HELP....I AM DESPERATE, TWINS BOTH DOING 30 - 45 MIN NAPS

[popsey]

Can some one please help me, my twins are both 6 months old, but were 8 weeks early.

My daughter starting doing 30 - 45 min naps for the past three weeks now and now her brother has done the same for the past three days.  I have tried on both the wake to sleep and the sshh pat, sometimes they will go back to sleep others they won't.  If I try the sshh pat it can take quite a while and having two both doing it, it is very hard work.

The pick up put down, just make it worse, as it is wakes them even more and I have tired seeing if that is all they need sleep wise but an hour later they are both tired again.   I have them on the following routine.

7.00 - 7.20 get them both up and feed them
8.00  activity
8.40 upstairs top and tail
9.00 back to sleep
(then they both should sleep until 11.00)
11.00 feed them both
11.30 activity
1.00 back to sleep
(then they should both sleep until 3.00)
3.00 feed them both
3.30 activity
4.45 back to sleep for a cat nap
5.30 wake and leave them underneath their mobile
6.00 bath time
6.30 feed time
7.00 sleep (they never normally wake after 45 mins)
10.30 dream feed
sometimes they wake in the night but never for a feed just for their dummies

Can someone give me any advice if I am doing something wrong or what I could be doing about these 30 - 45 min naps or will they just pass in time.  Like I say I have had this problem or three weeks now every nap they both wake now but hardly ever at the nighttime one. Am I doing wrong with the dummies, however dummies are a god send with twins at times.

A urgent response would be brilliant

Thank you

[Mom to M&M]

Looks like they may just need a routine tweak. If they are waking around 7am, I'd delay first nap until 9:30 or 9:15 at the earliest. They may not be tired enough by 9am for a long nap. I'd then wake them after 1.5 hours and try for second nap 2.5 hours after end of first and then catnap 2.5 hours after end of second nap.

Also, have you checked out the multiples board here? So of our other great moms of twins and more may have more advice!

[popsey]

i have already tired moving things across and they still the do the same 30 - 45 mins, sometimes my daughter gets so overtired because she has not slept properly the first nap that she can't settle the second nap and has missed it out completely and then 5 hours later will have any nap but it only lasts 45 mins again.  But then will wake and continue to rub her eyes.

Do you know how long this sort of things continues for and is it something I could have done to have caused it.

[Mom to M&M]

If they are caught in a cycle of overtiredness you can always try to actually do the first nap earlier for a few days and see if you can get them back on track. Also - are they learning anything new developmentally?

[popsey]

Only that perhaps they have more strength to their bodies, they both sleep on their stomachs as that is the only way they will settle.

Do you know if this nap thing continues for a long time, I really need to know if this is always going to be the case with them or will it pass in time?

I have tired moving naps around but they still wake every time between 30 - 45 minutes.  But the strange thing is is that it does not happen at night time.

[Mom to M&M]

It is common for babies at that age to sleep better at night than during the day - day sleep/naps are a harder thing to learn and typically are going through a stage like this from 3-6 months. It will settle down but I'd keep trying to pay attention to awake time, wind down routines, etc.

[popsey]

thanks very much for your comments

[twinsmommy]

I just wanted to let you know that I totally sympathize with what you are feeling and your desire to fix it quickly.  I have twin boys who will be six months old this weekend (they were born at 35 weeks).  They have been struggling with 45 minute naps for 2.5 months.  It is one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with.  I tried w2s and pat/shhh and even pu/pd for weeks.  Rarely did anything work.  I absolutely exhausted myself.  I was sure that I had done something to cause this and that there was something I could do to fix it.  However, after trying until I collapsed in tears on several occassions, I am convinced that this is just something they need to go through.  My Ethan is doing much better now.  Our schedule is the same as yours and he takes a good morning nap now about 75% of the time.  If he wakes after 45 minutes, I go in and give him a stuffed dog that he likes and rub his head.  About 50% of the time he will fall back to sleep.  If not, I don't struggle anymore.  What is interesting is that he can now tolerate being up for at least 2.5 hours, even on only a 45 minute nap.  I account all of this to him just reaching a new level of maturity.  The afternoon nap is still tougher - he gets a good nap about 50% of the time now.  But again, he can tolerate being awake much better now even on a short nap.  Then he usually catches up with his afternoon "catnap" which can actually be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.  None of this has ever affected his night sleep.  My Lucas, however, had a much harder time with his naps, and for the last 3 weeks I have let him nap in his swing.  I know this is not recommended, but honestly, with two of them I had to just accept what worked.  Lucas is a very spirited and sensitive kid and cannot tolerate getting only short naps.  In the swing he gets two 1.5 hour naps with no struggles.  Both he and I are much happier.  I vowed that I would begin weening him off of the swing after he turned 6 months, so we'll see what happens next week.  But honestly, my advice is just to do the best you can - it is so very hard with two.  Keep youself sane, and know that this too shall pass...

Jessica

[popsey]

Hi Jessica

Thank you so much for making me feel better that there are twin mums having the same problem.  Over the past few days they seeml to be able to go back to sleep a lot quicker just a few sshh pats and they seem to just know that I want them to sleep longer.  They both still wake up after 45 mins more so my daughter but I manage to get her back to sleep.  Sometimes there are times when she wont and I just take her out of bed for half and hour then put her back to bed as she normally is tired.

However it is surprising at times when they both just have three naps a day of 45 mins and seem to be okay on them, so I guess it is all about them getting older and changing things. 

They both seem to settle very quickly at night so I shouldn't really complain, I suppose when you get used to them doing two, two hour naps and a cat nap then they all of a sudden change things it can come frustrating when you know at lot of the time they are still tired.

Once again thanks for your comments