where do your twins sleep?

hi, everyone!

i never really introduced myself in this forum because my little ones came very early, and i've mostly been posting in the nicu forum (and bf'g). however, one of our boys came home ten days ago, and it looks like our second little one will be coming home w/in the week. so, it looks like we are graduating from the nicu forum soon, and moving on up to this one!...... also, we are really trying to figure out the sleeping thing. it's truly been my only problem w/the one that's home (joey) and i'm concerned i'll be even more stressed about it when our other boy (hank) comes home.

where do your twins sleep?

has anyone found a co-sleeper that fits twins? or a way to use two co-sleepers?

we have beautiful cribs, though we haven't set them up yet. we'd like them to share a crib at first (do you need to use a divider?), but the idea of a crib intimidates me a bit. it's hard for me to sleep if i can't reach out and touch joey, and i'm sure i'll feel the same way about hank, as he's the one who's had more health issues (particularly respiratory ones). for now, joey's been sleeping in the pnp next to our bed, though i am not in love w/that bassinette. sometimes he sleeps in the bed w/me when dh leaves for work. i know i have to get over needing to touch the boys while they sleep!

one last thing, we have an angelcare monitor (it goes under the mattress and sounds an alarm if a child doesn't move for 15 seconds). it doesn't work w/the pnp or w/our own, adult bed, which is another reason i'd like to get the boys in the crib. does anyone else have one? do you use it in your crib, or have you found another arrangement that works (possibly a cosleeper)? and, do you like it or does it make you nuts?

thanks so much for the input! i've already lost so much sleep thinking about where the boys will sleep.

~~jl
mom to joey and hank, 2 months and 3 days old (though not due yet!)

 

During the day, our twins sleep in a swinging crib in the livingroom.
At night, we do have a co-sleeper but they sleep longer and better on our chests, so as we adults need our sleep too, that is where the babies usually end up

 

QUOTE(Penguin_ie @ Feb 27 2008, 09:08 AM) [snapback]642412[/snapback]
During the day, our twins sleep in a swinging crib in the livingroom.
At night, we do have a co-sleeper but they sleep longer and better on our chests, so as we adults need our sleep too, that is where the babies usually end up

I agree with you on that one. In the beginning that is where they slept. They actually slept together till 5 months, then the "swimming" around inthe co-sleeper became to much and I moved them out to their own cribs and room

 

We tried a crib in our room when Logan came home, but with help here it made more sense for him to be in his crib so others could help. Now they either sleep in their cribs in their room or like pp on our chests on the couch. We've also found the boppy newborn lounger to be a necessity. It's perfect for one to fall asleep while you are comforting or feeding the other - works wonders for naps too.

 

my babies slept with me. i used the snuggle nest. each in their own and next to me. here is my long story.
when they were born we were finishing the downstairs for my mil so we were all upstairs jammed together. we bought her house and fixed it up and she was to move downstairs. well the first month she was up here. dh up all night with me because we were in the same bedroom once mil went downstairs hubby slept onthe couch we just bought and i in the room with them. in the beginning they slept on my chest with me in a nice lazyboy chair. then us in the bed and them in their snuggle nests. 5 month old my son rolls over on stomache and is no longer safe in bed with me so he goes in crib in our room also. his room is set up but i didn't want to separate us. they r 9 months now and he is in his room and she is in hers in her crib. that has onlly been for 3 weeks now.
your normal to want to see them every second. i couldn't sleep for 5 nights once they were in their own cribs.

Advice they have a portable crib they can fit into together for now and you will also be able to use your monitor which i hear is wonderful but can also go off for no reason so don't freaK. DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO SLEEP don't worry about it too much

WOW DID I JUST RANT? SORRY :laughing:

 

[SIZE=12pt]Congrats on your babies and on getting them home safe and sound! [/SIZE]How early were they? Mine were born at 31w 5d and were in the hospital for 3w 1d when we got them home they slept in the pnp in our room together but it didn't take long for that to get exhausting, I like you had to reach out and touch them all the time and every grunt and groan from them woke me up.

So we moved them into there crib together which lasted for another little while then they were diagnosed with reflux and the head of the crib had to be raised so there wasn't room for both in one crib so into there own cribs they went. They also spent a lot of nights in there bouncy chairs with the vibrations on (those chairs were a lifesaver for us) At this point they're in there own cribs in there own rooms since we started CIO.

As for the angel moniter we were going to get it too but I didn't think it would work for twins because if one was even making a little noise the other alarm wouldn't go off even if that baby wasn't moving, it also just seemed really sensitive and I was tired enough and up enough already that the thought of getting up for false alarms was too much.

hope this helped sorry its so long, good luck and have fun with your boys!!

Erica

 

I've heard that about the Angel monitors too -- only for one baby not 2. Also, make sure you don't have a fan going overhead because the fan can cause a motion to mimic breathing.

As for sleeping our two sleep in a crib at the end of our bed. I have two positioners ? And they sleep using those. They are 3 months old now. We used a Moses basket during the day and had the babies beside us on the floor. Worked great and we could just carry them upstairs in the basket. Now only one fits in it, but works great for nap.

Heather

 

My twins slept in their cribs from day 1. For the first couple of weeks, one of the twins did occasionlly sleep in the swing or boucer for part of the night.

Just a note - On Nancy Grace the other night, she was discussing a case where a parent rolled onto of their sleeping baby in bed and the baby suffocated. According to her statistics, 2,700 babies die every year from sleeping with a parent.

 

The first 3 weeks they slept in a pnp in our room right next to me. At 3 weeks once I realized they would not stop breathing, I moved them to one crib. At 3 months when rolling was a big thing, I was afraid my bigger twin would crush my smaller one and I seperated them!

Congrats on getting rhe boys home.

 

Congratulations on your kiddos and welcome to FY!

I never used the angel care monitors, but if you want to use them maybe put the crib in your room and have them sleep together in it (when they are both home). I think you'll need two monitors then. Alternately, you could move a bed or futon into the nursery and sleep in there with them.

I had the girls together in the basinett (sp?) part of the pnp in my room until they were about 3 months old. Then they were in their own cribs in the nursery. But like I said, I didn't use monitors with them. GL!!!

 

For the first 2.5 weeks they slept in a co-sleeper. We just moved them into their cribs in thier nursery and I swaer we are ALL sleeping better! During the day, they are in their bouncy chairs in the living room.

Meredith
Mommy to Ben and Megan, 3 weeks old

 

thank you so much for your suggestions and advice! a friend of mine today also told me that she's used angelcare w/her pnp, so that's another idea, since it's true that using two monitors under one crib might not actually work (and using only one would defeat the purpose)

... i'm so glad to be in such good company around here! sleep is a hard one, but we'll all get through it.

thanks again,
jl

 

btw, erica, they were born at 27w5d. joey was in the hospital for just under 7 weeks and hank's going on 9, but will be home soon.

QUOTE(EricaG @ Feb 27 2008, 04:20 AM) [snapback]642480[/snapback]
[SIZE=12pt]Congrats on your babies and on getting them home safe and sound! [/SIZE]How early were they? Mine were born at 31w 5d and were in the hospital for 3w 1d when we got them home they slept in the pnp in our room together but it didn't take long for that to get exhausting, I like you had to reach out and touch them all the time and every grunt and groan from them woke me up.

So we moved them into there crib together which lasted for another little while then they were diagnosed with reflux and the head of the crib had to be raised so there wasn't room for both in one crib so into there own cribs they went. They also spent a lot of nights in there bouncy chairs with the vibrations on (those chairs were a lifesaver for us) At this point they're in there own cribs in there own rooms since we started CIO.

As for the angel moniter we were going to get it too but I didn't think it would work for twins because if one was even making a little noise the other alarm wouldn't go off even if that baby wasn't moving, it also just seemed really sensitive and I was tired enough and up enough already that the thought of getting up for false alarms was too much.

hope this helped sorry its so long, good luck and have fun with your boys!!

Erica

 

When my boys first came home they slept in the pnp downstairs and so did I. My mom was helping for the first month so I took the night shift and she did the day. At the same time my mom left, my husband was sent on an 80 day deployment to the desert and the boys slept in their car seats which I put on my DH's side of the bed. I was able to rock them both to sleep and it worked well. I then went to my mom's for a month and the boys alternated sleeping in the pnp and the car seats. When I returned home, I moved one crib into my room and got them used to sleeping in it. We have mini cribs so at 3 1/2 months the boys had to move into separate cribs. They are doing great in their cribs now.

My advice: Do whatever works for you to get through the night and day. HTH

P.S. Welcome to the first year! My boys spent a month in NICU and it is SO wonderful to have them both home!

 

Congrats on your twins... It's wonderful that they'll be home safe and sound soon! Our twins slept together in a crib for a few nights when they came home, but they quickly started smacking each other in the face and waking the other one. They've been in their own cribs since... During the day they have been sleeping together in the pack 'n play for naps, but they're about to outgrow being able to share it. We'll have to figure something else out soon.

 

Hello. Congrats on your babies and getting them home...

My twins slept in their papasan chairs until they were about 4 months. Swaddled and in the papasans was the only way they would sleep. They refused to sleep on flat surfaces due to some reflux issues.

Then, they slep in bassinettes next to my bed until about 6 months.

THey now sleep inMini Cribs next to my bed. (they are currently 11.5 months)

I'm just about to transition them into the nursery in the bigger cribs. We have a 2 BR house and their older sister is in there, so they'll all have to share, hence my keeping them in my room for so long. They're actually fine in the mini cribs, but feel I need to transition them before they turn 1.