Family Forum / Parenting / Twins / September 2004

We have 4mth old b/g twins as well.  They do sleep in the same crib
sometimes.  Other times, we have to separate them.  One will be asleep and
the other will be kicking and playing so the sleeping one gets bothered.
Not ALL the time.  The nice thing is many times they can comfort each other
when we need to do something (cook/bathe/etc)

We have two cribs and have never used but one!

Best of luck to you!!

Allyson
Mommy to Ethan & Emily (4-27-04)
http://photos.yahoo.com/al_la_son
www.geocities.com/al_la_son

The quick answer to this is:  all of the above.  Or perhaps I should say the
"below".  Just the first of many "it depends on your kids", "do what works
for you and your situation" type questions you will face  :-)

Ours shared a crib (sideways, since there were three of them) til they got
too long, c. 5 months.  Then we used two cribs (end-to-end in one, alone in
the other for the longest baby).  By 8 months, they started to disturb each
other with kicking and we had three cribs.  Almost immediately, one took to
singing at 4am and then going happily back to sleep ... but not until 45
minutes of his dawn chorus had reduced the others to screaming pitch.
Separate rooms followed fast.

We kept the two in one room and the one in the other room til they were
about 2.25 -- at which point the solo artist's sleep patterns were still way
different from the others (early to bed, early to rise .... and still so at
7, while the others stay awake later and sleep later).  BUT I felt sorry for
him as the others had someone to chat with, and he did not.  So they went
back in one room, three cribs in a triangel and later three toddler beds
scattered against various walls, followed by three big beds jammed in pretty
tight.  He soon learned to just fall asleep and let them talk.  They learned
to ignore his chatter and play in the mornings.  Thus (luckily) they
contentedly stayed together til our remodel was finished when they were 6.25
and they each got their own room.  No problems arose for *them* but they did
chit chat crazily every night for 4 long years ......

For naps, btw, we had to separate them from about 6 months or they would not
settle at all.  We used pack n plays (one in the spare room, later E's solo
bedroom; one in *our* room -- very inconvenient since I could not get in
there to shower etc. -- but ultimately worth it for the naps I gained).

So as I said ... it depends.  And it can vary week by week or hour by hour.

Since I wanted my $89 cribs to match, I bought all three at the same time,
before birth.  Then we assembled and reassembled them round the house as
needed.  If you don't have plenty of room or don't care about matching ....
you could just get one and see how you go.  It is *possible* they will
disturb each other from day one ... but more likely you will get at least a
few weeks - months before some form of separation is needed.

--Janet
Elliot, Hanna, Connor  (10/21/96)
and Holly  (4/4/01)

Well, we got two cribs right off, since we got 10% off at Babies 'R Us
for buying two. When our twins first got home from the NICU, we put
them in the same crib until they started moving around. Cassie got
tangled in the wires from Olivia's apnea monitor, and that was the end
of that!

Now, at 16 months, they each have their own crib in the same room, and
they sleep in their cribs at night. For naps, though, we can't put
them in the same room. One sleeps in her crib in their room and the
other in a Pack N Play in our room. They just won't nap together.

Good luck and congratulations!

--
Paula
Mom to Olivia and Cassie (b. 4/8/03 @ 26 weeks)
^Grace^ (b. 5/16/02 d. 5/17/02) and ^Adam^ (b/d. 5/17/02)

Welcome Stacey!

Congrats on you upcoming wonderful event.  Yes, almost everyone puts the
twins together for a while, in our case it was about 4-5 months until the
one or the other tried to wake up their twin, moving around a lot, etc.
Ironically my twins still sleep in the same room, bunk beds but they don't
want to separate yet.  They have their own "rooms" but they feel more
comfortable sleeping with another person in the room.  I figure they will
let me know when they are ready for the "big event."  Secondly, Chris had an
interesting take on sleeping.  When he was a lot younger and they slept in a
full size bed together, he said "mom I don't like to sleep alone, I'm not
touching anyone."  We have no clue if the twin feels comfort by touch during
the night or not.  He still surrounds himself with a ton of stuffed animals
whereas his twin sister doesn't.  Each child will be different even though
they are twins (obviously).

Anyhow, it what works here.

Good luck

Shirley
Chris and Kathleen 1/95

Our kids slept in their own bassinets for about 2 months until they
outgrew them.  Then, we moved them to separate cribs in the same room.
At 3 months, they each got their own room.  It all worked out just
fine for us.
--
-Seth Jackson, proud father of Derek and Mariel(10/1/99). Pictures at:
     http://hitmeister.home.mindspring.com/familypictures.html

Music links: www.mp3.com/SethJackson
              www.mp3.com/loudspeaker
              www.SethJackson.net

For us, Abigail and Jonathan slept in the same crib for the first 3 months
until they started to roll over on each other.

From then on they have been in separate rooms ( except for vacations, then
we are generally ALL in the same room)

Jack

Abigail and Jonathan  9-10-02

My babies have slept in the same pac n play since we brought them
home. We own 2 cribs but the babies have not even slept in them and
they are 5 mo old. They were preemies and it worked well for them to
be in a pac n play in our room. Their room is upstairs as we live in a
duplex. However, we may now have to move them since our son, Kole is
getting too long to be in the pac n play. Plus they are starting to
roll on eachother when one is awke and the other is not. I actually
wonder how they will do in seperate beds. At first I thought my son
would be glad because he sleeps and goes to sleep immediately when you
put him to bed. He usually sleeps through his sisters tossing and
turning. McKynleigh lays on his arm or his back. He is just *used* to
her. I figured he might enjoy his own space. However, dh thinks he may
be so *used* to his sister that he won't be able to sleep with out
her. Kinda like the too quit theory. His sister usually hums them to
sleep. Well hums him to sleep and hums herself a diddy while she
wiggles abt.

So I think my answer is two cribs will eventually be nice, however,
not sure when eventually will be. We bought the stages cribs so it was
worth our money b/c it turns into toddler bed and then some other
things and eventually a full size bed.

I think what others have written that it will depend on the babies is
correct. Good luck with whatever decision you make :)

I agree with what everyone here has been saying.  But of course I have to
add in my two cents.

I have triplets, and after they came home we had them all sleeping in the
same pack n play in our room.  My mom was here helping out and slept in the
spare bedroom with a crib and after about 2 months she started taking one
with her and putting the baby in the crib. (My son Ben had problems with his
nose clogging, so it was suggested we lower the crib matress on one end to
keep his head up.  So he usually slept in the crib.)  After my mom left (at
4 months) we put all three babies in the crib.  This lasted about 2 weeks.
They started scooting around in their sleep and disrupted the other two.  So
I ended up setting up another crib and put 2 and 1. I think they were about
6 months old when I separated them into individual cribs.

A lot of the literature I read said that it was beneficial for multiples to
share sleeping quarters.  They are used to being with each other, always
have been.  They comfort each other when needed, and help maintain body
temperatures.  Plus, if you live in a 2 bedroom apartment like we do, it
saves on space.  Thank the Lord that we have large bedrooms or we wouldn't
be able to fit all three cribs in there along with their changing table and
dresser.

I'm ready to move one of my kids into a separate room because he is very
noisy at night.  We just don't have anywhere for him to go unless we put him
downstairs in the living room (not something I am comfortable with.

Gayle
mom to bbg (9/24/03)