Twins waking at 2-3am every night - HELP!!

[Squirly]

I have 14 month old identical boy twins the youngest of which wakes up nearly every night in the early hours of the morning. He will then moan, chatter, shout, and sometimes bang his head repeatedly on his mattress. This can go on for one to two hours. Just as he is going to sleep (eventually) the other will sometimes wake. Tried every combination of nap during day. Any body got any tips PLEASE!!?? We have not slept through the night since they were born.

i have a similar thread...waking at 4/5am on the go...sorry i cant be much help!!

Squirly I know where you are coming from, my ds twins (the eldest in particular) did this around the same age from about 1 year to finally stopping at 18 months, he still does it occassionally. They are now 2.

My poor youngest loves his sleep so would get very bad tempered.

What we did was, first DH would go in, comfort him by stroking his head, talking to him, firmly not forcefully putting him down, tucking him in again. If he woke again I would go in, not speak to him, but stroke his head and tuck him in again. This usually worked, if not we would go in, no talking, no comforting, and just tuck him in. What also worked was only allowing them to sleep 1 1/2 hours maximum during the day (after lunch) and making sure they were not "wound down" too early. They go to bed about 7, sleep about 8 and wake up about 7.30-8am.

It sounds like a palaver, and when you are tired I admit it can be a right pain but persevere (sp?) and it will work out. The biggest problem is if one wakes the other!

Did your twins sleep in the same cot for long? Mine did from birth (in their goldfish bowl at the hospital) until about 8 months. It meant we got some sleep as one would comfort the other! We had to separate when they began fighting for their favourite bit of the bed!

Thank you, Paula 71, for your advice. Over the last few nights we seem to have been winning the battle, although I hardly dare say it! We are being very strict with their daytime routine, naps and meals, and have had a few good nights since Christmas. The older one is having a little trouble with teeth at the moment which has not helped, but on the whole things have improved.

To answer your last question, my twins slept together until they started disturbing each other at about 3-4 months.

I wish you luck Squirly, those of us with twins will know that sometimes it is easier to feel more like a military commander than a mother. But sticking to a routine works when you are split in two!

I don't know if I should tell you this but a month ago our sons learned a new trick, jumping OUT of the cot!