AboutSusan M. Heim Expertise As the author of two books on raising twins and multiples, as well as a mother of four -- including two teenagers and preschool-aged twins -- I am qualified to answer any questions relating to the raising of twins and multiples, from birth through the teen years.
Experience I am the author of "It's Twins! Parent-to-Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence" and "Twice the Love: Stories of Inspiration for Families with Twins, Multiples and Singletons." I write a regular column for Mommies Magazine called "Loving and Living with Twins and Multiples." I also write a blog called "Susan Heim on Parenting." I've published articles in TWINS Magazine, as well as many other publications. I'm also the mother of twins and two other children.
Organizations National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs; Florida Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs; National Association of Women Writers; Southeastern Writers Association; Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN)
Education/Credentials I have a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
Awards and Honors My book, "Oh, Baby! 7 Ways a Baby Will Change Your Life the First Year" is a winner of the 2006 Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award, the only award program to ever be honored by Disney.com, as well as the winner of a 2007 iParenting Media Award.
Expert: Susan M. Heim Date: 7/13/2008 Subject: Almost 4 month old twins and daytime schedule
Question Hello
I have twins that are a week shy of 4 months old. They have been sleeping 10-12 hours at night since they were about 3 months old. I have been following a feeding schedule (formula fed) since we first brought them home...3-4 hours. They adapted well. I am now trying to stick with a schedule for the day time since they are approaching 4 months of age. Here is my schedule now and the troubles I have:
They wake at 5amish and talk for a bit and fall back to sleep.
Between 6-7 am, usually 6:30, they wake and have a bottle in the nursery. After an hour or so they go back down for an hour nap. From there on out during the day I feed them at 9:30 (often they do not seem hungry but they are close to nap time so I feel I need to feed them) 1:30 and 5:30. Bedtime at 6. My problems are:
I would like to follow the sleep, eat, play routine but it does not seem to work as their scheduled feeding time isn't when they wake.
They hit a wall about 1 hour after they get up from the 3rd nap of the day (1st 7:30-8:30amish/10-12:30ish/2-3ish)and I can't seem to make it to the 5:30 feeding time with everyone being happy. They only seem to last for 1 to 1.5 hours happily.
I can't seem to get a nap schedule to fit the feeding schedule and I am not sure which one to adjust. When I adjusted the 10am feeding to 9:30....they do not seem as hungry. I can't really adjust the nap time because they get cranky and overly tired and then it is hard for them to settle and sleep. They fall asleep on their own wonderfully if I acknowledge the cues and get them in their cribs. SO my ultimate question is how do I and is it best at this age to establish a set routine with naps? Should I encourage them to stay up for 2 hours? Should I get them up and start the day when they way at 6amish? Should I try to make bed time later then 6pm and add a 4th nap to the day for now?? Should I feed them at 5pm and get them up at a set time each morning?? When we put them down at 6pm they do not seem like they want to get up anytime soon so I am not even sure if a later bedtime would work. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Thank you!!
Answer Hi Jude,
Wow, you have some terrific little sleepers there! The fact that your twins will sleep 10-12 hours a night at their age is something that many parents of twins envy, so you've definitely been doing something right. With that in mind, if they respond well to the 6 PM bedtime and don't give you any problems going to sleep, I wouldn't change it for now. Your twins will soon be getting to an age when they'll need less sleep, and I think it's better to encourage them to continue with a longer sleep period at night rather than adding on a nap time, which will encourage them to sleep during shorter periods, and makes it more difficult for you. Also, I wouldn't be too concerned about their fussiness between 3-5:30 or so. This is peak time for all babies to be fussy. For some reason, this is when all their little frustrations seem to reach their peak, and many babies are grouchy during this time. It doesn't necessarily mean they need to eat sooner. Sometimes they just need a little more cuddling or even just some crying time. This is normal. In addition, I don't think you necessarily have to be too rigid about the "sleep, eat, play" routine. Some people (including me!) just aren't that hungry when they first wake up. They need time to adapt to their surroundings and fully wake before they're hungry. So, you can be a little flexible about feeding them between naps. Perhaps a little play, then food, then a little play again before the next nap is what they'd prefer. If the nap times are working well, keep them the same, but experiment a bit with the play/feeding times. Don't be surprised if adjusting your schedule becomes a habit every few months or so. Babies' needs for sleep and food change quite often. Just when you think you have a great schedule, they decide they don't like it and it's time to try something different. (Or they start teething or get a cold, and that throws everything out of whack.) But it sounds like you are doing a beautiful job with your babies and have discovered that they respond fairly well to routine. I wish you all the best!
