Sleeping at a stretch...By Shabina Welde
Dear mothers,
Some tips for you – hope they help…I’ve practised and been successful at them. So you can consider them tried-and-true!
Babies this age are sleeping about 2-3 hours in the daytime, and around ten to twelve hours at night. Sleep is crucial to their development and your sanity! The key, from my experience, ami, is to set down a fixed consistent nap schedule during the day. That will definitely go a long way in stopping the frequent wakings at night.
THE NIGHTLY BEDTIME RITUAL
Do you and your babies have a fixed time every night, where you follow a nightly bedtime ritual? Try giving them a warm, relaxing tub bath, reading a bedtime story, and singing a lullaby to them. It doesn’t matter what you do. Just be sure to do the same routine every night, night after night. Children derive great security from familiar things, and that security will help them sleep better.
DAYTIME ROUTINE
Please ensure that your baby’s daily schedule is very, very consistent. That may be inconvenient to you, but it’s very reassuring for your baby. With twins, I was always paranoid about their feed times, nap times, durations, etc. Till date, they go to bed at sharp 9 pm, followed by 3-4 stories, a short prayer and then, lights out. By 9.30 pm they’re in dreamland!
LET THEM DROP OFF ON THEIR OWN!
Easier said than done! Mine are almost two, and still don’t fall asleep on their own. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try to give your children plenty of chances to fall asleep on their own.
Sleep schedules depend on your babies’ weights, not their age. Most twins have to weigh 10 pounds or more before they sleep through the night. Experts say that identical twins tend to sleep through at almost identical ages. Fraternal twins’ sleep patterns may be more independent, especially if they’re very different in size or temperament. Here’s what I did to retain my sanity – If one baby cried to be fed in the night, I fed him, then woke the other baby and fed him, too. This way, I regulated their waking times, too!
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