My whole house has decided to wake at 3:30 PLEASE HELP!!!

[Johnskymberlina]

Hi all,

Firstly I just want to clarify this isn't a my child won't sleep question!

So I have three children, a son who is 2 and a half and twin girls that are nearly 5 months.

Son sleeps 6/7pm-7/8am all depends on if he has a bath or had a busy day etc. I work from home so he had the luxury of getting up when he wants!

Twins sleep from 6/7pm-6/7am, again wake when they want really

BUT the past three nights things have taken a huge nose dive.

So the girls are on semi solids, eating weetabix, dinner and pudding, tea, alongside around 24oz of milk. Last feed of 8oz is a dream feed at 10pm.

They went through a routine of waking at 4ish for about 2oz, literally just habit, we left them one night and after a couple of minutes they went back to sleep. Anyway 3:30 they have decided to wake and then wake my son. 1st twin cries and goes back to sleep, 2nd twin wakes has 2oz and then projectiles it all back up all over MY side of the bed and my son cries and then I hear him rummaging in his toy box. Leaves us all shattered and then they are sleeping in till 10ish - again not a problem but we can't go on like this. I have epilepsy and sleep is paramount for seizures, being sleep deprived is my trigger so it's a health aspect as well, what use am I to my children laying on the floor shaking??

Anyway so do we leave the twins? put our son back to bed? We can't figure out what's best. The girls are still in our room and went a 4 night stint of sleeping through - once we get to a week they are going in their own room but we all just need to re figure this out as all 5 of us are knackered and grumpy!!!

Thankyou for reading xxxxxxx

Sorry just to clarify a few points

• not a sleeping through question
• I don't mind my son playing but it's from 3:30-6am which is why he's tired obviously
• the girls surely eat enough not to need that 2oz?
• we check them in case of a poo or a wee as well
• hubby is on hand all the time, I forgot to mention him!!!

Xxxxxxx

I'd get them up at a set time in the morning. As long as they are allowed to sleep in, they won't be tired enough to sleep through to a reasonable time.

I would wake them In the morning. It might be hellish for a couple of days but should reset the night time antics.

Seeline Thankyou that is a point I never thought of!

What about the girls waking at 3:30 though?? Ignore or waste the 2oz?? So hard to ignore her though. The girls like to have a light on so we have this little night light that they like but even after trying all that she still screams. In their nursery they have a light wall which I think would help them loads but I can't bloody put them in there yet ffs xxxxxx

Inwood Thankyou too xx

Could you move them to the nursery and sleep in there with them for a bit?

I'd wake everyone at 7am, as that seems to be within the normal waking time of all kids.
3.30am is not play time. Back into bed to rest quietly (tell him to sleep or its night time or quiet time, whatever you think will work) until whatever time you say is morning.
If feeding 2oz gets her back to sleep, id give it to her. 5months is tiny, and night feeds not uncommon.

Just a thought - this restlessness didnt start with you introducing a new food or meal time? Might be worth thinking if you did something new with food when this started.

Ok why are you not even 5 month old twins eating 3 meals a day???

I thought the same @jomaIone

Is there a reason you’ve weaned them miles earlier than recommended?

There isn't space to move in with them really

7am is good, the 2oz she just sicks up and then she squeals in the cot until she falls back asleep?? If I leave my son and wake him at 7 I think the play time will stop as he will be 10000 x more tired

No I've only noticed more content with weaning they both love their food and milk doesn't seem enough

Xxxxxxxxxx

The milk didn't seem enough so they just have a quarter of a weetabix an hour after their milk in the morning etc. Milk is always first and then a couple of spoonfuls if good after, we aren't talking full dinners etc.

They were born teeny and couldn't suckle it's out weight on so had feeding tubes and I just think in my mindset getting as much as possible in them will fill them up. Maybe that's me being psycho??

Xxxxxx

I think it's perfectly reasonable to feed babies who were tiny in the night still. I did for the first year. Sometimes they might sleep through sometimes they won't.

I'd be tempted to push your eldest's bedtime back slightly to 7 - 7.30 and wake him at 7 -7.30am.

You’re not psycho, just a normal anxious mum!

Honestly they’re not ready for food though, they’re far too little.

@Johnskymberlina

My girls were born only weighing 2lbs. We were told to give them solids by our premature pead dr.

Cut off

At 4 months!

I think moving my sons time is ok, but getting him up at a certain time is such a good strategy

They do eat their food though, honestly all the feeding issues when they were born has made me ill. I had quite serious PND were sometimes I couldn't be in the same house as them and had psychiatrists sent out about 11pm as my health seriously deteriorated over the course of a few hours.

Anyway I'm on meds now and feeling much better and not so overwhelmed by the 'twin parenting' now. I just feel they need to be fatter, does that sound stupid??

I know someone who weaning their second child at 2 weeks, no lie, I was shocked beyond belief!!!

Xxxxxx

@herringbone

I wasn't told that but did you wean at 4 months then??

Both my girls fed in the night until 18 months (when I weaned them) but still woke for reassurance until preschool age. It's normal. Dd2 was the worst, she climbed in with us until 6 ish - that's years not months.

Ps dd1 had solids from 16 weeks, dd2 wasn't interested until 7 months both breastfed - all kids are different

I weaned at 16 weeks along with everyone else I knew nearly 20 years ago. I think I'd probably leave it a bit later if I had my time again tbh as there's more calories in milk (and I wouldn't wean with Weetabix)

They need milk in the night still and it has tons more calories than any food you can give them right now

Don't be stressing about them eating. I was advised to wean at 4 months due to reflux. My dd kept regurgitating milk but was fine once we added some solids. She's perfectly healthy now.

As for the sleep. You need, I think to try stick to a routine with your son. Put him to bed a little later but wake him in the mornings 12 hours later.

My dd was an awful sleeper and got herself into the habit of waking for 2-4 hours in the middle of the night.... every night! It was hell on earth for me.

Wrt to them being fatter, what does your HV say, are they steadily gaining weight? I imagine if they did need more they'd be prescribed specific milk or it would be suggested you wean early like a PP was.

Hi

The girls had terrible reflux and have carobel prescribed to keep it down to stop them loosing weight. My son was exactly the same and we were advised with him to start solids so when it happened with the girls I have just done the same

Do they need milk though if they just sick the whole 2oz up they have just drank or is it habit??

My son I will start getting him up rather than letting him wake up

Have you tilted the cot up at one end to ease the reflux? I wonder could the reflux be what's waking them and they are just looking for comfort and warmth in order to go back to sleep? Once I propped up my dd and started feeding her solids she was much better at sleeping through. The real problems came later though!!