STTN/Schedules/Sleep Training Methods

Hi everyone! Just wondering what the 'norm' is for twins as far as STTN, schedules, and sleep training methods.

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Becky, Leighann, Rachel, Emily, and Pamela
FY Mod Team

 

i said 3-4 months on STTN, though DS was sleeping 6 hours at 8 weeks, DD didn't do so consistently till 4 months, so i averaged it out

i didn't use any "method" per se, though i did read HSHHC. i took what i could from there since the early bedtimes and CIO weren't really right for us. but i did take the sleep cues and other tidbits and applied them. it helped me understand a lot about sleep, even if i didn't do everything stipulated kwim? i still soothe and rock my babies to sleep occasionally when they have trouble going to sleep, but for the most part they will do so on their own.

 

I sleeptrained at 8 months, and after that, they sttn. I chose "other" because I used Ferber's technique. It is a CIO technique although you can choose how long to let the baby cry before going in quickly to reassure them (not pick them up, soothe them, etc). You can go in after 1 minute of crying, although I was a little more hardcore and waited 10 minutes before checking in on them the first time.

 

I voted "no method" but I did follow the advice from Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. Her advice about routine greatly influenced how we looked as schedules, sleeping, feeding, etc.

 

I did CIO to get them to sleep through the night at 5/6 months but prior to that, we used tips that my sister gave us from her reading The Baby Whisperer. We used these tips to sleep train them as we transitioned them to their cribs.

 

One at 3.5 months, the other at 13 months (though she was basically STTN at 6 months except for one feeding).

I read HSHHC, but at daycare they were rocked to sleep for naps, so it made it impossible for me to follow HSHHC consistently. I'd say what we really did was just plain old CIO. I went in if I thought they were hungry, but otherwise I just didn't respond to crying. I might have had to be more flexible if they were bad night-wakers, but luckily for me, they were pretty good sleepers.

 

I had to vote other becase my girls were in between the ranges you had. They started STTN between 4-5 months and the naps were down to a schedule between 6-7 months.

 

I said that we used CIO.

First we got them on a good routine/schedule throughout the day. Once they were used to their meal times & naps they were basically set.
We had to reasure Dd often though, she seemed sort of panicked when we left her. But soon she realized that we did not abandon her & she settled down. So overall we did not do strict CIO..but how ever we did it, it finally worked!

 

Whoops, I am the one that voted 1-2 months...I meant to do 3-4 as that is closer. They were 10 weeks when they slept 10-5.

 

I checked HSHHC, but he recommends "extinction", ie. CIO, and we used something more like Ferber, where we went in at increasing intervals (5 min, then 10, then 15) to give them a chance to get themselves back to sleep.

OH, and I checked 11-12 months because that's when both of them were finally sleeping from 7 to 6 without waking up to eat...they slept 5 hours stretches very early on, and still wake up looking for binkies occasionally now.

 

We were really in the 4 month range for STTN!!

 

The only method I used was to put them to sleep awake, without rocking or singing, when they looked tired or when I felt it was time, at a regular hour. When they started sleeping through, I made sure they had enough feedings during the day to make it through the night.

Oh, and about the day schedule, I voted other, because they eat pretty regularly but the naps are still not too predictable.

 

My girls were STTN (from 8 pm to 6 am) at 4 months. Naps didn't really fall into place until closer to 6 months. The morning nap fell into place first and is really consistent. We're still a little hit and miss with afternoon naps. We used Happiest Baby on the Block, but I don't really consider that to be a sleep method. It's really more for soothing, IMO.

 

Mine got on a good nap schedule around 6 months old. Bedtime routine is just now falling into place. DD started STTN at 9 months old by me doing CIO. DS is just now where he will let me put him in his crib awake and actually fall asleep. I put other for him b/c I sit beside his crib until he falls asleep. Both of my singletons STTN at less than 2 weeks old. I was in shock when my twins did not do the same. I wished I would of done more sleep training and worked harder at teaching them good sleeping habits when they were younger.

 

I said CIO which we still use here and there but sometimes we do modified CIO where we soothe but don't pickup.

DS sttn since 4 months and DD has been on and off since that time. She had reflux, was in the hospital for a week, then still had reflux, learned to crawl, stand and then got teeth so it hasn't been easy on her these past 5 months. Now she is slowly getting there.

Naps were always the easiest for us around 5 months to start. We did every 2 hours and then we went to 2 naps a day. They do really well going down for those.

 

I put that I don't have a schedule. I sort of do, though it's a very loose one. I just feed them when they wake, let them play etc for a few hours increasing from 1.5 to 2.5 as they got older, then put them to bed to sleep for as long as they need. Sometimes it gets confusing as to who has done what, but I can usually pick up on their cues for tired etc. I don't do well with rigidity.

 

I didn't vote. Mayve I'll go back and vote "other"

We have a rough schedule, but I also go by their cues. And of course, once we get a good schedule going they change it on me! I read a few different sleep books:
HSHHC, Happiest Baby (dvd), No Cry Sleep Solution, 12 Hours Sleep by 12 weeks (I really like some of the strategies in this one and it also has twin specific things)
I sort of took what I liked from each book.

We still wake them at 2 am to feed. I think Sofia would STTN if we didn't wake her.

 

I picked other for the second question with naps b/c we have no nap schedule. Right now struggling with them not napping at the same time. They do STTN so just happy about that.


Dianna

 

Shoot- couldn't vote because mine are not STTN yet, but if they don't over the next few months I will probably do CIO.