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.
You shouldn't share the same bed with your twins because it increases the risk of SIDS. But the AAP does recommend that you room-share — having your twins sleep in your room, each in their own bassinet or crib — ideally for the first six months.
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.
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.
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.
You can put your twins to sleep in a single cot while they're small enough. 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.
Give them Some Space. Once your twins are sleeping in separate cribs and the problem still persists, try moving the cribs as far apart as possible, for example, on opposite walls of the nursery. And again, put white noise machines near each baby's crib.
As with many aspects of caring for your twins, your situation varies each day. It is thus extremely important that you stay flexible in how you attend to your babies. My general rule of thumb is that when one twin wakes up in the middle of the night and is ready to eat, you should wake up the other and feed them both.
Some say that twins are always hard (yet amazing), while others say they truly didn't find them to be difficult. A few said that the first two months with twins are easy (being in the rose-colored glasses phase), then reality hits from months 3-6 (when the sleep deprivation catches up), then it can get easier again.
Age: The older you are, the higher your chances of having fraternal twins or higher order multiples. One theory is women age 35 or older produce more follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) than younger women.
Blastocyst stage (days 4–8) division results in monochorionic-diamniotic twins. Division at the 8–12-day stage results in monochorionic-monoamniotic twins, and division after day 12 leads to conjoined twins [1, 2].
Most parents expect to experience sleepless nights when their twins are babies. However, many are surprised by how difficult it is to get proper rest during their pregnancy with multiples. Physical discomfort and anxiety can produce occasional restlessness or even full-blown insomnia.
It is perfectly natural for your twins to cry because that is the only way they have to communicate with you. They cry to express their needs, their wants, and even their dislikes. The most common reasons for crying include hunger, a dirty diaper, sleepiness, boredom, overstimulation, or sleep regression.
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.
Unless you have many extra bedrooms in your house with no one using them, it makes more sense to keep twins or multiples in the same room. If you are worried that their noises will wake each other up, keeping them together will help them get used to each other's sounds, rarely disturbing their sleep.
With twins sleeping together, SIDS is a very valid risk that you might be exposing your babies to. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is usually the reason why parents are advised to keep their baby in a separate crib, and not have him sleep in the same bed as themselves.
Separation anxiety is complex because twins most likely have two primary attachments—to their mother and to their twin. Primary attachments are irreplaceable and create a deep sense of loss and instability for twins and all individuals.
For those who are homeowners or renting privately, the present guidelines are that once a child reaches the age of 10 years ideally, they should not room share with a sibling of the opposite sex.
Although some parents see benefits to co-sleeping with their child, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend it. It's much safer for your infant or toddler to sleep alone in their own bed.
While some sleep experts take note of regressions around four, eight, 12 and 18 months, the most well-understood and biggest regression is the four-month sleep regression. The four-month sleep regression may happen up to a month early, or a month late. And for some babies, it might not happen at all.
If your twins have been sharing a room from the beginning, they likely won't be bothered by the sound of the other twin crying. According to Healthy Children, babies become accustomed to their sleeping environment and "accept the presence of their twin as part of the environment of the room."
Because multiple pregnancies are considered high risk, expecting multiple babies can be a stressful and anxious time. Research has shown that rates of antenatal anxiety and depression in multiple pregnancies are much higher than for those expecting a singleton.