6 month twins wont sleep longer than 4 hrs at night

[BareFootMomma]

Is it hot in the day - maybe causing lethargy?  - Not hot right now, they aren't lethargic, they are usually screaming and whining as if they are super tired. They are usually only happy for about 1 hour, sometimes 1.5 hrs of their A time.

Could they be waking/disturbing each other and therefore not resting as well as they ought? - During the day they sleep in different rooms so that they don't wake each other. During the night they sometimes wake each other, but not unless we ignore the first fussing noises.

Congestion causing an issue when lying down for a long period of time? Is the head of the bed raised a little - The heads of their beds are raised, and we have even had them sleeping on a little wedge pillow during this illness because they have been so congested. They have a humidifier in their room.

As for yesterday and last night. We had church yesterday so they were both up a lot longer and had shorter naps than usual. Their day looked like this:

Baby A:
Wake - 8:00
Sleep - 11:00
Wake - 11:30
Sleep - 2:15
Wake - 4:45 (we were trying to let her sleep until 5 so bedtime wasn't too early)
Bed - 7:00

She had a rough night. She cried every 10-15 minutes until around 10pm, woke to eat at 1:30 and then cried every few minutes until almost 4 before staying asleep until waking for the day at 7:45 - She has an excuse though because her first tooth broke through yesterday plus she has developed quite a cough and still has a super congested nose. Poor girl was miserable and is really tired today.

Baby B:
Wake - 8:30
Sleep - 11:30
Wake - 12:15
Sleep - 2:30
Wake - 4:00
Bed - 7:00

She WENT TO SLEEP!!! She stayed asleep until around 10 when she woke and ate a little. Then she woke to eat again at 4, and took almost an hour to go back to sleep. I was so afraid that she was up for the day! Then she woke for the day at 8. Not to shabby compared to the last few nights.

So far today I intended to keep both girls up for 3 hrs no matter what. But Baby A was SO tired and starting to fall asleep on the floor after only 2.5 hrs so I put her to bed. Baby B I kept up for the 3 hrs.

[becj86]

I think the keep them up to 3hr plan is a good one. Fingers crossed it helps you - it'll be a rough week or so initially though.

What do you think of the possibility that they're chronically OT from not sleeping well for so long? Just thinking the A times have been so short for so long that OT would have been building for a while.

[BareFootMomma]

Last night was wonderful! Our day time schedule got a little off, but I made sure Baby B was up for 3 hrs before bed and she went right to sleep. Baby A seems to not be able to handle quite 3 hrs yet, so I have been adjusting her schedule accordingly. They both slept pretty well, up twice to eat and the second time B woke and ate it was harder to get her to go back to sleep. It took just over an hour again. I'm not sure what to think about that long night waking, but I am going to give her time to settle in to the 3 hr A time before I worry too much.

I think they could be chronically OT, but I am not sure how to fix that while trying to adjust to the 3 hr A times. Suggestions?

Today is really off because we were on the road all morning running errands. Something that I noticed though was that they were immediately asleep in the car. Usually they will stay awake unless we are close to their normal nap times, but today they fell asleep almost immediately. They only slept for 45 minutes, but then fell asleep again after being awake for just under an hour. What do you think of that?

[Erin M]

That's fabulous about the good night -- maybe 3 hours A is the magic number with her!

I'm not sure what to think about that long night waking, but I am going to give her time to settle in to the 3 hr A time before I worry too much.

I would think that would be a good idea. 

I think they could be chronically OT, but I am not sure how to fix that while trying to adjust to the 3 hr A times. Suggestions?

Try to get the best naps that you can -- have you got any sure fire APOP tricks up your sleeve you can use to get longer naps? 

Usually they will stay awake unless we are close to their normal nap times, but today they fell asleep almost immediately. They only slept for 45 minutes, but then fell asleep again after being awake for just under an hour. What do you think of that?

Well, it could support the idea of them being OT, could be that they're starting to catch up -- with mine, it was almost like once we started catching up on sleep, they seemed more tired for a little bit while they caught up. 

[BareFootMomma]

How long should I let them nap? I let them both have a long nap this afternoon since it was the only one they got at home. A slept for 1.5 hrs and B slept for 2.5. I know they shouldn't sleep longer than 3 hrs, but should I maybe cut them off at 2 hrs?

[Erin M]

Once you're on two naps, I generally let mine sleep as long as they would for at least one nap -- if you end up capping both you sometimes end up with an OT baby even if naps are long.  How is the other nap? 

[BareFootMomma]

Last night was a bit rough Baby A cried every 15 or so minutes for the first 4 hrs of the night and then Baby B started crying every few minutes for a couple hours. This was despite being fed a couple times to try to get them to sleep.  The second half of the night was better, even though B decided she would nurse for almost an hour and a half straight. She wasn't just pacifying either! She would flip out if I unlatched her and gave her the pacifier instead.

Then today was all over the place because of preschool. They napped a bit in the car again, though not excessively this time. Then they were ready to go down for their second nap at 1:30 (I think their A time was only around 2.5 hrs but they were exhausted and melting down) and because I couldn't figure out how to work the rest of the day without bed time being super late I let them sleep until 4:30 lol!

I am hoping they have a better night tonight because I am exhausted.

[Erin M]

I hope your night is better too -- what's the teething situation right now? 

[BareFootMomma]

Alrighty! It looks like we might have solved the problem of baby b having a long nw right after going to bed. She has been staying asleep since going to the 3 hr A time. BUT, she is still having a hard time going back to sleep when she wakes up to eat around 4am. Most nights it takes around an hour to get her to go back to sleep, sometimes two. She is teething (has her first one, waiting on the second to finally break through) but giving her pain meds hasn't seemed to help her go back to sleep. When she is awake she isn't upset, unless I leave her in bed. She is just wide awake.

Baby A's first two teeth have broken through, and she seems to be feeling a little better.

The main problem is still here though, and is actually getting worse. They wake up as early as 10:30 some nights (bedtime is at 7-7:30) and refuse to go back to sleep until they are fed. After that first NWing they are up every 2 hours until morning. If I don't feed them, they cry every 10 minutes until they are fed. They are drinking a TON at night! Enough that they are peeing through their night time diapers and soaking their PJs and swaddle blankets. I am getting NO sleep after around 1am. DH takes the night shift until midnight, and then it is all me. They still don't wake up at the same time (mostly) so it works out that someone is waking up every hour. They sometimes finally settle in for a longer stretch around 5am and sleep until I get them up at 7:30. Some mornings I am just so sick of them that I let them sleep in later (no later than 9), but then our day is completely messed up.

I am frustrated, sleep deprived, and incredibly sick of this craziness. Is it too much to ask that my 7 month old babies at least sleep longer than 2 hrs at a time at night?? Shouldn't they be able to go the night without eating or at least only needing to eat once?!?

GGGGRRRRR!!!

[becj86]

What does the day look like now?

[Erin M]

And what's your method for resettling NW right now?

[BareFootMomma]

Days are a little something like this:

Wake - 7:30
Sleep - 10:30 (baby A is still not quite at 3 hrs, so she goes to sleep about 10 minutes before baby B)
Wake - 12:00
Sleep - 3:00
Wake - 4:30
Bed - 7:30

That ^^ is if the day is perfect which, as you know, doesn't always happen. If we are out and about the morning nap can sometimes turn into two short naps, but I try to keep the afternoon free for a good nap.

To resettle at night I try to keep them in their crib and just replug the paci, pat softly, and if I do pick them up I only wait until they relax and then put them back down. Usually they will quiet down immediately upon getting their pacifier back and/or turning over to their other side (both sleep mostly on their sides). It seems that no matter what I do, even if I hold and pat them until they are snoring, they will make noise again 10-15 minutes later and it goes on and on until I nurse them. They do eat when I finally resort to nursing them, usually about 10-15 minutes.

[BareFootMomma]

I'm headed to bed. So far tonight has been pretty bad

Baby B slept for 1.5 hours and has been up crying every few minutes for the past 2 hours.

[becj86]

Are you waking them at 1.5hr?

Feeling a little uneasy about the reflux thing, with the waking every 10-15min... it just seems a lot like discomfort.

[BareFootMomma]

I only wake them from their naps when I need to to make the day work without bedtime being too early or late.

Last night was not great. After B finally stayed asleep they were both up at 11:30 to eat. So, I guess that means that B only stayed asleep for 45 minutes before waking up again Then A was up at 3:30, 4:30, and then woke for the day at 6:15. B was up at 1:30, 3:30 (wouldn't go back to sleep for just over an hour), and then I got her up when her sister woke at 6:30 as to keep them mostly on the same daytime schedule.

If it was reflux, wouldn't it be bothering her all day? She sleeps fine during the day and doesn't seem to have a problem laying down on her back for diaper changes or just to play. I cut the dairy out of my diet again (they were very sensitive to that in the beginning) when their sleep started to deteriorate, but I haven't seen any difference.