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Multiples
sleep training
Do you believe that you need to follow sleep training after their regular due date. The Happy Sleep book constantly talks about 6 weeks after the due date. Our babies were 3 weeks and 6 days early and I feel I and they need to start. But I feel like this week they have spent a lot of time sleeping during the day and up at night. Thoughts....
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Re: sleep training
no. IMO, I don't think you can "sleep train" at that age, other than keeping it bright & active at home in the daytime and quiet & dark at night.
Your babies sound a lot like mine. Mine were born at 36w3d and when I started sleep training, I waited until they were 8 weeks old adjusted (from their due date). The sleep training I followed required them to be at least 8 weeks old adjusted and also weigh at least 9 lbs and taking in at least 24oz. in a 24 hour period. It took until they were 8 weeks old adjusted before the smaller twin met the other requirements (at least 9 lbs and taking 24oz. in 24 hours). The reason she wanted you to wait until they met all 3 requirements is because before this they would not be able to handle sleep training because they still needed to be feed on demand. I used the Baby Sleep Solution by Suzy Giordano.
If they are up during the night, like they want to be awake like during the day, they may have their days and nights reversed. I would be sure to keep the blinds open during the day and have music on or the tv to keep the noise level up during the day. Then about an hour before bedtime, turn off the tv or radio and dim lights so they get they day is winding down. Also at night when they get up to feed keep the lights as low as possible for changing them and feeding them, just enough light that you can see what you are doing. Also be sure not to engage them, no talking or even making eye contact because they will think you are trying to interact with them instead of them falling back to sleep right away.
When mine were this age, DH and I would feed them together (when he was in town) at night and not speak at all to each other unless necessary and if we had to talk we leaned over and whisphered in each others ear what we needed to say. I also didn't turn the light on at all to change them. As long as I was sure they didn't have a poopy diaper. I knew I could change them in the dark as long as it was just pee. And then I fed them in the dark as well. They would finish their bottles and drift right back off to sleep. I did this until their 7AM morning feeding. That feeding, I turned on the lights, changed them, dressed them in their day clothes and then feed them with the lights on and blinds open to their room, so they would understand it was time to be up for the day.
by sleep training do you mean CIO? because there are MANY ways to sleep train - but CIO should not be done until about 6mo+.
We followed Baby Wise from day 1 (but our boys were not preemies). Baby Wise has you get them on a flexible routine- eating every 3 hours day/night- and eventually their bodies adjust and start to drop the night feedings. It's a sleep/eat/play rotation every 3 hours - much like the EASY routine.
Worked great for us - all 3 of our boys STTN at 8w with it. Can be started right away- but again- it's not CIO... it's about having a routine and getting their bodies on a schedule.
I don't mean CIO, that breaks my heart. I let them fuss for a few moments but not CIO.
I am looking at getting the night feedings further apart and figuring out day time nap needs. I guess after the last few nights of lots of fussiness I feel that things are getting harder instead of easier. I know intellectually what to do but was wondering what other's real life experinces are.
Our girls were born 2 weeks before due date and fell into a predictable sleep/eat/active routine at around 6-8 weeks. Around this time they started sleeping about 5 hours after bedtime, then 3 hours after that until morning(before, it was every 2-3 hours). They still have growth spurts, or "frequency days" for 2 days or so every few weeks where one or both wake every 2-3 hours to nurse. This is totally normal.