Hey all -
I'll try not to make this confusing or long. I have b/b twins, Jonas and Nolan. Each has their own sleep issues. We'll start with Jonas. He's an awesome napper. 2 hrs 25 min every day - almost on the dot. Sometimes longer. Falls asleep easily on his own. However, occasionally he'll wake at night (teething, sick, etc.) and he has a very hard time falling back asleep. After months of AP, I'm attempting WI/WO. Tried it two nights ago. He's confused, frustrated like you wouldn't believe, and just plain ed when I do it. Here's how I've done it. Stand next to his crib, allow him to "hug" me (while he's screaming because I won't pick him up) while I rub his back, and repeat "it's time for night night - lay down". I've only done it once. It took an hour and a half for him to finally fall over because he was so exhausted (so was I!). There really was no WO though - he never stopped screaming until he fell over. Persistence! He hasn't had a NW since.
Nolan is a bad napper. He averages about 1 hr 15 mins. About once every 8-10 days he'll surprise me with a 2-2.5 hr nap. His demeanor is generally good. He's a very "serious" child though so it's hard to tell if he's being quiet or tired. He cries every time I lay him down for a nap for about 30 seconds and then he's fine. I used to try and console him but I come to learn it's just his way of decompressing and then he rolls around for a bit and is out cold. He wakes very happy, so it seems like he doesn't need any more sleep? He also wakes everyone every morning. Our sleep schedule is Nolan's schedule. Jonas would sleep later if his brother didn't wake him. Usually it's between 6:30-7am, which is fine. They go to bed between 6:30-7pm, so they usually get about 12 hrs at night. Nolan also has NWs occasionally and I tried WI/WO with him the other night for over 2 hours and finally gave up (
), picked him up and rocked him to sleep. He was screaming bloody murder so badly that he was gagging and I thought he was going to make himself vomit. He's so used to me picking him up and consoling him so I can understand why he was confused and upset. When I pick him up he calms immediately and can usually fall asleep in my arms within minutes. Makes me wonder if I should just keep doing it that way? I'm very disappointed that it turned out the way it did though. He hasn't done it since.
I'm trying to get the night sleep in order because we have plans to put them back in the same room next weekend. We seperated them right after they were born because of sleep disturbances. We've always wanted to put them back together but I've been selfish and haven't wanted to do it because of Nolan's MUCH shorter nap than Jonas. I know he'll wake him up because he's so happy and loud when he wakes. We also live in an old house with VERY creaky floors so if I go in to get Nolan and his laughter hasn't woken Jonas, the floor will for sure wake him. When Jonas gets woken before he's ready he's VERY cranky and it takes a good 30 mins before he's ready to be nice to anyone. Is this something you think he will learn to sleep through? I've also considered having one nap in a pack n play in my room.
Ugh, sorry to go on and on.
So I have a general question about WI/WO. At what point do I WO? With Nolan I would do it once he laid down and stopped crying but wasn't asleep, and it would send him into a tizzy when I left and we'd have to start all over again. Should I be soothing more before I WO?
And, is it silly for me to be nervous to put them back in the same room? Any advice from those who have successfully seperated and then put them back together?
Thank you for hearing me out!
Lindsay
