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When do they sleep through???
So my twins have slept through a handful of times only ever in 17months.
Fair enough at the mo they're ill. But We are SOOO tired and sick of it now!
We have a good, calm, gentle routine, they have a small supper snack, story, milk in a dark room with us and singing twinkle twinkle little star, baby light show in their cots, DD goes to sleep very well, DS usually has a little cry and needs a cuddle. Bedtime is about 7pm and can vary at the most half an hour either way.
But they always wake up! 4am, 430am, not always the same to say it's a set habit, but they still always wake and have a lot more milk. We give Cow & Gate growing up milk at bed, as much as they want, usually about 300mls so it's a lot.
We've tried ignoring one/both but they always wake the other and just go nuts til we feed them. We keep it quiet and dark and they do go back to sleep til sometime between 7-8am.
What can we do? We need them to sleep!
thank you
Fair enough at the mo they're ill. But We are SOOO tired and sick of it now!
We have a good, calm, gentle routine, they have a small supper snack, story, milk in a dark room with us and singing twinkle twinkle little star, baby light show in their cots, DD goes to sleep very well, DS usually has a little cry and needs a cuddle. Bedtime is about 7pm and can vary at the most half an hour either way.
But they always wake up! 4am, 430am, not always the same to say it's a set habit, but they still always wake and have a lot more milk. We give Cow & Gate growing up milk at bed, as much as they want, usually about 300mls so it's a lot.
We've tried ignoring one/both but they always wake the other and just go nuts til we feed them. We keep it quiet and dark and they do go back to sleep til sometime between 7-8am.
What can we do? We need them to sleep!
thank you
0
Replies
My daughter didn't sleep without waking in the night several times until she was around 14 months and would wake at 4.30am until maybe 19 months and now wakes at 5.30am (she is 22 months). She very rarely sleeps 12 hours and is a very active child, you would think she would be tired but it seems that she just doesn't need that much sleep. I hate to say it but maybe your two are the same?
It might be worth dropping a bottle so they don't wake wanting it? My lo has had a bottle of water by her bed since 16 months or so and when she wakes she helps herself.
Hi, thanks for your replies, what do you mean re dropping a bottle? I'd love to get them off bottles so I don't have to wash them anymore. Also, love the idea re the bottle of water and helping themselves, going to give that a try. In theory they have a bottle in the morning and one at night only, though in the middle of the night if they wake crying I just give them one. and I always stick to the '2 hour then bin it' rule.
So...after my post they kind of slept through for 2 nights! But then haven't done again since, in fact last night was awful - but there always seems to be a reason - DS did two massive poohs first thing, so wonder if he'd had belly ache through the night.
It's hard - because they share a room we try to ignore which ever one is whinging to let them settle themself, but once it turns to crying I go down and prepare the bottles, mainly cos of the time it takes to prepare two, and cos they crank up to full volume very quickly, and it pretty much always disturbs their twin.
Once they are def over their tonsillitus properly, I'll just give water in the night and see if we can break the habit of wanting milk...but then there always seems to be a reason why you shouldn't ignore them or deny milk - they have a cough/cold/teething etc etc!! Guess I'm just going to have to grit my teeth and try it for a bit for my own (and my husband's well being), we love our twins so very much, but we've really really had enough of them getting us up in the night.
My daughter hasn't had a night time milk bottle for a long time. I found that if I only gave her water in the night rather than milk then she stopped waking so much, she has her water in a sports bottle so she doesn't spill it
I also haven't used bottles since she was about 13 months, it was quite difficult at first because they get attached to their bottles don't they! I got her on to cows milk first and then on to beakers which saved on sterilising!
I know what you're saying about not seeing a reason to deny them milk, I think if it's formula and they aren't allergic to cows milk they should probably be on cows milk? Formula past a certain age has no benefits nutritionally and too much milk can fill them up meaning they don't get enough food and therefore not enough of the correct vitamins from their food?
I got rid of bottles when he was about 1 and moved him onto sippy cups and also onto cow's milk as formula far too expensive, and he now takes his milk to bed with him and will drink it during the night if he wants it!
I'm guessing its harder with twins though, as if one wakes the other one probably will too! hope this phase passes soon!
well, I give them cows milk in a morning, formula at night simply because I am worried by the claims that 80% of toddlers are iron deficient - esp as they were 8 weeks prem and on iron supplements for a year, my DS had a blood transfusion etc...one day I may let those memories go, but stil worry 'just in case'. We only have every used ready to feed (after the breastmilk) and yes it's bloody expensive, gone up from ??3.75 to ??4.19 for a 4 pack this month, am going to look for an alternative I think.
They drink fine from cups, straws etc but each time I've tried to give them a feed without the bottle in the morning they go NuTS! and I try to force it and then give in. Will def do the water in the night instead on milk to see if we can stop habits.
i wouldn't dare to leave them with milk to help themselves to - 2 hours old and I bin it - parasites mutliplying in the milk and all that... again back to the prem=neurotic mother abiding by all the 'rules'!
Happy christmas to you and thanks again xx