Under 1s twin post-natal group? Should we have one? Who's in?!

[PeelingmyselfofftheCeiling]

The antenatal group is nearly full, any graduates fancy joining forces to compare

I want to know your dos and don'ts katy, bet you could write a book (but seriously, what are they?)

I'm in love with all my kiddies today - the boys are beaming and DD is being a total sweetie with them and me. I'm enjoying the moment while it lasts

Oh yes Katy, let's have the list. I am still trying to settle babies, 1:30am already and I'm.getting so desperate for sleep I can see some more unsafe cosleeping coming up, though its always crap dozing for me :( . So glad they're so smiley and what amazing sleeping!!!

pigcon, thank goodness for grannying. A peaceful 5 minutes on the loo . I am dreaming of an evening after colic when I can organize for the next day then finally have a bath!!

Right. I am never putting on mn either is showing signs of improvements until its more than a one off. I have been up at least every hour, in fact more like every 45 minutes from 1:45 to now, and both in my bed anyway, and how on earth I'll manage them all day on no sleep I don't know. Oh come on boys!!!!

I have reported Loreen. There are lots of odd posts by this trip trap today

dreaming hang in there lovely lady it gets better! Everyone told me this when I felt just like you and I thought never but in no time at all it will be sooo much better and you will get sleep. My worst night was dts 2 being up until 5am (continuous!) just getting to bed and dts 1 getting up for the day at 5.30am! You can do it you can do it!!!! Get someone over to help you if needed if you cant drink loads of coffee and remember it WILL get better. Hugs. x

dreaming it's happened once it will happen again...
I don't know if you are doing things like changing them in the morning, bathing them, story time but I found it a lot easier to just stop doing anything extra and just concentrate on feeding, sleeping, changing (laundry, bottle washing and prep, meals from cook) and basic self care. This did lead to a few "are they in their pjs" comments but I poked those people in the eyes we got on with it. You may feel that you cannot let go like that, have friends who just would never ever not change their babies in the morning, but for a time it worked for me

pigcon1 youre so right you have to do what works for YOU and everyone is different. At the moment we have no day routine and I dont really care as were always out of the house the time with your babies is so precious why force them into something that makes everyone unhappy? them cos they dont really want to do it ,us cos we get stressed and our ears hurt! Since I dropped piling the stress on I feel so relaxed sorry sleep probably helps! They will be weaned soon and the routine will change then I will return to work and it will change again. I just enjoy having smiles now. Lots of them. Mainly cos theyre not fighting me! I do change my babies in the morning because that works for me but on the days when I leave them in babygrows that works too. Noone can pass judgement on the basic way you get things done. Sorry waffling is my forte.

If I can help in anyway let me know!!! I do seam to have a full proof routine which has worked with so many kids (my 5) plus I worked with babies.

But I must admit twins are so difficult the first few weeks in my opinion were horrific!! I look back and shudder at how on earth we got through it!! My girls screamed all day .. It was just awful!!

But I promise it gets easier
I am by no means a expert at all .. Far from it, I have just been lucky to find something that has worked and I have passed it in many many times and have been called a life saver :)

Ok katy, I need a blow-by-blow account of this fool proof routine!

pigcon, I am getting them up and dressed in the morning (not waking them, god forbid, just when they're up). It's usually around the same time DD wakes up anyway- as mine wake every 45 min to an hour, the horrors- so it can always be done while upstairs with DD. I might just put them in a fresh babygrow as theirs are always puked on, but its more just for the changing of clothes = daytime. I am also doing bathtime every night, again, fitted in round DD. In my head this is going to help them realize what's night and what's day, and while it is extra effort its not like i could go back to bed anyway with DD, and the bath is
run every night at that time anyway.

Like wine I'm not going for any kind of day time routine, but just want them to start settling in the evening and sleeping better at night than in the day (looking at Ben there). I've also had several nightts where I've been up from midnight on...til up for the day time. Grim grim grim. It's so reassuring to hear that thus is not unique to me with everyone else having some sleep at least and it too shall pass!!

I was also worried with all the crying we have they'd just be unhappy babies full stop so you've cheered me jobs treat Katy

I know I'm totally self obsessed today, just so tired! So thanks for putting up with me all :)

Ok dream, if you let me know what time you would want babies to go bed and if there breast feeding and I'll be back on later hen my brood are in bed!!

:)

I hope I can help its so upsetting when you think there is no way out, I thought I had it Sussed with my singletons and then the twins blew that all out!! Little monkeys!!

And you are not self obsessed .. You are doin do well just getting through every day

Katy they're exclusively bf and i want them to go to bed at 7pm :)

Brilliant, how old are they?

Also do you have any other dc and do they have a routine? I found it easier to keep mine all roughly together for naps etc

dream, I join you in not mentioning any possible positive changes on here - the day after I mentioned on here about the boys feeding every 4 hrs they stopped! Now every 2 / 2:5 day and night! No idea how to extend this again. Serves me right for saying about 4 hourly!

Well as we're going that way :) I look after my dynamic ones by my self mon to fri (mil comes on Thurs, wonderful woman that she is, 2.5 hour commute each way for her). Last night DT1 had a bad start to the night but he went to sleep at 7.30. I collapsed amid the toy carnage raising a glass and sending thank you text to MIL, heard tremendous howl DT1 has vomiting bug, was up til 1.30 with the poor lamb and he slept in with me last eve. Today. 7 loads of laundry, cot mattress clean clean of all surfaces. Thankfully, looks like we're over and done with DT1 totally chipper today and no sign of anything with DT2. This is pretty standard stuff but I did have a moment of, oh thought I was slightly ahead of the game til it happened. Both are sleeping soundly now, I'm lying on the stripped bed, shall I make it up...,,

Know if you're not getting any sleep you'd prob take the vomiting for the 7.30 bedtime!

My 2 are 8 weeks old. I have my eldest who's 20 months, and she naps 1-3 ish usually and goes to bed somewhere between 7 & 7:45. I'm looking forward to a magic answer . I imagine poor DT2's colic will have to pass first to get any kind of a routine for him, poor baby is so miserable. He's cried for the last 5 hours now if he's not been feeding, and is currently asleep on the boob. I don't dare move a muscle...

I attempted bedtime by myself for the first time tonight, following rednellies solo routine suggestion. DT2 was totally beside himself, absolutely hysterical, but if he weren't colicky I can see it might work (DD most likely to run away if asked to come over for hair combing though!) . I was SO pleased dh arrived home just as I was about to attempt to feed both boys and read to DD after the baths. Rescued in the nick of time, but i still feel bad for how upset DT2 got.

Oh pigcon, how horrible... Thank goodness DT2 has escaped so far, I can't think of much worse than a vomiting bug except for both with it simultaneously

bigboobs I have learnt my lesson . Though surely our boys will all start sleeping through quickly as our DD's were so difficult, right ?!

Thats what I thought dream but my optimism is fast fading! does not help that my sister who had a 6 wk old baby says she only has to feed once in the night and a friend with a 2 wk old says he alreadys sleeps 5 hours without waking at night. can't help but think 'what am I doing wrong'. Sure I will fee better after a nights sleep as if that's going to happen

Ok here we go .. This is my routine I do and have done since babies were born, I also have a 16month old dd do I try and slot my girls all together!!!

So my day will start at 7am
7am- I get up (think I'm getting ahead
8:30- feed dd - she drinks her milk while I'm feeding girls!!

8:45- wash and dress girls
9:00- put girls in cot for nap
Dress dd, clean up, wash bottles etc!!
10:30- girls wake, play for a bit
11:00-feed girls
11:30- feed dd while girls play on the gym!
Clean up change bums , play
12:30- girls and dd go down for nap!!
If we are in I will either chill or again get ahead and do dinne lt for later, washing bla bla. I we are out girls will sleep in pushchair etc.
2:30- wake up play.
3:00 feed girls
Elder kids come in from school house goes into manic mode!!!
4:00-5:00- the girls will play in bouncers or gym whilst I sort dinner!!
5:00- bath dd
Dd will go in play pen wih her milk
5:15- bath girls, in bedroom where it's dark as calm then milk and in there grow bag and straight down to bed!!
5:45- 15 minute cuddle with dd then she goes down at 6!!
Then rest of evening we do homework and catch up with older kids!!!

Ok so that's us now!!!

It's all about bedtime routine!! Which I know is he'd when bf (I managed 6 weeks) so well done you ate doing amazingly!!!

But if you can pick a time that fits in with you and stick to it in evening!! No matter what!!! So say 7pm!!! Nice warm bath, I bath both in very shallow water then lay them both in a big towel and carry them all wrapped up into my room where it's quiet and dark, dress them then milk (which is ready for them)

As they are so little still it's really hard to get them into a sleeping pattern in the day, but you will notice them doing it them selves eventually!! But if you can stick to feed, play, sleep in the day!!! Babies this age will not benefit from staying awake longer than 1hour 30 mins, so feed babies, then let them play etc, about 1 hour 15 mins change bums put them down in there cot awake. ( they will learn to self sooth them selves) I found white noise amazing at getting them to do this (I have it on my iPhone)

Sorry it's long!!

But as babies so young stick to -
Same bed time routine every evening without fail!
Stick to feed, play , sleep!!
Don't let babies stay awake longer than 1hour 30 minutes!!

Night time I used to follow the less hungrier baby (if that makes sense) so when first baby would wake I would put dummy in or bring baby in for cuddle untill other baby woke!! Then feed them both together again very quiet feed and straight down!!

I hope this all makes sense, it really isn't that difficult in the sense I instructions, but sticking to it can be aexspecially when there are two babies, I found it difficult but it pays off, my babies are 5 months old and I would say from about 12/13 weeks they do it all them selves now :)

Really hopes this has made sense and well done if you read it all and didn't get bored!

Sounds amazing Katy

That does help katy and kind of follows what we've been doing. I'm a massive fan of bedtime routines, and getting everyone up in the morning because of DD seems to have helped my two boys settle into a morning nap already. It's almost totally reliable now which is great as it lets DD and I have a bit of together time before the mania of lunch etc.

I'm a bit about the fact I don't change the boys in the morning! It never even occured to me that might be weird, then again they don't puke really and I do get them up, change their bums etc...and then they come and sit with us at breakfast which I suppose marks the start of the day...Ha ha, I'm a terrible slattern!

pigcon, hope yours are getting better. I'm not even going to say anything so as not to jinx myself, but let's just say I'm a stranger to vomit and I'd like it to stay that way...

Boys giving us big grins all the time, they are just lovely lovely. And getting more different from each other - DT1 is all lanky and lean and DT2 is a fatty pudge ball. Can't believe they're getting the same supply...

And ps dream, combing hair and brushing teeth is a constant battle in our house...constant. Especially now DD thinks she can do it all herself. Sort of.

bigboobs :) felt like I was constantly meeting people who told me how easy they were finding their singletons. Can imagine quite stressful when your sister is finding the sleep such a breeze.

bigboobs, I have secretly abandoned hope of good sleepers at any point soon based on the current complete chaos and lack of sleeping. I also have a friend (well, ex neighbour from my mums house I always get updated on) with a 4 week old waking once... Last night Ben woke 5 times in the 5 hours we called 'night'.... Seb has only slept 4 hours in a row once. Waking once or twice a night is such a distant dream.

Your routine sounds great Katy. Was there just a huge amount of screaming initially then? Mine cry and cry and cry... Particularly DT2. I'm really impressed yours have a settled morning nap rednellie. How, how?! After I read that it can be very hard to get fraternal twins into the same routine as they're no more likely to than any other siblings I'd kind of given up on the idea. My duo are so different- DT1 the chunk, DT2 long and lean too.

I totally agree with little babies not being awake for more than an hour and a half but achieving it is proving very elusive. This afternoon DT2 cried for 5 hours with 1 15 min nap... He's still awake and fretting after another catnap. Poor little tike. He just pukes when put down and gets hysterical- assuming his reflux is no better so far :( . I just have no idea how to help him or get any kind of routine though DT1 is down in bed after the bathtime routine again, cross everything, touch wood