Comments on: Sleep Rules That Saved Us

By: Beijing Mom

Beijing Mom — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 11:43:50 +0000

Hi, I have four month-old fraternal twins, and I’ve got a question about your no-intervention sleep policy. How old were your kids when you started it, and sleep training in general?

We have a consistent bedtime for our babies (7pm), and they get up anytime between 6 and 730am, depending on when they’ve had their last feeding. They still get up usually twice in the night to eat – sometime around midnight, and then again at 4 or 5. It’s brutal.

We’re working on feeding them more at night, to push their sleep times longer. Two nights ago we gave them each six ounces at 630pm, and they made it to 130 am, at which point we gave them another six ounces, and they made it to about 6am. But we weren’t so lucky last night – they woke up around midnight, and then again at 4.

We also rock them to sleep. Twice this past week we laid them down sleepy but awake, and they cried/screamed for 25 minutes before I hit my wall and went in to comfort them. Should I have just let them keep crying? Are they really ready for that?

I’m basically just not sure at what age and size babies are ready for what. I’ve got Weissbluth’s book, which suggests they should be able to learn to self-soothe by now, but I’m having trouble believing it in my gut when I hear their pitiful little cries.

Thanks!

By: Sleep Interrupted « reanbean

Sleep Interrupted « reanbean — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:54:02 +0000

[...] rolled over towards T, and we both agreed that I should break our no intervention policy and go to her. When I got to the kids’ room, Tiny was standing up in her crib, and she [...]

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:34:50 +0000

When my twins were babies we also had a set schedule. Drove all our extended family crazy, to have to work around our schedule Our day worked like clockwork. They started sleeping great at night about 6-7 mos of age, after a small period of crying in the middle of the night…mostly by just one of them. The funny thing is that when our youngest was born I thought I would put him on a similar schedule and do things the same way. He does have a set naptime and bedtime, but he WILL NOT go to sleep by himself so he is our spoiled little baby that gets rocked to sleep every night I then realized that we didn’t do that with the twins because it would have been a physical impossibility! We really didn’t have a choice. It did work though!
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Finding Contentment in a Facebook World =-.

By: bassinet

bassinet — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:27:00 +0000

I agree that having a routine that is consistent is about the best advice one could give to a new parent. Humans are creatures of habit and as much as some of us don’t want to admit it we need a routine. It suits the body and mind because it creates less daily stress.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:54:34 +0000

Reanbean, I am SOOO with you. Those are our rules exactly. And it WORKS. .-= Rachel´s last blog ..It's Kind Of A Big Deal =-.

By: reanbean

reanbean — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:40:33 +0000

@Liz- When daylight saving time ended this fall, my son was waking up close to an hour early every day for almost a week. He would call for me and kick the bars of his crib, but he didn’t cry. I stuck to our rule and didn’t go in until 6:30am. (His sister slept through it all just 2 feet away!)

I like Sadia’s idea of having a cloth book in the crib. I know of others who have small blankets or stuffed animals in their kids’ cribs for the same reason.
.-= reanbean´s last blog ..Snowed In =-.

By: Sadia

Sadia — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:37:16 +0000

Liz – I used to put a cloth book in the girls’ cribs so they had something to do it they woke early. They understood that they were not to wake sister until a parent came from them. This was also consistent with nap time at daycare; any children who can’t sleep are asked to “read” books quietly while the others nap.
.-= Sadia´s last blog ..Overheard 26 =-.

By: Sadia

Sadia — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:35:41 +0000

We had the same rules until my daughters were two. Even though we lightened up on the strictness, the girls were so accustomed to bedtime being a no-nonsense affair, they've continued to be really easy to get to sleep. Their great uncle was astonished last week when they voluntarily went to bed in the middle of a birthday party for our 16-year-old cousin, but by making bedtime low-stress and consistent, we've been fortunate to make it something the girls look forward to and recognize the importance of. .-= Sadia´s last blog ..Overheard 26 =-.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:31:04 +0000

Perfect timing! My 21 month old g (of b/g) just started waking earlier than normal. Normally wakes around 7am – started last last week at 6:30am, today was 5:45am. I went to her today and I could tell she wasn’t ready to get up. But did not want back in the crib. I must break this habit now. Do I allow her to cry and cry out for mama?

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:26:51 +0000

I am lucky gal with a twin brother. My Mom said that I was a wonderful sleeper and napper but my brother wasn’t. I can only imagine what it would be like to have twins and struggling with sleep issues. I thought I was going crazy with just one when my son came along 3 years ago. Finally, in desperation after seeking advice from books, the internet, family, friends, doctors (basically anyone that would listen to me), I hired a sleep consultant. It made such a profound impact on me that after the birth of my second child, I left a successful career to help others get the gift of a good night’s sleep. I have been personally trained by the best and can help with singlets and multiples.
Routines,schedules and comforting your children as they learn this important new skill is all part of the Sleepsense TM program. For a FREE no obligation 15 minute telephone consultation, just give me a call at 250-575-6988.
Warmest regards and sleep well,
Pam