As you might imagine, twin baby care isn't easy. And that makes it tough to get enough sleep. (Or even to pee!) Researchers from Case Western Reserve found that moms of twins slept only 6.2 hours a night during the first months. And it was even worse for their husbands who clocked in a measly 5.8 hours in an entire day.

Sleep Tips for Twin Babies

If you have twins–or more–here’s how to boost your babies’ sleep…and yours:

  1. Use swaddling and white noise for all sleeping and fussy periods.
  2. Put your babies on a flexible schedule.
  3. Use the wake-and-sleep technique to help your babies learn to self-soothe.
  4. After you feed one baby, wake the other to eat, too.
  5. Nap when you can!
  6. Ask for help! family, friends, and babysitters can give you little breaks…so you don’t break.
  7. Get your babies–and all caregivers and family members–immunized.
  8. Use a smart sleeper.

        Note: If you have babies sleep in the same crib, make sure they’re properly swaddled… and don’t do it past the first month. A British study videotaping sixty pairs of sleeping twins from newborn to five months found that twins sleeping side by side occasionally covered each other’s face with a free arm! This caused mild breathing problems (lowered oxygen) and required the affected twin to awaken and turn her head or push her sibling’s arm away. (Obviously, they weren’t swaddled.)

        About Dr. Harvey Karp

        Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr. Karp vaulted to global prominence with the release of the bestselling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block. His celebrated books and videos have since become standard pediatric practice, translated into more than 20 languages and have helped millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s landmark methods, including the 5 S’s for soothing babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their children and relieve stressful issues, like new-parent exhaustion, infant crying, and toddler tantrums.

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        Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.