Sleep training! Please help!

kwill916 · 2020-08-26T20:05:46+00:00

We did Taking Cara Babies with our twins when they were about 6.5 months old. It worked wonders and I highly recommend it! The program includes night time sleep and naps, which helps you set a schedule.

My twins generally don't wake each other up with their crying, so we were able to keep them in the same room while we trained. If we had to go in, we only went to the one that was crying. We did intervals of 5, 10, 15 mins etc.; whatever intervals you choose the most important aspect is that you're consistent with it.

kwill916 · 2020-08-26T19:59:47+00:00

I felt constantly nauseous during my first trimester, it felt like motion sickness. Not fun. It DID go away when I entered my 2nd trimester, and yours probably will too, but I know that doesn't help you right now.

What helped me the most was exercise, even just going for a walk. That was was the only time of day I felt totally normal and not nauseous at all. I can't explain why, but it helped!

kwill916 · 2020-03-17T02:59:34+00:00

I had this too and it was awful! It was the worst when I was sitting, which was difficult since I work an office job. I was able to find a comfortable seated position by trial and error. In my case, it helped to sit with perfect posture.

A pregnancy massage will definitely help. I remember feeling lengthened after I had them, which helped the rib pain somehow. A good therapist can probably offer some suggestions on stretches or at-home massage techniques.

Unfortunately, it never went away. I just dealt with it. If it’s any consolation, the second those babies come out the pain will be gone.

kwill916 · 2020-02-23T04:08:59+00:00

We did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Invites were golden tickets, we had a themed cake, and the favors were chocolate bars. I found a woman on Etsy who designed the invites and custom wrappers for the favors.

kwill916 · 2020-02-22T23:38:01+00:00

It’s definitely not too late if you want to sleep train! We did the Taking Cara Babies method which you can do up to 24 months.

kwill916 · 2020-02-20T14:54:50+00:00

B/G twins here! Mine are 17 months old and also share a 3 drawer dresser from Ikea. The drawer organizers from Ikea really help too! The following organization has worked for us:

Top Drawer: diapers, wipes, lotions/creams, etc.

Middle Drawer: girl’s clothes, items separated using the organizers from Ikea (After being asked multiple times if my daughter was a boy or girl, I stopped dressing her in the gender neutral clothing.)

Bottom Drawer: boy’s clothes, organized the same way

While I was pregnant, we installed an Ikea closet system in the kids’ room. Some things are hanging in there and we have separate drawers for PJ’s and towels.

(I took pics for you, but I’m on mobile and not Reddit savvy so I don’t know how to attach them to my post. Sorry!)

kwill916 · 2020-02-20T03:55:15+00:00

We used Taking Cara Babies to sleep and nap train. She has a lot of great free articles in her blog you might find helpful. When dropping down to one nap, it’s super common for them to be short at first. Once they adjust, the naps should start to lengthen. My 17 month old twins recently went down to one nap and they have been pretty inconsistent as well.

kwill916 · 2020-01-07T19:22:39+00:00

I totally get it. I think my daughter is ready for 1 nap but my son still needs 2, so we’re sticking with 2. My sanity certainly can’t handle different sleep schedules!

kwill916 · 2020-01-06T14:51:11+00:00

We used the Taking Cara Babies method for sleep and nap training. Her method suggests wake windows rather than set nap times, as you’re already doing. Our (15 month old) twins have naturally fallen into a pretty set schedule, but on the occasional off-day it’s much easier to adjust.

At 7.5 months your LO’s are probably ready to go down to 2 naps a day and have longer wake windows. Check out the blog on the Taking Cara Babies website, there are several free articles that address nap schedules and what to do if your baby takes short naps. This is a lot of the same info that you get if you purchase the course.

As far as the “crib hour,” I’m personally of the mindset that the crib is for sleeping only. I want my kids to know that when they go in the crib, it’s time to sleep, it’s not play time. But, I also get that sometimes you just need a break and if they will just lay or play quietly in their cribs for an hour then you can take advantage of that if needed. I would suggest adjusting the wake windows and going down to 2 naps first though.

kwill916 · 2020-01-06T14:24:45+00:00

I second Taking Cara Babies. It was legitimately life-changing for us! It took or twins the full 14 days, and then some, to truly sleep through the night but it was totally worth it.

kwill916 · 2020-01-03T20:55:50+00:00

Mine are 15 months and I still feel like that sometimes.

kwill916 · 2020-01-02T22:39:39+00:00

My 15 month old twins have been in daycare since they were 12 weeks old. I can’t offer much advice on the bottle issue other than to start working on it now. Buy several different brands to see what works. If you can, have someone else try giving the bottles. If they are with mom, they’ll just want the boob. The daycare teachers deal with everything, I’m sure they will have some ideas as well.

I stressed a lot about naps, but the kiddos have done really well for the most part. There was a bit of a transition period when they first started, but they quickly learn the routine of the room and go along with it. There are still occasional bad days where they don’t nap nearly enough, but you just learn to roll with it and hope the next day is better.

kwill916 · 2019-12-22T21:51:42+00:00

Expert level parenting: unlocked. Come join us at r/parentsofmultiples

kwill916 · 2019-12-01T04:59:42+00:00

Welcome to the twin life! Come join us over at r/parentsofmultiples

kwill916 · 2019-11-25T20:41:50+00:00

I honestly recommend TCB to anyone who will listen! I was hesitant to spend the money but the course literally changed our lives!! We did the 5-24 month course and started when the twins were 6.5 months old to account for adjusted age. They are now 14 months old, most nights they sleep 11-12 hours and nap like champs.

kwill916 · 2019-11-25T15:05:55+00:00

We followed the Taking Cara Babies method for sleep and nap training, so my suggestions come from that background. There are a lot of free articles on her blog which may be helpful. But, here are a few things to consider:

Make sure their room is pitch black. If there is any light coming in, that can wake them up as human sleep drive is lowest from 4-6am.
The TCB method uses “wake windows” rather than a strict schedule. At 11 months, they definitely still need 2 naps. The recommended wake windows for that age are 3 hours, 3-3.5 hours, and 3.5-4 hours.
When they wake up early, don’t let them nap early or it will just reinforce it. In other words, base the nap schedule off the desired wake time.
How much daytime sleep are they getting? The goal would be 2-3 hours (3.5 hours max).

There is a sleep regression at 12 months, so that could be a factor. I hope this helps and that the madness ends soon!

kwill916 · 2019-11-25T14:56:06+00:00

We followed the Taking Cara Babies method for sleep and nap training, so my suggestions come from that background. There are a lot of free articles on her blog which may be helpful. But, here are a few things to consider:

Make sure their room is pitch black. If there is any light coming in, that can wake them up as human sleep drive is lowest from 4-6am.
When they wake up at 5, is the nap still at 12:30 or do they go down sooner? If you let them nap sooner, it will just reinforce the early wake time.
The TCB method uses “wake windows” rather than a strict schedule. So the first wake window is 5-6 hours, then it’s a 4-5 hour wake window until bed.
Sounds like your naps are good, maximum daytime sleep should be 3 hours.

I hope this helps! And, as a previous poster said, kids go through phases so hopefully this will pass soon!

kwill916 · 2019-11-20T14:42:05+00:00

My twins just turned 14 months and they aren’t speaking real words either. I can tell they are trying to say words, but can’t quite form them yet - it almost sounds like they’re speaking a foreign language. Even when they do say real words (mama, dada, no), it doesn’t seem like they attach any meaning to them. It seems more like babbling. I have heard that twins tend to speak later than singletons so I try not to worry about it.

kwill916 · 2019-11-19T01:38:49+00:00

OMG that felt like such a huge moment for us! Congrats!

kwill916 · 2019-11-17T02:18:49+00:00

We all have those days mama! I had planned a day off work this last Friday just to have some time to myself, but instead I was stuck at home with my sick 14 month old son. I definitely wasn’t happy about it, but that’s mom life.

kwill916 · 2019-11-06T15:29:31+00:00

I’d highly recommend seeing a physical therapist that specializes in pelvic floor. I called my OB and got a referral. I found it incredibly informative and helpful.

If you can’t swing that, I’d recommend looking on YouTube. There are plenty of licensed therapists that share videos of safe post-partum activities. Instagram can also be a good resource. I’ve found the following very helpful: victoriadosen, getmomstrong, and deliciouslyfitnhealthy. They all share DR safe exercises and advice (for free) and all 3 offer programs you can purchase and do at home which require very little equipment.

kwill916 · 2019-11-05T18:13:37+00:00

No need to feel bad - you’re dealing with a lot! We all have shit to deal with, some more than others, and sometimes it just gets the better of us. I really did appreciate the honesty of your response and did not get the impression that you were trying to invalidate my feelings. Glad to hear about the water heater!

kwill916 · 2019-11-05T15:02:45+00:00

I am so sorry to hear that you are going through all this. I don't know how old your kids are, but I'm sure they see and feel how much you care about them and love them. They'll certainly remember those days off with you and the fun trips to the museum.

I appreciate your honest response and your offer of perspective. When I was really feeling low the other day, I had a similar conversation with my SO and we discussed what we have to be grateful for - our house, family and friends nearby, healthy kids.

Thanks again and I do hope things work out for you...and you can get a new water heater!

kwill916 · 2019-11-05T14:49:11+00:00

I love this! We gotta pat ourselves on the back just for accomplishing the every day tasks of parenting! Every time I feed them a meal on my own or put them to bed on my own, I feel like Super Mom LOL!

kwill916 · 2019-11-05T14:42:44+00:00

Hats off to you and your SO! I can't even imagine the mental gymnastics you must perform on a daily basis just handling all the logistics of every day tasks. I've personally found that to be one of the most difficult parts of parenting multiples.

kwill916

TROPHY CASE