Sleeping twins

[Hodds89]

I am getting so confused on how to sleep my twins!! As my flat is purity small I was going to put them together in a big cot, top an tailed? As my hubby works nights I won't have any help through the night, so I was hoping to combination feed them rather than sterilising bottles through night!! Iv not got my hopes on this though as I couldn't breast feed my ds! Any way back to the sleeping arrangements, we are on a really tight budget so don't really want to spend out on two Moses baskets!!! Has anyone got any advice??? Sorry this message is a bit all over the place!!!!

Mine are 2 months old. They both fit in the cot (not cot bed size) next to the bed but in reality one is a better sleeper and sleeps through the night and the other is greedy and in with me! Works well :-)
I can't imagine doing bottles for twins through the night! I've heard good things about the perfect prep machine though - bet it would be a better investment than the Moses baskets! :-)

I had mine in the same cot for about 7/8mths, firstly side by side (they would roll into each other, VV cute looked like a love heart), then we topped and tailed, then got a 2nd hand cot with a new mattress. Feeding wise, we FF but husband didn't work nights so I can't really help you with that.

Check out free cycle for cots, you can buy a new mattress.

had mine in a cot top to tail until they were several months' old. Good luck with it all!

In regards to FF, I never gave them a warm, always room temp, so through the night we just added the formula as the water was already boiled/cooled/measured out. However, this was nearly 6.5yrs ago and I know that guidelines/recommendations have changed and this isn't the way things are done now.

Thanks for replays ! What is a perfect prep machine?

I had mine in a cot together with one side down next to our bed - it's a cheap ikea cot that has a removable side. However, if I were to do it again (I hope not!) I don't think I would put them in the same cot. I was always worrying about disturbing the other when I took one out / put one back in the cot for a feed and sometimes they did disturb each other. We out them in their own cots after a few weeks and I found it much better.

That's just my experience though, a lot of people like having them in the same cot.

As I understand it a perfect prep machine takes the ingredients for the formula and makes it safely to the correct temperature in line with current guidelines quickly and easily. Or some people use cartons but I imagine this would work out very expensive!!

I've had twins that shared a cot until nearly one. Side by side and then top and tail.

For night feeds I use the flask method.
Before bed boil kettle and put water in flask AND a sterilised bottle.
When babies wake to make a 4oz bottle.
Pour 2oz of flask water into sterilised bottle, mix in powder which I have pre measured. Mix powder. Then pour water from the sterilised bottle which should be cooled down and bringing the formula down to a good drinking temperature. Takes less than a minute. Same basis as a perfect prep machine but much cheaper.

The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Perfect Prep Machine will accurately prepare your baby's bottle at body temperature in under two minutes, ensuring you and your baby enjoy feeding.
Features and benefits-
-Prepares your baby's bottle quickly, easily and accurately
-Use with all brands of formula
-Filter system removes impurities in the water
-An initial hot shot of water will kill any bacteria present in the milk
-Simply measure out the formula powder
-Machine accurately measures out the balance of water required
-Your bottle can ready to serve at body temperature in less than 2 minutes

Just check with the perfect prep that it isn't from a batch where the water doesn't come out as accurate measurements. It's one of the reasons I don't recommend it.

We had one cot in our bedroom that they shared until 7 months then the plan was to put them into their own cots in their own bedroom. This didn't work, they howled and ended up together in one cot until 17 months. Now at 2.9 they often squash up together for naps in one cot.

For ff we kept boiled water in flask bags (an actual flask would work too) and it stayed warm and then added the.powder when needed (had some little pots from Tommie tippee to keep the powder in). You can do something like 1 oz boiling water, add 3 scops powder, add 2 oz cooled boiled water, so it will be the right temp to drink.

I also make bottles in batches and keep in the fridge and then use the bottle warmer as needed.

I don't have twins but my friend topped and tailed hers in a standard cot and fed them at the same time while laid in the cot. She said routine was the only way to cope.

Our perfect prep has been a life saver with our twins. The quickest way for us in the beginning was to make up one large bottle and then divide it between two bottles. Every minute counts when you have two angry little dots demanding their milk in the early hours

I co-slept with both babies in the first few months.

For anyone using cooled, boiled water - if the water you are putting the powder into isn't 70c, it's too cold to kill any bacteria in the powder.

If you can't use 70c water to make a fresh bottle, the guidance says the 2nd best method is to make the bottles up fully in advance and get them into the fridge to prevent bacteria multiplying.

You can use boiling water, add powder and then top up with pre boiled water. So powder goes into boiling water but you don't have to wait for the bottle to cool.

Its pretty easy to keep.water above 70degrees in a decent flask.

Routine is not the only way to cope!!! Mine are BF on demand - one sleeps through, the other co sleeps and snacks through the night.so glad I didn't go for a strict routine as what suited one definitely would t suit the other!!

But for her it was the only way to cope which is what i said. How you cope is obviously differently to her.

To be fair I heard so many horror stories about having twins I was just fed up of being told they must be on a routine they must have a bottle, you must have someone to help. The two of them are less hassle than ds1 was on his own! Just trying to add a bit of perspective!

My twins are in moses baskets but will go in a cot bed together in a few months. Feeds are a struggle at times as OH is back in work and i'm doing most of them myself and have a really calm happy twin and a twin that hates to sleep at night which is tiring. Feeds are made easier by Tommee Tippee prep machine though. It's an absolute god send.

Bedside cot with both in next to each other then breastfeed on demand. Routine and bottles definitely not necessary!!

I'm planning on my twins being in a cot bed together while they're in our room. If for some reason that doesn't work, we've still got the crib we used for DS and getting a pushchair which has carrycots suitable for overnight use.

As for feeding at night, no idea yet. Breastfeeding would be most convenient but planning on getting a Perfect Prep machine. I didn't particulaely enjoy breastfeeding DS, so suspect I won't do it for as long this time.

Sorry for late reply! Will defo have to look into the perfect prep! As ds1 wasn't able to breast feed so need to be prepared! Was thinking of getting a cot from ikea, the side comes off so hoping to put it right next to bed and have them next to each other? Maybe get 2 second hand moses incase they prefer to be inclosed! So much to think about!!!

Don't bother with Moses baskets. One cot will be totally fine for the first couple of months at least. Mine were side by side with feet at the bottom of the long side for 3 months. Logistics of room shape meant they couldn't easily top and tail. Bought a second cot at 4 months.

I BF on demand, never waking a baby in the night (I just couldn't do it!!). Was hard but doable. But I didn't have an older child. Get a tandem feeding cushion - useful for bottle feeding two babies at once as well!