3YO twins sharing a room - how to stop chatting?

[Twiceover]

Hi, My DT girls are about to turn three and just recently when they've been going to bed, they've been keeping each other awake for about an hour every night chatting.

I have warned them repeatedly "no talking, sleep time now" but they go quiet for about a minute while I go downstairs and start again. I don't want to go up every two minutes as it will turn into a game!

Anyone got any suggestions? It's interfering with my evening wine-drinking relaxtion time and it makes them tired when they have to get up for nursery the next morning. Thanks.

Oh goodness sorry no advice at all but am watching thread with interest as my 18 mth old dts (b/g) have started this on a smaller scale ie laughing, blowing raspberries, going through their repertore of 'noises that make us laugh'. At the moment this only lasts 20 mins or so before they crash out, so actually it is rather sweet and lovely to listen to and we have just left them to it. But if it starts to get much longer or make them tired, like in your case, then not so sure about leaving them to it. Maybe I'll put them into bed a bit earlier, to allow for 'chatting time'.

Aaaaargh!! Someone come and help all of us.

I have to stay in the room with our 2 1/2 year old twin boys as otherwise they rampage through the room taking all the bed linen off their beds. They are generally really good and well behaved but once they even pulled the curtains down when I left them on their own at bedtime

So that's where I am now. It was fine until they started to climb out of their cots - at least then they were contained.

Hahaha I was hoping it would get better as they got older [head in sand]
Could you try a staggered bed time ?

I could have written your messages 3 years ago! My DTs (girls) were angelic Gina Ford babies, sleeping from 7-7 until they reached 3....then overnight it just changed . They chatted, they climes out of their toddler beds (had previously learnt to climb out of their cots and shuffle in their toddler gro bags!!) opened up the wardrobe, emptied everything out of it (repeatedly) emptied bookcases...you name it, they were into it.

I spent about 6 months trying everything I could, allowing longer for them to have a (relaxing) bath, listening to story CDs, wearing them out running around the house before bedtime, being super strict....I drove myself crackers- and achieved nothing!!!!
In the end, one night I put one of them on the sofa bed in the spare room. Much protesting from both, and I hated the idea of separating them, but you know what? They slept.....
The twin that went into the new room quite liked it, so keen to make the most of the peace and quiet this option offered, we decorated this room and moved her bed in before the week was out!!!!

She's still in there now as her bedroom I mean, I don't mean we've never let her out!! and it's worked out well. She needs a bit less sleep than DT1 so separating them was a good idea. Just wish I'd saved my sanity and done it 6 months earlier!

Sorry for the essay, but I spent hours online looking for suggestions when I was going through it, so hope I can be of help to someone else!!

They're really lovely little girls too, mostly despite all the carnage that they caused when they were in together!!

Just remembered a couple of other practical suggestions that may be worth mentioning... You will probably have thought of these...
Black out blinds
Classical / chill out music, played quietly. Story tapes didn't work quite so well for us as they were excited to hear the ends of the stories so stayed awake and alert til the end...
Hope that helps?!!

Thanks everyone.

Benjalmummy, that's how it started...

Bombastic, I feel your pain! At least mine (mostly) stay in bed for their chatting. Funny how they are so well behaved in the day but go a bit mad at night - a last hurrah before sleeptime.

Chip, it's interesting to hear that you separated them. We have just moved house and finally got a spare room (impt as both mine & DH's family live abroad so come to stay) but it's worth considering. DT1 I think naturally wants to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than DT2 so they are on slightly different sleep patterns which may be adding to the problem. I hope it's just a phase (as I hope all rubbish things are, good things I take as permenant!!) but we'll see.

It's always nice to hear that other people have been/are dealing with the same stuff.

Our pair are 4 and share a room in bunk beds. We have a blackout blind although she sits reading to her toys with a torch. He tends to go straight to sleep but after a walk to nursery, a full day playing plus another mile walk home means they do go to sleep quite quickly.
If they do chatter, we leave them to it, they soon settle anyway. As long as they stay in bed, chattering is fine with us.

Have only read the op so apologies if someone has already said this but could you try putting them to bed an hour earlier sk thy still go to sleep at the correct time?