Advice on coping with 6 mo twins at night!

[BosomsByTheSea]

My DTs are 6 months now and I am really struggling with lack of sleep.

DT1 usually goes down OK after bath, story, boob at 7.30 ish, but then wakes at 9.30, 11.30, 1am, and then often hourly until 6am when he is wide awake. I am feeding him each time he wakes - have tried just cuddling him back to sleep but he just gets shoutier and shoutier and I don't want DT2 to wake. I have started taking him into bed in the spare room with me, just to get some sleep, but I don't want this to become a habit as my back is really suffering!

DT2 used to go down OK but now often won't go to sleep till 10 or 11 pm. I have ended up with him in my bed from 8pm onwards the last 2 nights, managing to finally get him down in his own bed at 11ish. He mostly sleeps through till 6.30ish.

I used to feed them together in the night, so if one woke, I fed them both, but I'm not doing this now as both are good weights and the bf cushion is too small for them both! This means I am in trouble if I am feeding one and the other wakes!

I'm struggling from the lack of sleep, also I have arthritis so it's hard to move the DTs around in the night - and I don't feel it's safe to co-sleep with them both.

They're fully breastfed so I've done every night since they were born. Just started BLW.

Any ideas?

Hi BBTS,

I'm afraid I haven't got any great advice really. My 5mo twin boys are now fully formula fed - I only managed 3 months breastfeeding this time round, so big hats off to you!

I did exclusively breastfeed my eldest son who is now 19mo for 6 months, and found that he used to wake several times a night until he was really established on solids and eating good sized meals at 8 months.

Could you move DT2 into the spare room, and then leaving DT1 for a few minutes without picking him up to see if he'll settle himself? If he's waking every hour, does he take much of a feed or is it just a comfort thing?

You must be shattered??! We've had the last few weeks where all 3 of my boys have been ill and waking up at different times in the night, and I've been on my knees. I just find it so hard with twins in the night as, like you say, you pick one up because you don't want to wake the other, but how on earth do you get both to sleep through, I haven't got the foggiest.

When DTs are 6 mo, my plan is to move the best sleeper (DT1 into their room with my 20mo DS1, and then I somehow plan to coach DT2 to sleep through, before getting the 3 of them in the same room together, where I'm sure fresh carnage will ensue...

Keep me posted if you hear any bright ideas please!

my twins are six months old - and I breast feed at night - (formula during the day) I keep mine awake till about nine or ten - then they sleep till five/sixam feed for about an hour and then sleep till nine or ten - its heaven - keep them both up thats my advice - dont fight them if they want to stay up - 7.30 is early....thats what they are telling you - make your own schedule - forget what the books tell you at this stage - buy them a swing thing 25 quid from mothercare a bouncy thing that hooks up above the door - they love it - also we just bought a rolling chair thing (another 50 quid on plastic crap) - they need to be moving and using their energy - with these gadgets even my little boy is tired and sleeps through ....also lots of fresh air - but you know that.....its been a long hard winter to have twins has nt it?

My twins are 7 months now and still not properly sleeping through either. Although they are much better since i introduced solids. Are they ready to be weaned perhaps?