From the moment you found out that you were expecting twins, I'm sure that you had a million thoughts go through your head.
Thoughts like "How do we manage feeding two babies?" or "Will we ever sleep?"
As you adjusted to twin life, and as your bundles of joy have gotten older, the questions you wonder may evolve to questions such as:
-Where do twins sleep during the day?
-What does a twin nap schedule look like?
-How to put twins down for sleep at the same time?
I want to dive into twin naps today and how you can be a rockstar parent at getting your twins to nap (at the same time!)
1) Get them on the same nap schedule
How do we do this?
When one twin wakes up for the day, get the other one up at the same time.
Calculate their wake window, and by following an eat-play-sleep routine, you won't be feeding two babies to sleep!
Example:
Wake up, morning feed, play time/tummy time, wake window coming to an end, do nap routine ( sleep sack, song, and to bed awake).
2) Separate them for naptime (and not nighttime)
Daytime sleep can be more difficult to come by so by separating your twins for their naps, you'll have a better chance at getting them to nap well.
Have a pack n play set up in another room and one twin can sleep in the nursery in the crib.
3) Keep them on schedule by waking up the other twin
Let's say you have one twin that sleeps better than another (which is almost always the case), when one twin wakes up, wake the other twin up no later than 20 minutes later.
Otherwise, you'll be napping babies all day long and never get out of the house!
4) Work on independent sleep
The more your twins get used to falling asleep on their own, and not being fed, patted or held to sleep, the easier time you'll have putting them down for a nap.
Will they cry when you first do this?
Yes.
Will it decrease quickly when you do a consistent nap routine, respect the 20-minute No Feed Zone, and give them opportunities to fall asleep?
Yes!
P.s. What's the 20-minute No Feed Zone you ask?
It's where we don't feed a baby 20 minutes prior to their anticipated nap time. This helps to avoid micro napping and gives them the best chance to fall asleep on their own.
5) Check their sleep environment
Make sure their rooms are dark.
Add white noise (fan or noise machine).
Use a swaddle or sleep sack for naps and bedtime.
Give yourself 1-2 weeks to work on naps, and if you're still struggling, reach out to me!
I've helped many twin parents gain sanity through routines, schedules, and knowledge on how to manage this busy parenting journey!
Here for you,
Melody Patton
