Help with EASY 8 week old twins (plus a 4 and 6 year old at home!)

[yjlzelik]

I would really like to get my twins on more of a routine. I have been loosely following as much of the baby whisperer as I could but I would like to start being more routine as money for extra will run out soon! I don't even know were to start. How can someone take care of twins on their own?! I didn't see a twin board but if there is one please let me know. THANK YOU!

[creations]

Hi there
We did used to have a multiples board for twins, triplets and more but it's been put aside due to low numbers of posters there. These days it's better to post in the main boards so that you get some support.  We certainly have mums of twins in the community although perhaps they have less time to post - no surprise there.

I don't have twins myself but my understanding is to try to keep them on basically the same routine.  I've supported on a thread where one twin needed more sleep than the other and it worked out that the higher sleep need twin could be put down first, and got up from nap second.

have you had a chance to read up about EASY and where to start, this thread can help:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=186622.0

there is also this FAQ on twinfants, it was created quite a while back when there were lots of twin-mums active on the forum:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=231503.0
Hope you find it useful.

You can also post your EASY times for me to have a look at.
If you haven't recorded any times yet I would suggest starting with a 3 day observation (this is how Tracy says to begin EASY) jotting down these times accurately:
WU (wake up in the morning)
E (what time they eat)
A (how long awake)
S (the time they fall to sleep up to the time they wake up)
and so on throughout the full day up to
BT (sleep time for the night)
NF (night feeds at what time)
NWs (night waking but not for a feed time and how long)
through to
WU

Where do the twins sleep at the moment?
Have you started any gentle sleep training? How did it go?
Any health issues which could impact routine or sleep training?
Do you have school runs for your older 2 which you need to work around?

Hopefully I can help you a little and perhaps one of the mums of twins will pop by too.

[yjlzelik]

I have been following the EASY routine as much as I can..

(Times are approximate)

WU/E 7 am
A about 2 hours
S 9 am
E 11 am
A 2 hours
... After that it usually gets all over the place because one baby takes a short nap and is hungry sooner or one baby wouldn't settle and didnt sleep properly so is hungry sooner etc.
BT is typically about 7/8 pm but can drag on if one baby won't settle!
NF typically 2 am and 4/5am
I stopped doing a dream feed because it took so long and it didn't seem to help them sleep longer but I ended up going to bed so late!

Twins sleep in their own room with cribs. Sometimes in the family room in a pack n play but really trying to stick to the cribs because they are getting older and more sensitive to noise. Looks like I will loose my baby weight running up and down the stairs!! 
We definitely try to put them down when they are sleepy and not in a deep sleep.. LO1 is an angle baby but she has some torticollis and reflux so when its acting up she is harder to settle. LO2 is more textbook maybe a bit touchy so she takes longer to settle but maybe half the time we manage to get her to sleep without holding her until she is in a deep sleep.
School runs: My 6 year old takes the bus and ideally I would like to pick her up at the bus stop at 4:20 however she can walk home herself. The bus picks her up 4 doors down so she goes herself. My 4 year old has preschool 9-2 with aftercare until 3. He rather be picked up closer to 230 but we can be flexible.

For now my mother is here 4 more weeks and I have a live in for a few months (until we go broke) BUT my husband travels for work M-Th so when I am on my own I have to be able to get the big kids ready for school/dinner bedtime somehow. HELP THANK YOU!

[creations]

The A times are quite long for their age.  The guidance time for 2 months is more like 1hr 15 to 1hr 20.  We go by what LOs need to settle routines in so if they really need 2hrs and sleep well on it then perhaps leave it, but if they are not settling well or short napping it could be that they are already OT by the time you start the wind down.  What do you think?
Here's a link to guidance A times:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=84884.0

If you need to get out for the pre-school run to take 4yo would the twins sleep in the car/sling/stroller?  What 's your plan for that morning nap?  Or what do you do now?  Again for the pre-school pick up, they'll need to get used to however you travel as it's something which can't be changed.
Have you considered using a stroller for sleeps at home so that they get used to it and can be more transportable?  I knew someone whose twins slept all naps in the stroller whether at home or out and about.  She also had two older children (total of 4 under 4) so the stroller naps allowed her to look after the others whether home or not.

Could you start to record the actual EASY times?