DD slept from 2pm -4pm today and DS 2pm-5pm

This is pretty normal for us. They refuse to nap. I know I keep posting about this but it is making me insane. I spend my entire day trying to get them to sleep. We only get one nice play time early in the morning and another nice one after they wake up from their afternoon nap. I couldn't understand why DD was screaming today until I realized that 3 hours had flown by since her last feeding. I would like to be on a "wake, play, feed" schedule but I can't even get them to sleep to wake up.
They usually go down for the night around 9 or 9:30 with DS waking only once at 2 or 3 for a quick bottle and DD waking around 12:30 and again around 4:30 am and they are up for good around 6:30. I guess DS is a good night sleeper but when they don't sleep all morning and only one big late afternoon nap they tend to go down early and wake more before 6am.

Eventually I will stop posting about this but I HAVE to vent as there is absolutely NO order to anything they do and it drives me nuts. I am obviously a control freak. More importantly though, I cannot stand to look at their sleep deprived exhausted red glassy eyes - it is too sad.

The nanny starting today was a big disaster and they cried the entire time she was here - form 9am to 2pm and fell asleep in my arms the second she left. I put DS in his swing but let DD sleep on me for her entire nap even though there were a billion things I had to do because I was soooo scared she would wake up and she needed the sleep badly.

Here's to another day...I think I am losing my mind.

 

Amy, I am so sorry. I am exhausted just reading your posts, so I can only imagine(or remember!)how you feel.

Are they on a feeding schedule? If not, start there. Put them on a 3 hour schedule during the day. If they get up at 6, feed them at 6, 9, 12, 3, 6, and put them to bed after that last 9pm feeding. If one wakes at 4am to eat, give that bottle, and then at 6am, give another smaller bottle to keep them on track for the day. You need some consistancy for your sanity!

Naps...find where they will sleep(not on you), and let them sleep. They have reflux right? Always make sure they are at an angle wherever you lay them. Carseat, swing, bouncy, wherever, as long as they sleep. Try swaddled, unswaddled, naked, clothed, covered, uncovered, sound machine, together, apart, you get the idea! You WILL find something that works!

It will get better, vent anytime. :hug99:

 

Oh dear, you are having a really rough time. It WILL get better. Someone told me to put my babies on an eat, play, sleep schedule, but they slept more than yours in the beginning, so I am not sure if that would help you. You must be going crazy trying everyone's suggestions. Do they sleep in the car when you are driving? Would you feel safe if your nanny cruised around the block with them for 45 minutes to give you a break so that you can get something done and they get a nap? I take it that the Happiest Baby on the Block book is not working for you? So sorry!

I also read somewhere about a gadget that makes the crib mattress vibrate like a car, I think it was in the baby bargains book by Alan and Denise Fields.
Mine were about 7-8 weeks when they started to like sleeping in the swing, I think.
Once they get used to your nanny, SHE will be the one holding the sleeping baby and not moving for 2 hours...
It was just the first day. Soon, she will have a routine and they will be older and easier. Remember that this is not indefinite. It is not groundhog day. The days you have to survive like this are numbered. Hang in there.

 

I am so sorry! How old are they now? 7-8 weeks? I started nannying for Nicole and Danielle at 7 weeks. It wasn't too bad because I had lots of experience with twins (nannied or babysat 3 sets before Nicole and Danielle) and also fussy twins with reflux. What I did right away was start them on a pretty strict feeding schedule of every 3 hours. I did everything else to keep them occupied until it was time to eat. I would feed them and burp them and then put them in their vibrating bouncy or swing so they were elevated for a bit. They would hang out for a little bit and then go to sleep. I started letting them fuss themselves to sleep at this point. Once they were on a good feeding schedule it was easier to start getting them on a schedule for everything else. There were many days that I was walking around holding both babies bouncing them as I walked to soothe them. At that age they were so small I used to hold them almost on top of each other as I walked. They loved the closeness and warmth. By around 10-12 weeks I had them on a pretty good schedule. At that age they got up at around 7 am and got their first bottle. They went to sleep around 8:30-9am and slept for an hour. I would feed them again at 10 am. They would go back to sleep around 11-11:30 am. I would feed them again at 1 pm. They would go back to sleep around 2-2:30 pm. I would feed them again at 4 pm. They would cat nap around 5-5:30 pm. Then they would get a feeding at 7 pm and go down for the night. They normally woke up around 12-3 am for a feeding and then back down until around 7 am or so. Basically at that stage I put them to sleep at first sign of tiredness. At that point they were taking many small naps. It wasn't until around 3-3 1/2 months that I got them on a good 3 nap schedule. Basically if they showed signs of being tired they went into their swing or vibrating bouncy. Then around 2 1/2 -3 months old I started putting them down for naps in their room. They had a radio going at all times playing smooth jazz. This helped drown out the background noise. They also slept better because they weren't interupted.
It is going to take some time to get them on a good schedule.. but stick to it. Also getting used to someone else in your house is going to take time for everyone. Once everyone gets into a routine things will get easier. I would start with the feeding schedule and plan everything else around that. Things will get better! It may take a little bit of time but they will get better.

 

The problem with the sleep play eat schedule is that I can't get them to nap so after playing I spend the next hour trying to get them down and it is time to eat again and they have missed their nap and they eat and we go through the same thing all over again. I was close to getting them organized a little bit but then the nanny started and now it seems like everything is out of control.

Yikes, thanks for all of your help. I think I need NANNY 911 or some sort of a consultant to come in and help us.

It is the "putting them down" that I don't get. I swaddle the one that likes swaddled and put them in their swings and try pat and shush and all of that and they just don't seem to know how to put themselves to sleep. My DD thinks it is play time alllllllll of the time. They have been sleeping in their swings when they do sleep. I am about to just take them up to their room and try using their cribs.

 

I'm exhausted just reading your message. I'm so sorry you are feeling so out of control. I, too am a control freak and have my girls on a strict eating schedule. Now at 4 months we are trying to get them on a nap schedule too, but its hit and miss right now.

I agree with pp that you should implement at least a 3 hour feeding schedule during the day. While I would love for my girls to be on a 'eat play sleep' schedule, they are actually doing 'eat sleep play' most of the time. They settle down after their bottles and start rubbing eyes, etc. I put them in their swings (damn, I need to remember to stop at Target on the way home for more c-cell batteries because we only have 1 operational swing at the moment... sorry random rambling), or their boppies and they fall asleep. It sounds like your kiddos may be getting overstimulated and then its really difficult to put them to sleep or for them to fall asleep on their own. I know some people say that babies should be 'eat play sleep' so they don't associate eating with falling asleep, but at this point you need to do whatever works and saves your sanity! Good luck!!! -Leighann

 

Have you tried putting them to sleep earlier? My guys were on a 2 hour awake - 2 hour nap - 2 hour awake schedule for forever. It's harder for babies to fall asleep if they are overtired, so you could try putting them down after 2 hours of awake time. I realize this will cut into the "quality time" but when they are happier because they are better rested then it's all worth it.