The reality is that although a good night's sleep is coming, it is safe to assume that your twins will be waking each other up during the night. And it's not just twins. Often two children of different ages who share a room will wake each other as they get used to sharing a room.
This is called co-bedding and is perfectly safe. In fact, putting twins in the same cot can help them regulate their body temperatures and sleep cycles, and can soothe them and their twin.
One of the main factors that can lead to sleep challenges with twins is their schedule. Whenever a baby is awake for very long periods of time during the day, they are likely to become very overtired. Overtiredness can cause twins sleeping problems such as poor napping during the day and unnecessary nightwakings.
It is likely that twins' awareness of one another starts sooner than seven or eight months of age. An article by the late doctor, T. Berry Brazelton, observed that at age three to four months, an infant identical female twin seemed disoriented when her sister was removed from the room.
At three months:
The three-month stage marks the end of the “fourth trimester” and your twins can better adapt to life outside the womb. For one thing, they'll sleep in longer stretches of about three- to four-hour chunks.
The longest interval between the birth of twins is 90 days, in the case of Molly and Benjamin West, dizygotic (fraternal) twins born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA to parents Lesa and David West (all USA) on 1 January and 30 March 1996.
Some twins will start sleeping through the night as early as 8-10 weeks. Typically you can start seeing longer sleep stretches around 12 weeks. Many twins wait until 4-6 months. The bottom line is that every twin is different.
Consistent bedtime routines are important for all babies, but especially so for twins. Start off with bathtime and then dim the lights, play some lullabies, read books and offer a cozy before-bed feeding. Repeat the same routine every night so your babies will know bedtime is coming soon.
This means that each twin won't obstruct the other's breathing. Have your babies sleeping in the same room as you until they are at least six months old, particularly if they were premature or born with a low birth weight.
Regarding #1 (co-bedding), the conservative/mainstream school of thought in the western world is that it's best to separate the twins “early on” since they'll need their own sleeping space eventually. The attachment parenting contingent refutes this, saying twins can sleep together indefinitely and are happier for it.
Keeping them together and on the same routine helps life run smoothly. This makes alone time all the more important for twins. They can play and just focus on themselves, no one bothering them. If you have a more introverted twin they might relish the break in external stimuli.
Approximately 7% to 36% of IVF pregnancies involving multiples are diagnosed with VTS. Research suggests that vanishing twin syndrome is more common among pregnant people over 30.
Similar to the mind-reading myth, there are things that can't be explained. There are twins who say they have felt each other's pain. And their close relationship and nearly-identical physical structure means there could be a sliver of truth in the theory — as pain can be psychological and can be felt empathetically.
There's no compelling need for twins to have separate bedrooms, nor do they automatically do best if they're in the same room, especially when they're very young. However, keep in mind that, after about 6 months of age, infants begin to get used to a certain environment, including the presence of a sibling.
Measures included actigraphy, sleep diaries, and standardized instruments for fatigue, sleep quality, and depression. According to the results, by the time the twins reached full-term, mothers were sleeping an average of 5.4 hours in a 24-hour period, with over 70 percent reporting less than six hours of sleep.
Put them in separate rooms
This will make the process less stressful for you and may even get them snoozing better a little bit quicker.
Try some baby-soothing tactics
Try singing or reading to them, giving them a little massage, doing a funny dance to entertain them or even taking them outside for some fresh air. Just remember that what works for one baby may not work for the other, so you may have to try something totally different for each infant.
The reality is that raising multiples is hard. You have double or triple the feeding, diapering, and laundry and, as a result, less time to spend cuddling and getting to know each baby. To be sure, there will be days when you feel as if you're walking up a down escalator.
“Having twins is not twice as hard—it's exponentially more difficult,” says Natalie Diaz, author of What To Do When You're Having Two and CEO of Twiniversity, a global support network for parents of twins.
The answer to that one is YES! Our parent research shows that if you feed one at 2:30am, feed the other one. Worse case scenario, you'll feed one, JUST fall back asleep and the other one will start wailing. Feeding one…then the other will give you a little more shut eye in the end.
Monoamniotic-monochorionic Twins
These types of twins share a chorion, placenta, and an amniotic sac. This is the rarest type of twin, and it means a riskier pregnancy as the babies can get tangled in their own umbilical cords.
4. According to Guinness World Records, the longest confirmed interval between the birth of twins is 90 days. Fraternal twins Molly and Benjamin West were born on Jan. 1 and March 30, 1996, in Baltimore.
It's a common misconception that twins skip a generation in families. There is absolutely no evidence, other than circumstantial, that twins are more likely to occur every other generation.