When will this phase end?

Ok I had the perfect twins (well as close as you can get). DH took a week off of work after they were born to help me and then my mom was going to come and stay as long as I needed her but I didn't need the help. They were so good I took care of them and my 2 year old just fine. It was so easy that I opened my home daycare back up at 10 weeks post partum because I was so bored. At 12 weeks they were sleeping through the night. 6pm to 6am. 30 min to an hour nap in the morning and hour and a half to 2 hours in the afternoon. They were great babies. I could take all three out by myself for the day and have no problems. It has been easy.

Until now. Around the time they turned 8 months (they are almost 9 now) it became "hard". I atually asked for some help with them the other day and my mom was in total shock. It happened about 2 weeks after they started to crawl. Now they are really clingy. I was thinking that they would learn to crawl and would go get into trouble. No they follow me around like little puppies pulling up on my legs and crying to be held. They never begged for attention before. I would sit and play with them and then leave and come back and they would be fine the whole time.

And naps. I'm going to go crazy. Only 15 min in the morning. Which is fine. But not more than 30 min in the afternoon for one (and it takes more than 30 min sometimes for him to fall asleep) and a hour for the other. I tried pushing back their bedtime but they woke up between 4 and 5 instead of after 6. So that didn't work. I tried cutting out their morning nap. But they won't last past 9. It wouldn't be that big of a deal but after their afternoon nap, they are a NIGHTMARE. Constantly whiney, climbing on me, and just plain LOUD. If I move one off of my legs he screams and crys. And god forbid I use the bathroom. They crawl after me screaming the whole way. My four 2 year old day care kids can't get in their full nap, so then they are crabby.

How can I get them to take a longer afternoon nap?? It is supposed to be my time to catch up on stuff or at least have some quiet time to gain my sanity back. And all it has become is stress filled. Trying to keep them from crying and screaming. I know they could be teething but they got their first two so easily and fast once they started to get them in, that I can't tell if this could be the problem. And plus it's only between 1 and 5 that they are like this. And since this has all started they have been wanting to go to bed for the night at 5. It takes a lot of work to hold them off to 6. And once they hit the bed they are out. One actually went to bed at 5:15 last night and slept til 6 this morning.

And since I'm posting, Is there anyway to stop the high pitched squeals (the happy ones) and screams that they have been doing for well over 2 months now? Instant headache to migrane. One is so highpitched you almost stop hearing the noise halfway through because it's too high.

(and go figure as I write this they are over there being perfectly good, playing by themselves and being quiet. But if I get up or leave the room they will go nuts.)

 

I do home daycare as well and my boys are 8 mo. The boys napped well too until I started back to work, now I find if I leave them if they start to make noise, they'll fall back to sleep. Like another poster said in her post, she leaves them there for at least an hour. I do the same thing, I need my time too! I also put a nap time cd in the daycare kids rooms on repeat so they sleep through any noise there may be in the house.. whether its babies, the door, me making dinner.


Some days they all nap better than others. The boys have been sick for the last two months so it's been touchy! Good luck!

 

Really looking forward to the responses you get!! My boys just started doing the same thing last week....super clingy and very whiny! It is driving me and my husband crazy! I usually put them in the double stroller and take them for a walk outside. The change of scenery helps a lot, but once we get back in the house, the whining and clinging starts right back up.

 

At 9 months, our schedule was a wreck. They were learning to do so many new things that it was really interrupting their sleep and separation anxiety set in as well. I just tried to stay consistent and they did eventually go back to napping.

The morning nap was hit or miss at that age. But I always put them down about 1.5-2 hours after they got up. I would leave them for at least an hour unless they were screaming. I also separated them for the morning nap since they were "talking" and keeping each other awake. And once they went back to napping, I put them back in the same room together.

Have you read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Weisbluth? If not, it is a good read and will give you some good insight on age appropriate sleep habits and issues.

And at 9 months, we dropped the third catnap and then they had to go to bed at 5:30pm and not a minute later or they were completely overtired and overstimulated and it would take forever to get them to go to bed. So, I personally would go with the 5pm bedtime and the 6am wake. They wont go to bed at 5 forever. Enjoy the quiet and your toddler in the evening. GL.

 

Well, I found out why one was cranky and clingy. He is getting 2 teeth!