getting them all soothed and asleep by yourself

besu-chan

OK, I've got the waking up, chaning diapers, nursing routine worked out (well, enough to survive anyway LOL), but it's getting them both to go down afterwards that is driving me crazy. How do you soothe them and get them asleep? I feel like right now I just go back and forth, getting one happy, put that one down in a bouncy chair or something, pick up the other one, by the time that one quiets down the other one is getting unhappy again, and back and forth until they wear themselves out. I feel like a failure because it seems like from reading all the books etc that they should be happy and content after they eat and then magically just fall asleep, but that rarely happens for us. Any tips? TIA!

chickaboo1974

I would hold one- rocking or just general soothing to sleep, while the other was in the rock n play- which I was rocking with my foot.  I would then place the sleeping one in his RNP and pick up the other while lightly rocking the sleeping one in their RNP- once both were asleep and in their RNP I would gradually stop rocking.

I would also put both in their bouncy seats on our large coffee table ( they both fit with plenty of room) I would then sit with heel my feet on the edge of the coffee table using them to lightly bounce the seats at the same time- worked like a charm.

Hunter22

My girls cry a bit before they go down, they are so tired they are cranky and then they self soothe. I never went nuts trying to comfort them, at least that I can remember (the first five months are a blur lol!). But I would swaddle each, top them off with a bottle and put them in their cribs or swings (crib for the night, swings for naps during the day) and plop in a pacifier. They would cry for up to five minutes or sometimes but only because they were trying to get to sleep. I would say give them a minute before trying to soothe them, maybe they can do it themselves, or learn to. I've come to the realization that crying is just a part of life with multiples (within reason of course). I'm also not a first time mom so it doesn't phase me as much as I think it would if I were.

ougrad1

swings?  they were my saving grace with all three kids.

schoolsoutbride

At night, my DH put them back and if necessary I'd get up and soothe the other. (I couldn't get them out of tandem nursing well by myself.) 

During the day it was a lot of picking up and putting down and basically a mess for a while.

jamdonut

Swaddling was the key for me as well as a white noise machine. They immediately would calm down in a very tight swaddle.

Hang in there, each week it gets easier as they learn their routine!

besu-chan

thanks everyone, I feel better just knowing I'm not alone and I will try out some of those suggestions!