By: Erin Junker, Pediatric Sleep Consultant
Baby sleep can be daunting even when dealing with a singleton, but add a baby or two
and you’ve got a recipe for sleepless parents on your hands! Here are my three tips for
managing multiples’ sleep, to get the whole family healthy rest:
Tip # 1: Give your babies some space – If your babies are sharing a room (which is often
the case with twins!), I suggest providing as much space as you can between their cribs.
Rather than having the cribs side-by-side or end-to-end, place them on opposite sides of
the room. Not only does this give you a better chance of avoiding them waking each
other in the night, but it also deters “games” like pulling each other back and forth
between cribs as they get older and can reach over the rails! (We’ve seen the YouTube
videos – it happens!)
Tip # 2: Use a sound machine – placing a sound machine in the middle of the room
between your babies’ cribs can help to reduce noises they may be making in their sleep
that could cause their sibling to wake when they would have otherwise continued to
snooze. I recommend using a “white noise” or “rain” setting, and having the sound
machine 5-10 feet from your babies’ cribs, and on continuously through the nap and
night (not on a timer).
Tip # 3: Do not let one sleep more than 30 minutes past the other – this is a big one! In
order to help your multiples get on a similar schedule (which can also be very helpful for
Moms and Dads and give you some more YOU time!), don’t let one sleep more than 30
minutes beyond the other. Then, put them down for their next sleep at the same time.
Don’t worry, the one who you woke later will still be tired enough for the next
sleep-time – remember, you had to wake them up! They were tired and will be ready for
another sleep when their sibling’s next snooze arrives.
Erin Junker is a Professional Infant & Toddler Sleep Consultant, and owner of The Happy Sleep Company, working closely with tired parents to help them help their little ones get the healthy, restful sleep they need. Follow The Happy Sleep Company on Instagram and Facebook - let’s get your family the healthy, happy sleep you deserve!
