Nap help??!

masked_rose86

So how do you get your twin to nap at the same time?  They both have a meltdown and definitely need a nap but there is no way to get them to sleep drowsy but awake at this point (believe me I have tried!!).  I usually end up putting one in the rock n play (if she's upset since that will soothe better as I rock it with my foot).  Then I hold the other till she closes her eyes and gets limp and try to put her in her crib.  I managed 3 20-30 minute naps with C in her crib yesterday.  S was either in her swing or rock n play.  Should I transfer the second twin to her crib after I get the fussier one down.  I'm desperate to get them used to their cribs so we can transfer them there at night by the time we do sleep training around 4-5 months.

 Will naps just not happen with both in cribs till after sleep training?  I have a feeling I need to wait till they have more self soothing abilities and a more predictable schedule till I can do drowsy/awake.....

emma12210

Idk if this is quite the advice you're looking for, but a few things came to mind when I read this:

1. Do you think they're overtired when you put them down? Maybe that's why they are so fussy and hard to put to sleep, and don't sleep long? Mine are about the same age, and they never stay awake more than 1-1.5 hrs at a time. DD2 many times does not even seem tired... she'll be all smiles w/ her legs going, but when I swaddle her and start singing, she closes her eyes. Maybe try to put them down sooner?

2. As far as why C woke up early... are you swaddling? Is she startling herself awake?

3. Also, w/ waking up early, have you tried letting her cry for about 5 min to see if she'll go back to sleep? DS does this ALOT, and it's always 30-40 min after going down... sometimes they cry when they're settling into a deeper sleep... if you let them cry a little, sometimes they'll go back to sleep.

DD1 took naps in her swing til she was almost 4 months, and then she sort of naturally went to her crib w/o much problem, after she was STTN about 10-11 hrs... and she was a tough baby! GL mama, hang in there!

Kristi1971

My girls don't nap at the same time.  I've never even tried to get them to nap at the same time.  I mean, they may be napping at the same time during points in the day, but one usually sleeps before the other and on usually wakes before the other. 

I've had them in their cribs at night for the last month, and they are doing great sleeping in their cribs at night.  I usually put them in their cribs at night around the same time, but not at the same time.

I will say this - I can now tell when they are tired.  A lot of times if I hold them when they are tired, it makes them fussy.  When I am holding them, they do not want to sleep.  So I end up putting them down for a nap (usually in the livingroom during the day).  It seems that they are asleep within minutes of me putting them down.  Or if they are awake, they are quiet.  When they are that kind of fussy, it's almost like they need some down time as they are over-stimulated.

I don't know if any of that was any help at all.  You know your babies best.  If you would like them to nap in their cribs, then it can't hurt to give it a try and see if it works.  Maybe they are like my girls and need to get away from the "stimulation" and have a little quiet.  Maybe they need to have the holding to get to sleep. 

Good luck and hugs!

mirnb

When we decided to go to crib napping and eventually sleeping through the night in the crib it was hard but they got used to it quickly. I always put my boys down at the same time still awake but drowsy...there is a certain time you have to get them in there before its too late though and they get over tired! It takes some trial and error but you will figure out what works...I found it got a lot easier all the sudden when they hit about 4.5 months. I also let them cry it out a bit if I knew they weren't needing anything. Getting the nap routine down took a lot of effort and time but it is so worth it to stick with it! also I was worried about my boys waking each other up but if they are tired and the other is crying his head off the other one continues to sleep!

trish3905

My girls napped in their swing and bouncy seats until they were 4 or 5 months old.  I had them sleeping in their cribs at night from day one.  But, I could not get them to nap in their cribs until they were 4 or 5 months old.  Once they hit that age though, the transition was really easy.  I used a combination of swaddling both, then rocking one to sleep first while the other was in the bouncy seat or laying in their crib watching their soother, then rocking the other.  Drowsy but awake did not happen for us until 6 months or even later (my memory is failing me for exact times).

Hang in there!  They are still so young!  If your babies are like mine, it will be a little while longer before crib naps click. 

besu-chan

emma12210:

Idk if this is quite the advice you're looking for, but a few things came to mind when I read this:

1. Do you think they're overtired when you put them down? Maybe that's why they are so fussy and hard to put to sleep, and don't sleep long? Mine are about the same age, and they never stay awake more than 1-1.5 hrs at a time. DD2 many times does not even seem tired... she'll be all smiles w/ her legs going, but when I swaddle her and start singing, she closes her eyes. Maybe try to put them down sooner?

2. As far as why C woke up early... are you swaddling? Is she startling herself awake?

3. Also, w/ waking up early, have you tried letting her cry for about 5 min to see if she'll go back to sleep? DS does this ALOT, and it's always 30-40 min after going down... sometimes they cry when they're settling into a deeper sleep... if you let them cry a little, sometimes they'll go back to sleep.

DD1 took naps in her swing til she was almost 4 months, and then she sort of naturally went to her crib w/o much problem, after she was STTN about 10-11 hrs... and she was a tough baby! GL mama, hang in there!

I agree with all of this because you sound just like me about a month ago and I tried this and it worked, despite my doubts But, like another pp said, you know your babies. Some things work for one family and not another.

One other thing that I found worked for me in those frantic moments was actually to pick up the less fussy one first and get her down. Usually, the more fussy one takes longer to calm down because she is overstimulated or something and she is already worked up anyway so I get the calm one down, then come back and work on the fussy one until she is ready to go down too. By that point the first one is in a deeper sleep state anyway so she's not bothered by her sister's fussing. It seems cruel to the fussy one to leave her in a potential meltdown but I give her her paci and then tell myself that I will be able to give her the attention that she needs better once I get her sister down anyway, so it's really for her own good

Good luck! I remember those days. I pretty much cried and yelled on the phone to DH to get home from work NOW most of the time when that happened!