Author Topic: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,  (Read 26673 times)

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Offline nippo

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #210 on: May 09, 2014, 08:32:52 am »
If they aren't screaming and happily playing, I'd just leave them to it - mine would wake crying so I did give them milk as, like you and Laura, I was too shattered having been up most of the night...it did make them drowsy and they would sleep easier.

If that doesn't work, I'm not sure if other people have other ways of dealing with it....

Xxxc
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Offline Bababoo

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #211 on: May 09, 2014, 09:44:08 am »
I was told to treat as a night waking, give them a small amount of milk and straight back down.

Nippo - quick question....I have a thread going here about EW (10 month old - EW at 5am returned....at a loss now! ) and I was wondering if your LOs were BF or FF...and did you change nappy after feed - I think a feed and a nappy change would end any chance of my DD going back to sleep but I'm just wondering how it worked for you...all ideas considered for a post-dawn wake-up!!

Offline Uglybethy

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #212 on: May 09, 2014, 10:14:16 am »
Hug for that middle of the night start to the day.
I wonder if they'd resettle if that 2.30 feed was at the 4.30 wake up instead?
Thoughts on resettling with dummy at 2.30 and feeding later??

Offline nippo

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #213 on: May 09, 2014, 10:17:01 am »
Hi Bababoo,

Mine were mixed fed at the beginning but by 3 months I found it really hard with 2 and no sleep so I switched to bottle as I didn't make enough milk.

I didn't change nappy until morning (unless totally soiled or a number 2) and I never took them out of the room. I got their milk, fed them in the dark, no speaking or interaction at all. And when the milk was done they went straight back into bed with least amount of settling. So I didn't even burp them. hand on back until quiet and left. Obviously the start was hand on back until they were asleep.

Xxx
« Last Edit: May 09, 2014, 11:37:07 am by nippo »
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Offline nippo

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #214 on: May 09, 2014, 10:19:13 am »
Agree with uglybethy about moving 2.30 feed to 4.30 - hopefully it should sort the early wake as milk is a bit of a sedative for babies!
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Offline Bababoo

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #215 on: May 09, 2014, 12:38:10 pm »
Thanks Nippo...my DD is FF aswell...was curious I suppose that if you were BF-ing that maybe it was the snuggle with you rather than the feed that made the difference...I think I might give it a try when she does one of her 4.30 rise and shines rather than just accepting that we are up for the day!

Offline 4isstillnighttime

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #216 on: May 09, 2014, 13:27:16 pm »
We can try it....but it did happen once of it's own accord and the day still started then. The trouble I have is that if I'm there they want to play, and if I'm not they scream. Have tried basically pinning them to the mattress but they fight back and are phenomenally strong!! And they can keep up the screaming for hours, they are so used to getting up at that time! They went for their nap at 9 as usual....4.5h A....

Offline nippo

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #217 on: May 09, 2014, 14:14:27 pm »
I found with mine that I just had to ride out the crying, it was hours but it became less once they realised I was going to see it through until the end!
If you can muster up the will to get them to sleep (even if only for 10 mins) you're half way there.

Yes it is gruelling, it really is, and I don't think that any one will really understand how hard sleep training twins actually is. But you have got so far, your ¾ of the way there already. So close...I sense your just around the corner from your goal xx

Bababoo - I committed the cardinal sin of taking both babies and letting them sleep on my chest from around 1am onwards - I was just too exhausted! So they were used to snuggling with me. But I don't regret it - I loved snuggles - they just got too heavy! ;)
« Last Edit: May 09, 2014, 18:36:37 pm by nippo »
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Offline 4isstillnighttime

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #218 on: May 09, 2014, 17:56:47 pm »
We've got guests this weekend while DH is away so I will start on Monday. Nippo, how exactly would I do it? Can hold feed til 4:30 easy enough (well, won't be easy but I know how!) but if they are awake afterwards and playing just leave them to it til they cry then shh pat? And when do I stop and get them up for the day? Do they have to go to sleep or do I get them up at 6 anyway? Or should I be aiming later?

Offline nippo

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #219 on: May 09, 2014, 18:35:22 pm »
Yes I would leave them to it if playing and no feeding unless they cry at 4.30am.

Once fed in the dark, straight down and no chatting, holding etc. Walk out. If they chatter away, go to bed! If they start to cry shush pat (or hand on back) until they sleep. I used to keep on until they slept, even if it goes past wake up time - as you are teaching them to go to sleep - they need to actually get to the point of sleep. Even if they only go down for 20 mins.

I have seen other advice - if you are still shush patting at wake up time then walk out for a few minutes and go back in as if it's morning with your wonderful morning smile and a chirpy 'morning babies!' And start your day....

I just couldn't do that as I was half dead. I needed them to understand that they had to sleep so that the next one would be a bit shorter (and sometimes it was!)

As I am not a baby whisperer expert and only really an expert on my own twins it might be helpful for one of the proper advicey type people to jump in! I wouldn't want to lead you in the wrong direction!
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Offline Buttonbobs

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #220 on: May 09, 2014, 19:03:22 pm »
Hey Nippo, I think you're giving great advice and actually we're all only experts in our own child(ren) so you're not alone :D

I would definitely leave them to it unless you get an "I need you type of cry". It can be frustrating lying awake listening to happy playing in the middle of the night, and it can be caused by developmental change, teething or UT. But whatever the cause (unless you think pain is at play) it's best to leave them be and they'll resettle if they can, and will have learnt to do so on their own. Or they won't and may cry for you and you can respond.

I think either of the suggestions in the post above would be fine - whatever works for you, just be consistent with it.

Have a nice weekend with your guests xx
~ Naomi ~




Offline 4isstillnighttime

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #221 on: May 09, 2014, 20:30:40 pm »
Sounds good. And can I aim for a 6:00 wake up then? It's been so long since we had anything sensible I don't even really know what we are aiming for!! How would this be:

Wake up at 6
Nap 9-10 (or 9:30 maybe as I think they will be UT)
Nap 1:30-3
Bed 7

Those naps are pretty much what we had today and it was overall a good day....they had to be woken from all naps though and were v cross about it! Also we had to go into town twice (grrrr!) and they had little catnaps in the pushchair both times after 1.5h A. Didn't affect naps or bedtime so I ignored it and hopefully it means they are tired enough for a good night. Very easy going to sleep for both naps and bedtime - put down, kiss, mobile on and out.

DH is working days all next week so I will have some help at least! I'll ask him what he thinks about what we should do if they are still awake at wake up time. Does it work faster if we persevere until they are asleep? Also I am anticipating a fair amount of screaming if I don't feed at 2:30 so maybe they will be tireder and actually sleep then??

It feels like such a mammoth thing to do. How long will it take? We are going on holiday the last week of May then I start back at work in the first of June. And C's mouth is a hotbed of teeth and Z had a temperature today. Should I wait until June to start or will that be too much with then going to childminder as well?

Offline Uglybethy

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #222 on: May 09, 2014, 23:14:28 pm »
I hear you. You've got to weigh up what you've all achieved so far and whether another period of pushing and tweaking is what you want or need right now.
It is possible for 9.5 month olds to go 12 hours without needing to feed and my sense is that the final hurdle in terms of them learning and having the maturity to sleep right through (well except in lighter periods of sleep, but to self settle when those occur) lies somewhere in that night feed. Do you have a sense of how much they are taking at the 2am ish mark (not in terms of ounces As I know you breast feed but i guess in terms of time)... Would you say its a substantial feed? Can you in any way move that time at the breast to somewhere during the day? The only reason I ask is because I wonder whether if you know they've had enough breast milk during the day you will feel more able to challenge those night wakings without offering a feed?
Once I felt confident that mine were feeding enough during day time hours I had three checks I did at a night wake... Pain (if I thought they were teething and had woken hourly I gave pain meds), thirst (would offer water from a bottle, in their crib, did not pick them up), position and pacifier (just double checked they were on their backs or sides with access to a paci). Mostly one of these three would result in resettle but if they didn't then I did pick up put down or shush pat (depending on the baby or situation) until they went back to sleep or it was a reasonable time to get up.
The day you have planned out looks great. I think now is a great time to see this through. I don't underestimate their ability to sleep 11-12 hours at night and once they've mastered this they will be able to take any forthcoming changes in their stride.
Oh and congrats on the naps from today... What an improvement :)
Keep going you can do it!

Offline 4isstillnighttime

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #223 on: May 10, 2014, 02:17:16 am »
We have been up all night, both burning up! 2 steps back...

They are trying though, it isn't their fault!!   ;D

Offline Sarah - Enfys' Mum

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Re: 8.5 month twins, night waking and early morning waking,
« Reply #224 on: May 10, 2014, 04:43:12 am »
Ah bless them.