Napping The Twins – Not Always The Easiest Task
Some children are great nappers. Many are not. With twins, the feat of getting two youngsters to sleep can seem impossible. Depending on how old your little ones are, they may need one to three naps per day. Getting this to happen, however, is not always an easy task. Having twins can make this feel doubly difficult. It’s not easy, but these tips could help relieve just a modicum of stress.
Number one: Routine!
The most important part of getting your twins to get their much-needed rest during the day is a routine. I’m sure every parent has heard this over and over, but it’s the truth. These little ones thrive on scheduled activity. I’m not going to say that a set schedule will solve your nap time woes, but I’ve found if I watch for clues, they will tell me when they’re tired. Just pay attention and I bet you’ll notice that they get the yawns about the same time every day.
Number 2: Observe!
I have found a video monitor to be the greatest piece of modern technology available to parents of multiples figuring out a new routine. I never would have guessed how much comfort I have found in knowing what these tiny ladies are up to if they’re not sleeping. Sure, there are some times when I am able to set their groggy little bodies down in their cribs and they just turn over and silently drift off, but this is not the norm.
Many times, when I put the girls down they will cry. This is the hardest part of nap time or bed time. But this is where being a parent of multiples has an advantage. Very commonly, the crying subsides after a few minutes and then they begin their banter. They babble back and forth, stand against their cribs and seem to have full conversations. Sometimes they will carry on for an hour before they give in to sleep, and sometimes they don’t sleep at all. It is wonderful to watch.
I never want to feel like I am leaving them alone for too long, but I always know I’m doing them a disservice if I don’t them a real chance to nap. Getting twins to nap is definitely part art and part science. The only thing I’m sure of is that I put them down together every time. They get their hour and you should too.
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I can imagine that getting twins to nap would be difficult. Twins have a certain bond that other siblings don’t have and they’re probably total partners in crime.
Oh gosh! I never thought about putting twins down to sleep before. I would imagine that it’d be more difficult because one would always be distracting the other.
My daughter is 10 months old and I don’t have a video monitor – but I really want one! I know it’s going to come in handy over the next couple of years. Her naptimes and bedtime is fairly easy (putting her down) but I always wonder if she’s still sleeping and tend to wake her accidentally. I’ll have to check out Avent’s monitor!
Wow I bet it can be tough! Getting one baby to nap right now is tough!
Oh, my goodness, these babies are so cute I had a hard time looking away from them. But I’d imagine getting them to nap at the same time would be difficult!
Recognizing some of their signs and patterns is definitely a good idea. Trial and error does seem to play a big part in this!
We had twins…. thankfully they were mostly good nappers. They are now 13 so we made it through all that, I do recall listening to them babble to each other which was interesting.
It can be so hard to get some babies to nap. I imagine it is even harder with twins.
I would have loved a video monitor when my children were little. I only had noises to go off of and definitely misinterpreted a coo for a cry a time or two.
Did you see that any device on the news this week? Shoot, I forget what it’s called. Basically it allows babies to be snugly rocked on their stomachs so it mimics being held. Looked cool!
I can’t imagine doing this. I am amazed at parents of multiples.
Twins run in my family, but they skipped over me. My mom said getting my twin brothers to sleep was one of the hardest things she experienced with them.
They are too cute. For twins I would imagine that routine was even more important than it is for singles. Without a routine and having something in sync you might never have a moment to sit down.
woah i never imagined having twins at home! i hope we have!
I can’t imagine trying to get two little ones to nap at once. I had a hard enough time managing just one!
First of all big kudos to you for raising twins! And I love these tips you shared and am going to be sharing this post with my friend who just gave birth!
If I had twins I would need all the help I can get! I would definitely need that monitoring system for the additional assistance.
That looks like a very helpful toy to help you keep an eye on the little ones. You will need all the help you can get!
I can’t imagine trying to get two babies to nap at the same time! I had a hard enough time with one! Wish video monitors would have been cheaper when my boys were small. They had just come out and were still crazy expensive!
I have four children and couldn’t imagine having two at the same time. Great tips