Sleeping through the night

Natalie - posted on 09/10/2010

I have twin boys that are 16 months old and rarely sleep all night. They go to bed awake, and always have, at about 8:30. They sleep great till betweem 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. and then one of them usually wakes up. I do the cry if out method if it works with in 30 minutes. If that does not work I go in and change him and give him a sippy cup of water. Usually he goes back to sleep on his own. They both wake up by 6 a.m. everyday! I am fortunate they rarely wake each other up by crying. I am lucky that one is a pretty good sleeper. I am so in need of a full nights sleep, I understand your pain.

Rachel - posted on 09/03/2010

Believe it or not my twins have been sleeping through the night since they were 6 months old. And trust me NOBODY wants to use the cry it out method,but hunny it works. If you do it for three days, you won't be thinking "oh he's going to wake the other one" because, they will learn THAT QUICKLY that being in their room alone without the light on means bedtime especially if you say "bedtime" and put them down, say i love you and close the door. For the first night or two, go in their room every 15 minutes... then make the time in between longer and longer until BAM, no more being awake EVER.



My boys are now 13 months old and still sleeping through the night from 7pm to 6am... no saddness, no pain or "punishment" as you think. It's NOT as bad as it sounds. Honestly you've got to get over those issues or you will have a huge problem with toddlers not sleeping and running to you for comfort ALL the time, rather than being big boys.

Allison - posted on 09/02/2010

I highly recommend sound machine. I love them. They go everywhere with us. My boys are 2 and the one still is a very restless sleeper. Not a night goes by that i don't go to see why he is complaining. At six months i started putting them to bed very sleepy but awake. One caught on within a couple of days, and was sleeping 6-8 hours every night. no comment on his brother. I never let them cry. But i never picked them up, i would rub their back, until they were almost asleep then walk away. Many hours were spent standing beside cirbs. it gets better so hang in there. they grow up so fast.

CHERYL - posted on 09/02/2010

hi my g-b twins are 14ms old they slept thru at 4ms but then at 7ms my son started to wake up i never feed him in the night unless i really needed to.he seemed to just want to be awake so i think it was just habit.but if we left him he would scream and then wake my daughter who is a good sleeper except for teething.we thought it could be teething but he has only just got his 1st teeth.they are in seperate rooms but walls are really thin.so now to my mistake begun rocking them to sleep and cant break the habbit.so im really stuck myself and tired

Tracy - posted on 09/01/2010

I agree with Katie! My girls have been sleeping through the night for months, but it did not happen magically on its own. It took work and I did have to separate them. At fist I thought the walls would be too thin and they would hear each other but after about a week of adjustment it was a none issue. I used the book " Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child". Much like "12 hours sleep by 12 weeks old" it advocates putting your babies to sleep awake so they have the opportunity to learn how to sooth themselves to sleep. Although the author has been labeled as belonging to the CIO camp he actually goes through the pros and cons of a number of strategies. Also just to be clear, putting your babies to bed awake does not necessarily mean you just plop them down or can't give a bottle or rock them for a bit. Our routine is bath, book, bottle & snuggle, bed (x2). I can honestly say it is the best thing I could have done for my kids. To be the best mom I can be I need my sleep!

Katie - posted on 09/01/2010

my twin boys are 2 now and have been sleeping through the night since they were 4 months old...I strongly recommend the book "12 hours sleep by 12 weeks old"...we just followed everything it said and it worked for our family, but the basic idea is to not use food/rocking to put them to sleep, but to teach them to fall asleep on their own. It may sound harsh but teaching them to be able to self sooth and relax themselves is a gift for them and for you.

Pip - posted on 09/01/2010

Just to let you know you are not alone. my twin boys are 2 and have never slept through and they share a room with their 4 yr old brother, so I have all of them waking each other up. It's tiring and I'm also at a loss, my other 3 kids always slept through and I haven't done anything different but I sympathise with you it"s hard work. Good luck

Tracy - posted on 08/31/2010

Do you rock your babies to sleep? All babies wake at night but some can sooth themselves back to sleep and others will cry because they have become dependent upon being rocked or nursed. If so you might consider trying to put them down awake. Since you seem against CIO methods you might have to go through a gradual process. i.e. rock them till they are sleepy but awake, sooth them in the crib without picking them up (pat their back or chest), be in the room without touching them... etc. I have also heard that giving water in a bottle instead of milk/nursing works, but have never had to try it.

Tina - posted on 08/31/2010

Maybe you could try like playing a lot before bed and maybe the last feeding be a little later. That's what we normally do. My girls are 6 months old now and they have been sleeping through the night since they were like 3 months. Their second to last feeding is normally around 5-6 pm and then I try to keep them awake until 9 or 10 or whenever they eat again. Usually, they need a little like 20-30 minute nap during that time, but they sleep til about 7-8am usually. Also, I don't know if you do this, but give them a warm bath, maybe even with that lavender soap stuff, right after the last feeding. That always works for us. Good luck!

Jade - posted on 08/31/2010

@Jessica: Yes they are teething, but they have never slept through the night and we give them tablet before they go to sleep but they dont seem to help much

@Melissa: Im not much into the CIO method when it punishess the other twin who is simply upset his brother woke him up because they can scream for hours if i let them and with a toddler as well i dont get naps during the day to catch up on sleep like they do

Mellisa - posted on 08/31/2010

Ok, My boys were almost one when they started to sleep throught the night. But we had force the issue. After speaking with the pediatritian I began by putting them to bed awake. Don't hold/nurse them until they go to sleep. They will cry but it is ok. You can go in and check on them but each time that you do make sure you wait longer and longer each time. I was told my the Dr. that they need to learn to "put themselves" to sleep. It can be difficult but you have to be stubborn and consistent. My boys adjusted fairly quick and did really well. We couldn't go in and check on them because it would just spin them up again or make it worse. You will have to make adjustments to make it work for you but you will get through it.
As for the middle of the night it is the same thing. If they are eating solids and getting plenty of milk during the day I would limit the feedings in the middle of the night and use the same sleep process. When they or one wakes up you can go it and check on them and change or do what ever needed then put them back the bed awake and leave the room. Let them cry it will not hurt them.
You have to stick with it no matter how long it takes, they will adjust and learn. It will be easier to do it now vs. later. The longer you wait the hard it will be on everyone.
If you have any questions let me know.

Jessica - posted on 08/31/2010

Is there any chance they are teething? My girls just started waking back up in the middle of the night screaming and its because their gums hurt. I started giving them teething tablets before betime and if they wake up I give them again. It really helps. I also heard that as they hit new milestones it can cause them wake up through the night.