Twins, Triplets & More Support Group
Triplets & More","This community connects people seeking information and experiences about multiple births. Different names for multiple birth are used, depending on the actual multiple. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets respectively. Share your thoughts and find whatever support you need."
I was so proud of my boys when they started sleeping through the night. They were born 3 months early and by their due date they were sleeping 8-10 hours a night. We used a sound machine and swaddles which seemed to do the trick. Now they are 10 months/7 months adjusted and they will not go to sleep at night! I do the bedtime routine alone because DH works nights and it's really exhausting me. I usually have them both asleep in their cribs around midnight, sometimes 1AM. They just will not go to sleep any earlier. I start the process around 10 and fight with them for hours until they finally go to sleep. They're terrible at napping as well. DH watches them during the day while I'm at work and he can never get them to take a nap. They just cat nap all day 20 minutes here and there. I'm off for the holidays and trying to get them in a nap routine but now I find myself fighting them to go to sleep twice a day. My one son will fall sound asleep in my arms and the second he is put in his crib he wakes up completely. Any advice would be very appreciated!
So I know it's awful but it might just be a phase they are working through and you might just need to stay consistent with what you are trying. But I wonder if you just need to find their new routine that works for them. I know you mentioned they are not great nappers - do you try putting them down at various times during the day when they show signs of sleepiness? (crankiness, eye rubbing, etc) I know it probably seems futile but keep trying to put them down for naps. Give it 10 or 20 minutes and if they don't go down chalk it up to a failed nap and try again an hour later. Also, I would try putting them to bed earlier. When my singleton started doing what your twins are doing I finally figured out he needed to go to bed at 6:30 instead of 8. Just see if it works - maybe try 9 instead of 10. And keep the bedtime routine as short as possible. I know it's hard when it's 2 against 1 though. Lastly, I would avoid having them fall asleep in your arms - that will make it harder for them to fall asleep on their own (and really, it's not sustainable when you have two babies!) for naps or when you aren't there to rock them to sleep.
I found Mark Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Twins to be really helpful during times like this. It takes time, but I think you'll figure it all out. It's so much more exhausting with two though! Oh one other idea just popped into my head - is there any chance they are teething? My littlest does the cat nap thing when he's teething. Good luck - I know it's the worst when they aren't sleeping!!!