Do you have 'nap times' at set times for your twins?

[ck2409]

Hi all
I'm looking to see what other parents of twins do really. I have 13 week old twins (4 wks corrected) and I would like to know if other parents of twins had set nap times for their babies around this age?

They are still very sleepy babies, especially straight after a feed, and yet as soon as I put them in their cot for their naps they wake up and do anything apart from sleep (well they cry in protest). I am beginning to think I should just leave them sleeping in the car seats or on me, the sofa, wherever, rather than go through the same issues daily, but I'd be really interested to hear from others about this. Should I be wanting them to nap at set times or should I just go with their flow and let them sleep where they are, etc.

What do you / did you do in this respect?

Thanks in advance.

You can only dictate so much!!

I decided that I would have a 7am til 7pm day with set feeding times (that evolved from how often then wanted to be fed - both fed at same time always).

And as for the naps - I just let them fall asleep whenever they wanted wherever they happened to be. Otherwise I seemed to spend the whole day trying to get them to nap when they didn't want to and it was just stressful.

When we were down to about two naps a day - morning and early afternoon - then I started to put them down for naps. But before that - its just too much hassle. They will sleep when they want to.

if you want to get them into a set nap I thinkt he best thing is to take them out for a walk daily. I found that mine would fall asleep on the way home from school runs, and I'd leave them to sleep then, and that put them into regular nap times for me.

I tended to elave them where they were rather than wake them, though def not on me! You need your breaks while they sleep.

Naps - Arrgh, my twins are 14 weeks and we're struggling with this one too. Some babies will fall asleep when they want, but not all - well not mine! Some babies if left to their own devices for naps will just get very over tired. I'm trying to get some sort of routine together at the moment but the girls don't nap for same lengths of time, I just try to make sure that they don't go for more than an hour and half between naps, or if previous nap was very short ie 30 mins then I cut this time down a little. It doesn't go that smoothly yet. I've been making them take most of their naps in the cot and they are gradually getting used to it and going down more easily. We also try to do one nap of the day out and about in the buggy just so we all get some fresh air.

Hope you make some progress with naps, it's not easy, but I'm sure it's the path to a bit of sanity.

I never had any routine but when they had fed and were sleepy they went into their cot/ carrycot had a pat on the head and then I left - still do in fact. They got used to settling themselves. I must admit that as they got bigger and started playing together in 1 cot and then between the two I used to get vvery frustrated. I have been known to weep in the bathroom when I was so tired and they playing up!

I am looking after twins at the moment and they are in a routine. They nap at around 9 am for 45 mins then again at 12 till 2pm, though this is normally in the pram. They then nap for roughly 20 mins between 4 and 5 pm so they are ready for bed at 7pm.

They are 16 weeks now.

Obviously routines are not for everyone so if you are happy and they are happy you do what is best for you and your babies.

We didn't have set nap times until they were much older. Probably over 6 mths though its all a bit fuzzy!

If they're asleep, where-ever they are as long as they're safe, LEAVE THEM!!!!!!!!!

If you write down what you're babies do one day, then compare it to the next few, you will probably find they're in their own loose routine anyway. This gives you a bit more knowledge of when things are likely to happen. Just be prepared for it to change next week!

Thanks everyone. It's good to hear how others do things. I am keen to get them in to a routine but I know things change and that they are only babies. Plus having two babies who are quite different brings it home that no two babies are the same so different things will work for some and not others.

It is just hard to know what to do for the best sometimes. I am going to start leaving them to sleep where they are for now because it just disrupts them when I pick them up while they're asleep anyway to take them off to bed for their nap. Then I spend the next hour or two trying to settle them to go to sleep - and we all end up exhausted!

Many thanks

I have 17 week old twins and in the last 6 weeks I've been getting into a routine of daytime naps.

It has helped me a great deal to have a pattern of naps - given me a few precious hours (at roughly the same times every day) to get stuff done. But it also seems to have really helped one of my twins who was getting overtired from being awake too long. So I wish that I'd established set nap times a bit sooner and I'd recommend it.

I think it also helps to have as many of their naps as possible in their cots so they come to associate this with sleep. They were falling asleep anytime and anywhere in the early weeks which was ok - but they are much better at settling themselves now (and sleeping at night) if they go to the cot for most sleeps.

They nap for 45 mins at about 9am, for 2 hrs-ish between 11.30/11.45 and 1.30 and then a further nap of 45 mins between 3 and 4.

One of my twins seems to need a lot more sleep that the other (she struggles to be awake for even 2 hours) so she has yet another nap later in the evening (5.30ish) before her bath.

Hope this helps a bit - I wasn't really into routines at all pre-twins but it really has helped me!!

I know this is expensive for a short term benefit - but there is a musical mobile made by "Tiny Love" that moves around while jiggle janglying. It costs around £40

I found it great to give me 20 mins breather when they were awake to shower / brush my teeth.

Just stick both babys in one cot under the mobile and they will be transfixed!

I think because your twins are prems they will fall asleep after feeding. Mine started on a routine when they were 6 weeks (adjusted, 12 weeks actual). Now nearly 8 weeks adjusted the naps are much more predictable. They feed between 7/7.30a. Then nap from 8.30a-10a. Some times they wake up in between at 9a so I grab them and put them back to sleep with cuddling/dummy. They feed at 10/10.30a and then get really tired by 11.30a kicking under a gym. At this time I put them for a longer nap till about 1.30p/2p. If either wakes up earlier I try to settle them back with some feed (1oz) or water. Then they feed at 2/2.30p. Fall asleep againat 3p, 4p for 30-45 mins. I wake them up at 5p for a small feed, bath and feed again at 6p. This is really hard since they can barely keep awake at 6p but I have to feed them well if I want them to last till 10p. In cot by 7p. I wake them up at 10.30p for a feed. Then they wake up at 2.30a/3a for a feed. Back to 7a if I am lucky

This took nearly a week to establish. Difficult parts were the noon time naps, afternoon irritability and getting them to last till 2.30a/3a at night. I take them out for a walk during the second late afternoon nap. Also I tried to get feeding times established before getting to the naps. At night I just pray they don't wake up twice

I have been swaddling them under arms since they were 6 weeks real age. That really helps to settle them. Also I do have a lot of day time help and some night help hence I can be persistent. This may not be the case with you so don't be too hard on yourself.

I'm still trying to get mine in a routine for naps and feeds and they're over five months now arggh. But I have been writing down absolutely everything and it does help to see a pattern over a few days that you can make some sort of routine out of. FWIW, I've never been able to get any of my babies into a proper nap routine before six months and you're perhaps being fairly ambitious as they're prem? Perhaps that's just dp & me being crap though . The morning nap seems the easiest to establish, about an hour or so after they've woken up. Would second Sullwah's recommendation for the tiny love mobile, I got one for £10 on ebay (i'd previously had another that broke) but I would pay any money for one esp for twins, absolute godsend

Yes the mobiles are good, we had one on each cot. In the mornings when they woke (7.30) I would give them a bottle, then put them back in their cots, put the mobile on, few toys in there too, they would play for a bit then go back to sleep and wake up 9 or 9.30. Then we were up for the morning. Lunch at 12 on the dot. Down for nap again at 12.30. Til 2 or 2.30. I think then another nap at 4 til 5. And then dinner at 6 and bed at 7. Always naps at home. Which meant i had a v boring life. But it works. Gave me more free time to myself and they were well rested. I used to rock them to sleep for the afternoon nap in their car seats. But i think they dont advocate that now. As they got older, first nap to go was the later afternoon one then the early moring one. But the luntime one i was able to keep til they went to school!! If you have a set routine, the baby knows what is coming next and they really like that. Because you do the same thing at the same time every day, it isnt a battle. Good luck.