How old were your twins when you enforced a sleep schedule?

Discussion in 'The First Year' started by MrsBirch, Oct 25, 2010.

  1. MrsBirch

    MrsBirch Well-Known Member

    Apparently a few of us are having the same sleep/CIO questions lately.

    I've noticed in alot of responses that some think 5 months is too young for CIO...what age would you suggest.

    For some reason I feel like I need to get my kids on a schedule, they are 7 months, 5 months adjusted. Is it too soon for us?? I have no specific reason to want to get them on a schedule other than I think that when they are on a schedule I can get them napping in their cribs at the same time and save my sanity.

    Also with the schedules...how strict were you? I've looked at some of the schedules on this site...are they set in stone or is there a window you allowed if you had a schedule.

    Thanks!
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. megkc03

    megkc03 Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I waited until they were six months old. I didn't have preemies, so someone else may want to weigh in with the adjusted age. I'm going to guess you may want to wait until they are eight months old. Most people(pediatricians, authors of the books, etc) will say less than six months is too young to do CIO with. So, I waited. And actually my pedi didn't agree with it-he said every single kid is different. In any case, I went ahead and we did CIO.

    I was sooo worried about this whole scheduling here-and I was worried because of all the things I read here! :laughing: We didn't do any sort of schedule-set in stone schedule-until six months old, when they were sttn. That's when things became much more clearer-they had a bottle at x time, napped at this time, ate at this time, bottle at this time, bed at this time. Their sleep schedule helped form the rest of the day. So for us, I gave a schedule no thought until they were STTN.

    Now, at their age, you can certainly be working towards a schedule. You certainly don't have to wait until they are older. In our house, we are pretty relaxed about things. Nothing is really set in stone. Some days they go down at 1 for a nap, other days it could be 2:30pm. It just depends on how things are going!

    In the beginning with their schedules, we were relatively strict. Not crazy, but within the half hour of things happening(eating/sleeping). So we left our house and went places, we just made sure we were home in time for bed-especially in that first year! We didn't stray too much from the sleep schedule. Now, I would go to playdates. Sometimes they would be when the boys would need their nap. So I used the travel time as their naptime. It worked for us. I had to get out of the house. Me personally-I couldn't be a slave to the schedule.

    My boys are now three. They've done well! LOL! We still are flying by the seat of our pants most days, but they do know what to expect on a regular basis in their day. And they love to ask repeatedly what we are doing next...and then what...and then what....

    Hang in there momma! The light at the end of the tunnel is about to shine through!
     
  3. KStorey

    KStorey Well-Known Member

    As the pp said, every family is different. Our boys have been on a schedule since early on because we have older kids. School timetables tend to dictate our day. The boys get all the sleep they need and are happy little guys. As for CIO I started them younger than others mainly because I had done it with my older ones, it worked and our kids are happy, well adjusted kids. No negative effects here at all. We didn't CIO with our first as I found it too hard to listen to her cry but with the others I had no worries. My kids taught me to listen. A child in pain is not the same as a tired child needing sleep. Most other on here will probably disagree with me, but thats ok. I happen to be the leading world expert on my kids ... just like you are with yours. If you are comfortable with it and the rest of the family is on the same page, go for it. If not, wait and try it when you're ready. Good luck. Trust how you feel. :silly:
     
  4. sistersbeall

    sistersbeall Well-Known Member

    I started sleep training around three or four months. By that I mean we actually started a modified CIO that early. I know people disagreee with this, but we had to. It was the only thing that worked with them. They hated being rocked by us, being put in their swings, they hated pacifiers etc so all we had left was let them sleep with us (which i am personally against) or let them cry. It only took a week or so before the got the picture. I also started a pretty strict schedule around four or five months. It was the only way I could keep my sanity. There daily routine has been pretty strictly scheduled until a couple of months ago. My girls hated change and new things, and that is why I started the schedule. I pretty much based it on them and their needs. We are still scheduled at 19 months, but there is room for leeway now that they are older and seem to be able to handle it. But like the other posts said every family and evey child is different. If you want a good book to check out try ....Healthy Sleep Habbits, Happy Twins. It has some really good info in it. I kind of picked and chose what I though would work for us, but it pretty much worked. Good luck.
     
  5. lianyla

    lianyla Well-Known Member

    Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Totally get it today!
     
  6. Username

    Username Well-Known Member

    We never enforced a sleep schedule but they fell into one of their own which, obviously, changed as they grow. My girls have very different sleep needs now and always, so I've let them do what works best for them. One naps daily now, one doesn't. The one who naps goes to bed up to two hours earlier than the other. And the night owl/non-napper is always up by 5:30am. Different people, different needs. They don't always get to sleep when they want due to older kids having late practices and whatnot, but for the most part their natural rhythms coincide with our schedules.
     
  7. lizzbeech

    lizzbeech Guest

    I don't have my twins yet, but I can tell you that with my DD, we did the sleep training at 7.5 months b/c I just couldn't take it anymore (sleepless nights) and also eliminated her soother during this time.
    We did the online sleep training called "Sleep Sense" Program and it was fantastic. It was 3 nights of hell and then 4th night she slept through!

    It was really hard work but SOOO worth it.

    Now for the twins, we realize what we did "wrong" and would definitely start to let them cry/see if they settle for a minute or two before RUSHING over to them and picking them up (probably would start this around 4 months).

    I have read that you are not supposed to sleep train them before 5 months b/c at 4 months sleep patterns are just starting to emerge. So basically they say you can not "spoil" a child under 3 months, but starting at 4 months you can. LOL.

    We hope to start gently at 5 months -- not CIO, but like I said, not rushing right over either. Letting them try to work it out for a minute and then give some help. And slowly as time goes on, you can adjust to 2 minutes, etc.

    That way you are gently starting to teach them to self soothe, instead of abruptly forcing them to like we had to do at 7.5 months

    Hope that helps.
     
  8. 2xjoy

    2xjoy Well-Known Member

    We have always tried to have a schedule of sorts as we have older kids and I could not see any other way with TWO BABIES.

    I have and do struggle with the question of waking one then the other vs letting one sleep. For the most part though I put mine to sleep at the same time, and if one is awake, thenthey both are! They don't always sleep at the exact same times each day due to other kids, visitors, outings and especially the evenings when the older kids may be absolutely FERAL etc but we find that we do have a schedule of sorts and it helps our house to run.

    I do a modified CIO. I put our bubs to bed awake with their dummies, sleeping bags and blankies. They know this means sleep. Sometimes they go straight down, sometimes they don't. If they don't, I will go back in every few minutes, extending this time each time until they go to sleep or I cut my losses and take them out. (If I am fighting with them to go to sleep for longer than they will actually sleep for, then sometimes it's just now worth it :headbang: .)

    I find though that we have a very small window of opportunity to go out anywhere or do anything which is not stictly a schedule thing but more of a twin thing! By the time they are bf, changed, ready to go, we might have only 1hr before they aare 'due' for their next sleep. Now that they've started solids, it's even harder. So if we go out, it can throw their schedule out a little.
    I am not strict with this, but do like to keep an eye on my watch as I find it makes it easier to read bubs' cue's. If it's 1 hr since waking, I know that they're prob ready for their solids. If it's around 2hrs since waking and they're whinging, then they're probably ready for nap. If they are having a late afternoon sleep, it's been an hour and it's between 6.30 - 7.00, I might turn on the light in their room and open the door, so they can 'accidently on purpose' wake up and not have too long a nap.

    I miss the sponateous aspect of having just the one baby and the portability. I find too that explaining the above reasons for a 'routine' to those with 1 baby difficult for them to understand. But realistically, you have to do what you need to do to get through it.
     
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