I am about to begin some hardcore sleep training with Aiden. (Bryan is doing decent with putting himself to sleep, but he could use some fine tuning too.) I know it's going to be hard for both of us, which is why we've fallen into some pretty bad habits. Aiden rarely falls asleep without me by his side. I read for a half hour or so next to his crib for every nap and at bedtime. By 10:00 at night he's always in bed with me. I want him out of my bed and I need him to learn to fall asleep on his own, even when he wakes up in the middle of the night. I am currently still getting up about 3 times a night to take care of one or both of the boys!
I've read a few books that I got from the library and have put together my own little plan, taking a little bit from different books. The first thing I've worked on for the last week was to eliminate night feedings. Both boys are doing pretty well with this although I usually do give them a small bottle of water around 3:00. I've also moved their bedtime up to 7:30ish. I used to put them to bed at 8:30/9:00ish and have realized that they were way overtired. Now I'm ready to start the hard part. I plan to let Aiden cry for 3-5 minutes, then soothe him, then do it again and again, until he falls asleep. The soothing should be quick, just enough to bring the WAAAAAA down to WAA. I may lengthen the time between soothings depending on how he's doing. I know that for Bryan I need to let him cry for about 15 minutes, but he's not screaming at the top of his lungs. He's doing WAA, not WAAAAAA for those 15 minutes. I plan to work on nights and naps simultaneously.
I'm going to need lots of cheering on this week. Hopefully this won't take much longer than a week!
Please, if you have any great success stories or advice about sleeping, especially with twins, let me know about it!
5 comments:
Oh good old sleep training. *Groan*.
If you've read my blog lately you probably noticed that we've been tackling some sleep training again too now that our kiddos have moved to big beds.
Sleep training with twins is more challenging I think since there are two of them to worry about.
I can imagine you are ready for some sleep! How old are your boys?
It sounds to me like you have a great plan in place already. I have heard that gradually increasing the time before you go back in their room to soothe them will help. Start with 3 minutes, then 5, 10, 15, etc. and eventually you shouldn't have to go in. We let our boys soothe themselves to sleep. We too would have to go in sometimes and comfort them enough to make their loud cries just whimpers, but we would not rock them or hold them to sleep ever unless they were sick.
I'm no pro when it comes to sleep training, but I have been down that twin road before, so if there is anything you need feel free to ask.
Thinking of you and best of luck! You'll get there!
Yes, I will definitely be thinking of you and praying for you!! Does this mean the boys are all better? I hope so. It sounds like it's been pretty rough with all their illnesses. Being sick always messes up schedules and sleeping habits.
I think the book I liked best is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, although I also used a combination of books. With Kyle we did it cold turkey when he was about 6 months - he was always getting up at 1:00 am, so that night we just let him cry and cry...it took about 3 hours before he fell back asleep. Dan went in a few times, but I never did...whenever I would go in, he'd really want to nurse. Luckily we lived at mom's so I slept downstairs where I couldn't hear him. But it worked amazingly! From then on he slept till 5:00 am without waking, and eventually till 7 or 8. I think the key is to be consistent...don't get him/them up one night and then make them cry the next and then switch back the next time. Stick to your plan. I think it really is okay for them to cry, and they will quickly forget it and they'll still love you just as much in the morning when they wake up! When they sleep better, they really will be happier and healthier, as will you. Good luck! i really can't imagine how it is to do it with two babies. I hope Dan will be able to help you with it too! It definitely took support for me to do it since I hate hearing that crying. Call anytime! love ya.
It worked for us. I had to do it when Bryce was away b/c he couldn't handle the crying. I recommend keeping one of the sleep training books by your side while they cry so you can read it to remind yourself that learning to sleep is healthy for them, even if it stinks at first. And load up on the desitin so you don't have to worry about the crying causing a messy diaper and a rash.
It really did work for us. If your mommy gut says they are ready, then I bet they are.
And, now, I find that I am a better mom b/c I can appreciate Kalysta more. I'm now excited for her to wake up and she's in a better mood from more sleep and we all have more fun. I used to dread wake up b/c I was always soooo tired and she was sooo grumpy.
Good luck!!!
I've read all the books, too, because my first was/is a terrible sleeper. I think Healthy Sleep Habits is my favorite, too. Lots of good information. Just keep telling yourself it's for their benefit... you are helping them learn a very important life skill. And, yes, most babies have to learn it. I started to think there was something wrong with mine bc of the stories I heard of babies sleeping through the night from 3 weeks, etc.
I think the thing that worked best for us was having Daddy soothe them, if it's at all possible.
Good Luck!
I'm battling the same thing this week!! I'm trying to find a way to eliminate the middle of the night feeding. I'm cheering for you!!! (and me)
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