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.
Question Being new parents, my wife picked up and read quite a few parenting books, and one mentioned "topping off" around 9 or 10 at night. Since I have been home on paternity leave, I have jumped into a number of the books as well.
My question is this: Everything I have read leads me to believe that waking them up to feed at 9:30 is just interrupting their overnight sleep and we may be doing more harm than good.
the twins are 4 months old and were delivered about 2 weeks early. Our evening schedule has them getting baths, eating, and going to bed between 6:30 and 7:30 PM. We then wake them for a 9:30 feeding. they are now regularly waking at 2:30 (they actually were sleeping through for the first 2 weeks of the last month), and are starting to wake earlier and earlier in the mornings (we were getting up close to 7, now it is more like 5:30).
Answer Hi Neil,
I've always been guided by the principle of "Don't wake sleeping twins!" If one's awake and you want to try to get them both on the same schedule, then maybe... But to wake them both to feed them at 9:30? I wouldn't do it. They might be right in the middle of a good deep sleep, and they're being disturbed. Let them sleep and see how it goes. They're young, so you're still most likely going to have a middle-of-the-night feeding, but let their bodies dictate when that's going to happen and try to coordinate that. But I wouldn't wake them at 9:30.
