If you put your twins in the same cot, follow the same safe sleeping advice as for a single baby. They should be placed on their backs with the tops of their heads facing one another and their feet at opposite ends of the cot, or side by side on their backs, with their feet at the foot of the cot.
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.
Some parents feel that about three months old is the right time to take steps towards a routine . You may decide to wait longer if your twins were premature , as they may need to catch up a bit. Once you feel that your babies are ready for a bedtime routine, get some help to start it off.
There are a number of ways in which families with twins can arrange to room-share with both babies: both parents and both co-bedded babies in one room, both parents and babies sleeping in separate beds in one room, one parent and both babies in one room or one parent with baby in one room and other parent with other ...
Your twins wake up in the middle of the night because they are hungry. Try a “dream feed” where you do one last feeding of your twins before you go to bed for the night. Pull the babies out of their cribs and quietly feed them. They will likely stay half asleep but will fill their tummies.
Play it safe
Sticking with healthy sleep guidelines reduces your twins' risk for SIDS, which can help you sleep easier. Be sure to always: Place your twins in separate sleep spaces. It bears repeating: Twin babies should be put down in separate, safe sleep surfaces such as cribs, bassinets or pack 'n plays.
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.
“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.
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.
Studies show several possible benefits of letting twins sleep together in the NICU. 1 Multiples who are co-bedded seem to sleep better, gain weight better, have fewer episodes of apnea and bradycardia, and (as long as they're about the same size), keep each other warm.
The Ferber Method is a very popular one which lets them cry for a predetermined amount of time before going to pat their back or talk to them (The key is to not pick them up). 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 25 minutes, whatever you are comfortable with.
Moms of multiples will tell you that the first three to four months is a stage of pure survival mode and sleep deprivation. The babies are colicky, gassy, and don't even offer a smile in return. Tandem breastfeeding is awkward, and you still have to cradle their heads.
Having two babies at a time is associated with a longer life, according to a new study. But that's not because doubling up on dirty diapers increases life span; instead, moms of twins are physically stronger in the first place.
Being a twin has its benefits—tricking people, having a lifelong companion, sharing clothes—but it also has downsides. Many twins struggle to cultivate their own identities, while being so similar to one another. And that struggle lasts a lifetime, according to a recent study.
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.
For women born 1870-1899, moms of twins averaged reproductive spans of 14 years 11 months versus 14 years for singleton moms. Both results were statistically significant. Moms of twins also were older at the time of their last birth.
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.
Most moms learn to master time management, and your skills get more refined with each child. Having twins just accelerates the process. The simple answer to question #3 is no. You don't need to buy two of everything.
WHEN DO YOU MOVE TWINS TO SEPARATE BEDS? Safe sleep guidelines would suggest that twins be moved into separate beds once they are more mobile; moving into each other's space, causing a risk to one another.
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.
Identical twins share a particularly intense bond. They are the result of one fertilized egg splitting into two, giving them identical DNA. (Fraternal twins are the result of two separate, genetically different fertilized eggs.) As a result, identical twins are as close as two people can be.
While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).
For a given pregnancy, the odds of conceiving fraternal twins are only determined by the mother's genetics, not the father's. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilised instead of just one.