Need Help Trying to Get Twins to Sleep Through the Night!!

Hi J.,
I too have twins, however mine are almost five. Sleep was a big problem for us as well in part because there are two of them and someone was always waking. We split up into 5 hour shifts to ensure atleast that much sleep after they were on bottles but before that time it is on you if you are breastfeeding. Most books recommended developing a strong sleep routine which sometimes helped. We would give them a lavender bath, turn down the lights and listen to Norah Jones before bedtime and then put them down at the same time every night. As for their waking, we just schlogged through until they started sleeping better.
J.

Well, to me it sounds like you could use help, period. Maybe at your church a few ladies would consider volunteering to help during the day with the babies and you could get some well needed rest. Listen you would be surprised at retired folks who would be willing to help a few hours maybe 2 people for 4 hours and I know that can make a big difference. I know one thing if you can get sleep your body needs you can't stay well to take care of others. Another suggestion is any moms in your area sub division, etc you may be able to call on for some help?? Sometimes if you don't let folks know you need help they think you can do it all. That's all I've got for ideas other then hiring someone to help but most folks can't afford that. Best wishes to you I sure hope you can get some help.

Dear J.,
First of, I have 4years old twins so believe me when I tell you that it will get better and you will survive it. I remember the feeling of sheer exhaustion, thinking i am so weak i don't know if i can even carry them anymore, how am i going to make it another day....
I have a few questions for you; do you have your babies on the same feeding schedule? Are you nursing or bottle feeding ( i bottle fed my girls.)? how are they sleeping during the day?
This is what ny husband and i did, we could not afford a night nurse, so when one would wake up, we would wake the other one up and feed them both at the same time. Then we tried to stretch the time between feedings at night by using a pacifier; when one woke up i would give her the pacifier and try to make her wait 10-20 extra minutes, i stretched it over a week and by the time the girls were 2 months old they would sleep from 10-11 o'clock at night until 5-6 in the morning. I did not let them use the pacifier during the day much.
you can contact me directly if you'd like at ____@____.com
hang in there. I feel for you

J.,
Oh, I feel for you! We had a night nurse for 3 months from the time our twins came home from the hospital. I appreciate this is not possible for everyone but I agree having help at night is valuable.

To get them to sleep through the night yourself, I recommend Moms on Call (momsoncall.com). We met with Laura Hunter when our twins were 3-1/2 months old and within a week they were sleeping through the night and were happier kids too!
Best wishes,
K.

With my identical twins, I had to go to a feeding schedule instead of "demand" feeding. I started off feeding them at 3 hour intervals, nursing both of them together. Sometimes that meant waking one to get them to both nurse. Then we gradually spread the feedings further apart. If they cried when it wasn't time to nurse, my husband would check the diaper and give them a passifier without taking them out of the bed. Once they were on a schedule, they learned to go back to sleep without having to get food each time they wakened. I think that's good for preventing obesity also. Learning to go back to sleep when wakened is a very good thing for twins. They slept in the same crib, with a crib bumper tied across the middle. I hope that works for you as well.

J. are the babies botttle or breast fed?
Sheila Nanny/Baby Care