Do you have to split them up to get them sleep?

Hi

My wife and I have fraternal 2 year old twin girls. Our hit rate for sleeping at the moment is about 1 full night in 3. This is quite an improvement from 1 in 6 after the last major teething event.

The problem that we have is once one of my little treasures wakes up and starts to cry the other one soon wakes up and also starts. They are both in the same room. Either my wife or I will sit in the room until they are quiet but as soon as we try to escape, one will start and the stereo again.

We have left them for as long as it is humanly possible but in the end we have to split them up. I will take one and my wife will take the other. After a while they will settle where we put them until the morning.

Does anyone else have this issue? Has anyone found a way to find a lasting good nights sleep?

Thanks

Michael



http://mywifeandtwins.blogspot.com/

 

We have not had any trouble with night sleep, but we do separate them for naps now. They just stopped napping one day due to all the monkey business and making each other laugh. Now they are back to 2 hour naps in separate rooms.

I think if you have to divide them for the sake of sleep - yours AND theirs - then go for it. It might be just a temporary thing. Maybe they are really overtired right now because they have been waking up so frequently. If you can get them back on track and well-rested, maybe you can eventually put them back together.

Have you checked out the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book? I swear, we would not have survived the first year without that book - great advice in there.

Good luck and hope you get some rest soon!

Michelle

 

At 2 mine had to be separated for naps. We got another 6 months of naps out of them this way. They have always been in the same room at night though.

 

my 20 month olds are fine with there day sleep, only play for 10 mins and then i go in and growl and they both turn over and off to sleep..when one wakes normally the other wakes as well (1 1/2 hours)..but im struggling on the night sleeping ...the going to sleep..if one wakes through the night the other one normally always sleeps throught it..but we have been known to move them throught the night...i had a portcot set up in lounge for the night time for when the nights turned bad...but thankgoodness dont have to use that anymore..in saying that..i do still crawl into bed with boy in the middle of the night if he wont resettle after 5 mins...ahh bad habit I know but sleep helps you get throught the day..
good luck..iknow it can do your head in big time..

 

Mine are coming up on 16 months and they sleep in the same room at night time but for naps, they are separated! Try separating them if possible, if not, I would think they will eventually tune the other one out.

 

I am in the room until they fall asleep, but they are in the same room. At night, when one wakes, it generally does not wake the other one. We used to say that Audrey would fall asleep to Clayton's lullaby (screaming). They are so used to each other's crying that it doesn't seem to phase them during the night. :hug99: I hope it gets better.

 

At exactly 2 years old, we seperated them for naps only and it brought nap time back to normal. We have never seperated them at night and when one wakes up, which was rarely, the other may have tossed and turned but never got up. I think they are used to each other's screaming and crying. I think if you take them out and each has thier own parent to cuddle with, you have established that routine with them and they like it. They know what to do to get it. If you can withstand another several nights, I would let them try and get back to sleep themselves. They are getting older and it will only get harder....sorry! I know lack of sleep can just be awful....try and be strong to get through this next hurdle!! good luck

 

We didn't want to, but had to separate the kids a few months ago. They were doing fine on sleeping and wouldn't wake the other, but we couldn't get them to sleep without one of us sitting in the room. DD would be up and out of her bed the minute the door closed and into DS's bed to pinch, hit, pull, steal toys, sing a song, dare him to do ______, anything to prolong the going to sleep on their own. Not a problem until we moved them into big kid beds.

Anyway, to protect DS' sleep, we moved DD into a room down the hall. If needed, we can move them back again, but I think they just need their own space to fulfil their own sleep needs. It does make it easier to handle night wakings if you don't have to worry about waking the second child. If you have the room, go ahead and do it and give it a few months. You can always move them back if it's not a positive move. Good luck.

 

Hi

Thanks For you comments and advice, we have had 3 good nights so I may be onto a winner (touch wood).

Michael The Dad

Http://mywifeandtwins.blogspot.com