Sleeping arrangements for your twins?

[taryn]

What were your sleeping arrangements for your multiple babies when they were newborns?

How old are they now, and what are their current sleeping arrangements?




Just curious. We are trying to decide if it's best to purchase two cribs right away, or just one and wait on the second crib.

I am coming to a logical conclusion that they'll sleep better if they are together, at least at first. I mean, they have been in such close proximity to each other for so long, I'd think them used to it and even comforted by each other's presence after birth. But who knows, I could be wrong. I am just wondering what worked/works best for you and them?

[Sheryl]

When we first brought home the girls, I had 2 in one bigger cradle and 1 in a smaller bassinet all in my room. When they outgrew that we put together 1 of the cribs and put 2 in the crib sideways and 1 in the cradle. We may have put all 3 in the crib too at first but I can't remember for sure anymore. Once htey started to move too much and disturb the other(s) then we moved them to their room in their own cribs. If I remember correctly I'm guessing that was about 7 1/2 months old. My girls were 8 weeks premature so they were behind devolopmentally and didn't roll "on time", so that may of helped them stay together longer because they couldn't roll on top of the other. Although they were always touching each other with their arms and scratching each other with their nails at least they couldn't roll on top of the other.

So my answer is yes you should be able to get away with only having 1 crib for a while.

[KD]

What were your sleeping arrangements for your multiple babies when they were newborns? together in an arms reach cosleeper, then together in a crib next to our bed. Then at about 6mths we moved them into their shared room, and soon after seperated them into seperate cribs

How old are they now, and what are their current sleeping arrangements? Toddler beds in a shared room


We bought one crib when I was pregnant, the second just before we needed it.

[hpy2bamom]

they sleep together, still do at almost 6yo. We only had one crib but did buy 2 toddler and two twin beds.

[Libby]

I kept my girls in the same crib (when they would sleep in a crib!) until they really started moving around. Then I moved them to their own cribs. When they were 2, I moved them to toddler beds because Talia was coming & I didn't want them to be upset that they were being kicked out of their cribs. They stayed in the same room. They all sleep right nowin the same room. Talia insists her toddler bed be in the middle of the girls so I look like I am running an orphanage with all the beds in a row!

[hedra]

We cosleep, so we just bought a second queen sized bed. As infants, they slept next to each other in 'snuggle nest' beds on the bed (which is built-in, and has padded headboards on three sides, no entrapment or falling risk). Then, they slept either head to head (less bapping each other), or toe to toe (less head-bonking during those pushing/crawling stages). When they were old enough to come to me to nurse on their own, they ended up one on either side of me, though they switch sides periodically.

Now, they're 2 1/2, and Mei sleeps next to me, and Ro sleeps next to DH. Her preference. She comes back in the morning to nurse, but goes down without nursing and sleeps all night. Mei still gets refluxy at times, and nurses at night when that happens, and prefers to nurse before bed (though usually not all the way down anymore).

Since I knew I'd likely night nurse for a while, and I *hate* getting up at night to go somewhere else to nurse, cosleeping was the logical choice. BTDT on the getting up, and I sleep much better with them nearby, personally. :shrug: Then again, Gabe was not a happy cosleeper, so ... whatever works!

In general, it seems most kids do pretty well near each other to start, and then start demanding or needing more room as they get older. When, exactly, will depend on your kids. Some twins I know still sleep in the same twin or double bed together in grade school, even though they have their own beds. I can definitely see that, since my 5-year-old would rather share a bed with his big brother or us than sleep on his own. He LOOOOOOVES to cuddle to sleep, total snuggler. Mei likes to sleep 'away' from everyone most of the time - cuddles before bed, but then rolls to a spot with some distance from me to fall asleep. So she'll probably be happier in her own bed sooner than Ro, who prefers to cuddle all night (and is a remarkably easy bedmate - she JUST sleeps, doesn't wiggle, kick, or roll around like Bren did).

Oh, and I will say that there will be stages where they don't seem to sleep well together, one wakes the other, etc. But we also have no other room in the house for these two (we'll be putting on an addition, but right now, there are only two bedrooms, and the other one is tiny and has the boys bunks in it), so we had to just deal - and they got past every stage in a week or two. So don't despair or panic if they seem to not be making it easy on each other for a little while now and then - they adapt!