Schedule Question

chica180

My twins are a little over 6 wks old.  Everyone keeps asking me about our schedule. We don't really have one yet.  Is this bad? When do you start implementing a schedule? We try to feed them every 4 hours, but sometimes (often!), they want to eat more frequently. Both babies are eating machines! They are taking between 4-6oz each feeding.  I feel like as soon as I finish feeding both babies, someone is hungry again.  Although they are much more alert, they still sleep a lot. They basically nap in their swing and bouncy seats. I've tried the crip, but it hasn't worked out too well. We usually give them their last bottle around 11:30pm, and they both sleep until 5am or 6am.  Any suggestions on how I can get into a better routine. I feel like all i do is feed them!

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we gave bottles every 3 hours from day 1 (this is what they did in the hospital, too)... when we tried to push it to 4 hours they didn't sleep well at night. They were STTN at 8 weeks... we kept doing 3 hours for bottles until they were 12mo and on table food and milk.

my guys napped in swing and bouncy seat or on the couch next to me until they were about 7mo old- since then have napped in cribs.

regenab

Our girls were on a 3 hour feeding schedule during the day until they were 12 weeks old. So if they need to eat more often than 4 hours, I say go with what they want, it is pretty much on demand at this point.

They really are not going to fall into a regular schedule/routine until you go to an early bedtime, which is best at about 3 months old (12 weeks). Once they start going down and having 12 hours as nighttime sleep you will start to fall into a standard schedule during the day. They may not be sleeping that 12 hours at night, but being in their cribs for 12 hours as nighttime sleep time will help them set their internal clocks.

I started doing naps in the cribs at 9 weeks old, this is when my DH came home from being away at officer school, so I thought this was a good time to start a new routine of getting them to sleep in their cribs all the time. It took a little work, but they started doing well with it after a couple of days. It was kind of a pain because I had to carry them up and down the stairs all day long to their cribs, but a good way to work off the pregnancy weight, LOL.

Right now it is all about feeding them pretty much, it is all on demand, there is no schedule, they are too young/small. You can try to get them into some good routines with naps and stuff but that is about it at this age. The best thing you can do for naps during the day is make sure you don't have them up for longer than 2 hours max. between naps. If you follow this they will nap great for you because they will not become overtired.

Keep it up you are doing great.

 

ahava2005

My girls came home on a 3 hour schedule from the NICU, and we just kept that.  We did that for a few months, until they started to find their own schedule.

For naps, they slept downstairs in basinets.  We didn't put them in a crib to sleep until they were about 6 months old, maybe (adjusted age).  But part of that was due to the fact that their room was upstairs and my nanny was pregnant and couldn't carry them upstairs due to complications (we wanted them to stay downstairs).

They are now 11 months old and really have only been crib napping for the last two months or so.

 

You're just gonig to feel like you're always feeding twins, unfortunately.  But I agree:  get them on a 3 hour schedule and that may make it easier for you.  I would just wake/feed one whenever one was hungry and feed the other regardless. 

norika33

I echo PP with a 3 hour schedule, we had them on it ever since they came home and it worked out well- now they are on 4 hours for part of the day, but mostly 5 hours, and sleeping 7+ at night.

 

Wow- 4-6 oz huh? My 3mo are eating 6 oz at each feeding...You may be in a growth spurt, ours couldn't stop eating at the 6w mark, and then it slowed down a bit. Just remember- whatever chaos you are going through (growth spurt, cluster feeding, etc) doesn't last forever and things will change in a week or two.

OrangeSmoke

Sounds like you are doing great - if they are STTN (which is 6 hours plus of sleep) at 6 weeks!

My babies were always light eaters (and want to eat more often).  I was feeding them every 2 hours!  We finally stretched to the 3 hour schedule and sometimes they don't even make it.  My only advice would be if you can feed them at the same time, play them at the same time and nap them at the same time.... that way you'll get a stretch of time to yourself (like right now for me!)

Oh and mine are 3.5 months old and they still nap in their bouncies.

chica180

Thanks! I think I will try the 3hr feeds instead of pushing the 4hr.  BTW... I love your babies' names.  Finn was on our short list, and Emme is beautiful!

mbjmaybebaby

Ours came home from the NICU on a 4 hour schedule and we have kept them to that since they came home.  We do diaper changes about 10 minutes before their scheduled time and then feed.  Sometimes they start to show signs of hunger at about 3 1/2 hours but we hold them over with their pacifiers.  We wake them up if they're sleeping to feed and won't let them STTN (ours are only a month old though).