Sleeping arrangements

Hi ladies!

Can you tell me what sleeping arrangements for the twins have you decided on?

Will you co-sleep?

Will the twins be in a cot?

If I land up having a c-section, is a arm's reach co-sleeper the best option? Or how about having a cot right next to you with the side down?

I'm having a bit of a problem deciding which is the better option.

I read in a previous post that the babies can't sleep in the co-sleeper very long (only a couple of months) before they have to be transfered to their cots..If this is so, then having a cot is a better choice financially..

Maybe moderators can link this to the first years?

Thank you for any advice

Denise

 

We're planning to put them directly in separate cribs, in the nursery...we did this with our older daughter, and it worked out great in terms of her sleeping through early.

We have a futon in the nursery for me to nurse on....I may end up sleeping there for a bit, too, depending on if I have a C-section, etc. I know I'll never be able to get comfortable with everyone in our bed...plus it's really high, so getting in and out if I'm recovering from a C will be difficult.

Last time, I never woke my husband for middle-of-the-night feedings -- I just got up and went to the nursery, fed and changed the kiddo, and went back to sleep. Thankfully she was fairly easy from the beginning.

This time will be different with TWO, of course, and I'll need the help with feeding and changing....so DH will hopefully get his butt out of bed, LOL.

 

We are going to get one of those bedside co-sleepers. My husband works 3rd shift, so I will be alone at night and this will be much easier on me. (I hope!)

 

We had two bassinets that we borrowed. We used those for the first month and had one on each side of the bed. When they were able to sleep a little better, we went ahead and put them in a crib at the foot of our bed (no room next to our beds). It was nice having them in the same room because at that point, you are still up every couple hours to feed.

I will go ahead and link this, since I think that you will get some better responses from moms who have officially been through it!

 

With my son, we had a pack N play in our room for 3 months. I "think" what we may do this time is put them in one crib in their room from the beginning - then move to 2 cribs later. I plan on nursing these two as well and it was really easy having my son in our room - but we ended up co-sleeping. I am not sure how co-sleeping would work with twins. Plus, there is no way my toddler would allow the babies to sleep in our bed and he not be able to!

 

We had a pack-n-play bassinet in our room for the first few months. After a few days, we knew which baby was crying, so we knew who's turn it was to get up to feed. It was really convenient.
Then we transferred them into one crib. We did this until baby B started rolling over and kicking baby A in the head.
We never have done the co-sleeping. I found, from friends, that it was too hard of a habit to break later on, so we never did it with any of our 6 kiddos. HTH!

 

The Original Arms Reach Co-sleeper sleeps the babies up to 30 lbs. We have used it the last 6 months, and it has been great. We are now moving the kids into a crib (also in our room). They didn't pass the 30 lb limit, they simply got too long and were rolling over. My only complaint is having to crawl down the bed to get up. We also used the space under the bassinet for diaper storage (as we use cloth diapers). If you have a high bed, you can order leg additions to raise the height of the co-sleeper, which makes it perfect for a diaper change station after they move out.

 

Sorry, I should have added. For the first month or so, the babies slept on our chests and in bed with us off and on. We transitioned them to the cosleeper permanently after a month at home. (We did NICU time, and cosleeping eased my worries about them not breathing). With the cosleeper, it is incredibly easy to just roll over and check that they are breathing.

 

For the first few weeks, they slept in a small crib in our room. They quickly outgrew the weight limit, and I moved them to a regular size crib, still in our room. They both slept in that until 6 months, when I moved them to separate cribs, in our room. At 8 months, they moved to their own room...when we moved into a new house and now have more space!

 

We plan on using the Original Arms reach co sleeper until the twins out grow it. Then we'll put them in a crib together until they out grow that. I don't know if we'll keep the crib in the nusery or our room. I guess it depends on how well they are sleeping.

 

Can you tell me what sleeping arrangements for the twins have you decided on? In the beginning they slept in the same crib, in our bedroom.

Will you co-sleep? One had severe acid reflux and refused to sleep anywhere but with us, inclined on a pillow.

If I land up having a c-section, is a arm's reach co-sleeper the best option? Or how about having a cot right next to you with the side down? If you have to have a c-section something close to your bed will be the best option... getting up and down is going to be hard for the first little while.

I'm having a bit of a problem deciding which is the better option.

I read in a previous post that the babies can't sleep in the co-sleeper very long (only a couple of months) before they have to be transfered to their cots..If this is so, then having a cot is a better choice financially... we had a PNP with the bassinet in top, and the directions say that the limit is 15 lbs, but Jack was in it until he was about 20 lbs, and it never once acted like it was going to give.

 

Can you tell me what sleeping arrangements for the twins have you decided on?

Will you co-sleep?
We took turns sleeping in the babies room, switching every 3 hours. That way, whichever one of us was "off duty" was able to get some restful sleep in our bedroom.

Will the twins be in a cot?
We put them in a crib in their own room from day one. At 6 weeks old, we separated them into two cribs.

If I land up having a c-section, is a arm's reach co-sleeper the best option?
I had a c-section and I was fine moving around after the first week. I was running around the house, cleaning and taking care of the babies when I got home on day 4. After about 10 days, I felt like my old self. I really think that moving around all day helped me recover faster. I slept on a portable bed in the babies room and switched off with my DH every 3 hours. We did this for the first 6 weeks. After that we slept in our own room and just took turns waking up for feeds.

I read in a previous post that the babies can't sleep in the co-sleeper very long (only a couple of months) before they have to be transfered to their cots..If this is so, then having a cot is a better choice financially..
I agree - I recommend putting them in a crib from day 1. We bought a big fancy pack and play and we have never used it to this day. My babies were almost 8 pounds each and exceeded the bassinet weight limit when they were born (15 pounds). Plus, we really wanted them to get used to their permanent sleeping place. We have wonderful sleepers and I am a huge supporter of routine. I believe that you need to get them used to a routine as quickly as possible so that they know when to sleep and when to stay awake. They knew that their crib was for sleeping very early because this is where they were from day 1. If you start them somewhere else and then move to a crib, you'll need to "retrain" them on a new routine all over again.

 

My intention was to breastfeed but unfortunately, I was only able to do so for a week after coming home so I planned on them being in the cosleeper by my bed. Not only did I not nurse but they would not sleep well on their back so we had them in their car seats to sleep. THey had reflux. Now the cosleeper is used for us to lay our clothes on! We also got a pack and play. I dont know what I was thinking. You dont need both!

The earlier you can get them in the crib the better but at the beginning you do whatever makes those little guys sleep best!

I had a csection and recovered well so that did not have an effect on really anything.

 

We brought the original co-sleeper. I had a c-section and I found it hard to turn over and grab them out, so we put them in bed with us. I like them in bed, its great for nursing and the cosleeper is now a pack and play.

 

the first month we went back and forth between the PnP and their room (both in 1 crib)...then the colic started and they spent the next 3 months in our room in swings (I also have A/C in my room and it was the hottest part of summer)...right at 4 months (around Labor Day) I put them in their own cribs in their own room and they've been there ever since...

 

I had a c-section 2 weeks ago and here is our situation:
We have 2 cribs. One is downstairs for naps etc. The other crib is right next to our bed. Our bed is really high, so it is kinda like a co-sleeper. If they wake I can reach in and grab them.
Our intention was to have the convenience to reach in and feed, but they keep winding up in our bed with us. So, although our plan was to keep them in the crib, they are starting in crib and ending in bed. I go back to work in August and the plan is to move them into their own room at that time (still sleeping together).
When they are too crowded or they start to bother each other, we will seperate into two cribs.
HTH!

 

Thank you for all the advice! Much appreciated!!

It all seems to depend upon how the twins adapt to their sleeping arrangements that really matter.

Thank you again!

Denise