Having a new baby can be a bundle of joy but it’s even more wonderful to have twins! While that may be so, taking care of them can be quite demanding. What you may not know is that twins often have differing times of sleep, which can be very tricky if you haven’t mastered the psychology behind it. But that shouldn’t worry you at all, here a simple sleep guide for newborn twins.
Other Combinations to Ideal Sleep Guide for Newborn Twins
Before we discuss further, it is important to understand what the newborn twins require to be in the right routine of sleep. Feeding the babies at the same time can help them become drowsy at the same time. Good idea to let them share a crib not only for the biological features they share but also because they tend to feel more comfortable and safer as they feel as if they are still in the womb.
Start with a bedtime routine. This sets a consistent time of when to sleep. Use a Feed Bath Feed routine, in their bedroom, warm, low lights and calm. The most challenging scenario is when one baby is not ready for sleep and you have to make sure that the others sleep time is not disturbed, you can however decide to put them in bed at the same time regardless of their different sleep patterns. With time, both will find themselves sleeping and waking up at the same time.
If it’s time to feed them and one baby is still sleeping, you can either feed the one that’s already awake or wake the other sleeping baby and feed them both. If they are not in sync in regards to sleeping durations, you may have to switch to ‘individual’ baby routine where you treat each baby based on their various characteristics for a time.
Once again, try as much as possible to create a nighttime and day sleeping routine for your newborn babies. The cries of one baby may put the sleep needs of the other baby at risk and for this reason, ensure you play some games with them both, cuddle them, feed them and bath them at the same time. This creates a routine that they will most likely conform to.
Essentially, newborn babies should be trained into knowing the different time zones of day and night. What this means is that, if it is daytime, take them outside the house and let them sleep in different places. As the day progresses, they tend to get weary and sleepy, which is further encouraged by good feeding and bathing. The end result of this is uninterrupted sleep during the night hours.
Generally, having twins requires having a person to assist you either your partner or a relative. The idea is to take care of them as you perform other duties in the house. The ultimate goal is to let the twins share the presence of each other, create a similar sleeping pattern for both if possible, and you sleeping when they sleep to compensate for the time usually lost when attending to them. The main objective here is to try and train your babies into sleeping routines, which can be achieved by tracking their sleeping behaviors, a timer and putting them together to regulate their temperatures and bedtime cycles.
Make sure your newborn babies are feeding every few hours; and warm; as hunger and warmth can be the main reasons they wake up every now and then.