly?

BrainLikeASieve · 02/03/2012 21:44

Yeah how'd you get on?
It's beyond tiring So I hope you got some rest in the end.

So funny how twins work together. I've already learned that quiet = trouble.
We're off to Wilkos tomorrow to buy drawer clips & furniture straps. They'll have them wont they?

Looking forward to hearing a good report on the mattress sleeping!

MamaChocoholic · 04/03/2012 19:39

Ah, we're back with the cots, though at least ds2 is happier going to sleep the last couple of days. He has just been sick though, so I guess all bets are off until we get through the next round of d&v :(

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BrainLikeASieve · 05/03/2012 22:13

Noooooo!
I was hoping for a few tough nights followed by long restful sleeps...

kezzakins · 26/03/2012 13:44

Was just about to post a message asking for advice when I saw yours on here...my 18 month old twins have both just started climbing out of their cots too! I've just lowered them both so that the mattresses are sitting on the floor and my son at least can still climb out. Monkeys!
I also do not seem able to grow a child that wants to stay in bed as we went through the same thing with my oldest son (except he was 17 months). We live in a house with hard tiled floors so for safety's sake ended up putting him in a bed pretty quick but it was a nightmare and not something I want to repeat. Mamachocolic, how are you getting on now?
Any other advice short of turning their cots into a cage (my husband's suggestion) or balls and chains?! Grin

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