Sleep tips for twins and more

Ask any parent and they will tell you: taking care of a child is a full time responsibility that lasts a lifetime; more than that- it is hard work. Not alwayshard, but sometimes very hard. And there’s a good reason for that. You are raising a person. Your are attending to their needs physically, emotionally and materially. And when that person is a newborn baby, the responsibility is huge, with a workload to match. Now ask a parent of twins or more. Tending to the needs of newborn multiples can be very hard work! We’ve been chatting to some mums of twins and, with their help, we’ve put together a few hints and sleep tips to help you in the early days.

• Be organised. This top tip comes from mum of multiples, Jennie, who has blogged about her twins’ pre-term birth over at Edspire.co.uk. She says that organisation has been the key to managing her twins at home. If you are not a naturally organised person, this might seem a little daunting but it’s really worth a go. Try preparing as much as you can throughout the day so that bedtime is as easy as possible. Have two towels, two nappies and two sleep suits ready in the bathroom for bath time. Have two bottles made up if you bottle feed. Whatever you can do in advance, do it. Order your groceries, lay out clothes for the next day, make sure your changing bag is always well stocked. You can do it!
• Establish a good routine. This tip has been echoed over and over by all the mums we asked. Carolyn told us that sticking to the same sequence of events each and every night worked well for her twins, and Jennie told us her twins also responded well to this. She says “We never broke their routine, no out to dinner at night in a buggy, no late nights, missed naps, etc.” Sticking to a routine so closely doesn’t work for all families, but if you do find a routine that works well for you, it’s worth  sticking to it as much as you can.
• Consider feeding both babies at the same time. Amber has two sets of twins and this tip comes from her, from experience! She recommends tandem feeding so that you are able to rest between feeds too. If you do choose to tandem feed, you will find yourself waking one twin for a feed when the other one wakes, so you need to decide whether this is something you’re prepared to do. And this is where your organisation skills come in! Have everything ready because you’ll have two hungry babies to deal with and chances are, they will want to be fed pretty quickly! The benefits of tandem feeding are that your twins will naturally fall into a synchronised sleeping pattern so you are able to get some sleep too.
• If you don’t like the idea of waking one baby when the other one wakes, or if tandem feeding doesn’t work for you, you could consider a dreamfeedinstead. This basically means that you feed the baby that has woken, then you feed the other baby while still asleep. It does mean you’ll be up a little longer than if you tandem fed the twins, but it also means the chances of the second baby waking up once you’re back in bed are smaller. There is more information on dream feeds here, but ultimately it is up to you to decide what works best for your family.
• Use the same cot for your newborn twins. When they are really tiny, twins sleep well together and this environment not only helps to emulate conditions in the womb, but also helps with synchronising sleep patterns too.
• Remember that your twins have their own personalities. I cannot stress this enough, and this is one point that all the mums we spoke to mentioned also. Twins- even identical twins- do not have identical personalities. A child’s temperament affects the way that they sleep and you will soon see your twins’ characters shining through. Waking one twin may be the easiest option for you; waking the other may be a huge no! Likewise, one twin may fall asleep more easily than the other, etc. Jackie told us that it helped her to spend 1:1 time with each of her twins so that she could nurture their personalities and bond with them as individuals. She says, “If I could take one to the grocery store without the other I did” and these are the small things that can help you understand your twins a little better.
• Ask for help if you need it. Caring for a newborn baby is hard work, and caring for two at the same time is double! Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to accept it if its offered. You need to take care of you too.
• Invest in a v shaped breastfeeding pillow if you intend to breastfeed. This helps with tandem feeding as it supports the babies so that your arms can rest and helps to facilitate a good feeding position for you all.
• Eat well. You’ll need plenty of energy, especially if you’re breastfeeding.
• Be prepared for things to take a lot longer than usual! Allow extra time to get dressed and out of the door in the morning- again your organisational skills come in to play here!
• Don’t forget dad. Last and by no means least, Kristen told us that her family “go for walks at night after baths before bed to calm down and connect with dad” and this is part of her bedtime routine. Especially if you are breastfeeding, it’s important to allow time for your partner to bond with the babies too.