Check out these fibery FO goodies:
Otis thought his days in the fiber model biz were numbered until his agent was dumb enough to use a dk yarn to knit a raglan sweater for her son when he’s like 18. But, you ask, isn’t Otis always up for a good sock modeling shoot and why isn’t he modeling those fab Swagalicious socks made with Scout’s handpainted sock yarn and gifted by Kelli? Because Otis has been pulling some looooong hours and those late nights start to wear on a model’s face – this pic was taken of Otis after a night of no sleep:
People, I can’t use this shot- how is it possible for a dog model to get bags under his eyes? Has Otis been out on some all night bender kicking it with his bitches? Nope, I’ll give you two guesses what could be the culprit behind those bags and the astounding amount of knitting that is going down over here:
Exhibit A – Shown here in the wee hours of the ‘morn:
And here is Exhibit B – also looking none to sleepy-eyed:
We have tried swaddling, feeding, driving, walking, carrying, changing, pacifiers and more pacifiers, bouncies and swingies and white noise and no noise and…well, you get the idea….
Even Otis has attempted to have a sit-down (on this lovely handknit blanket as gifted by Kathy) to negotiate a truce to no avail:
Here is what I’m asking readers – it’s my blogiversay on December 31st and as a way to both celebrate and give fiber gifts as well as for me to get the ultimate gift – SLEEP – I am asking you to leave a comment on this post (creativity wins points) of how or what I can do to get these guys to sleep, preferably at night, at the same time, and for more than an hour at a time. I will take entries until January 4 at 11:00pm EST.
83 Comments
December 28, 2006 at 3:06 am
Glad the boys like the blanket.
I have no human children, so I’m afraid my idea isn’t very child friendly: a shot of whiskey spiked with Benadryl. That should knock ‘em out!
You could always try bribing them with a promise of a car when they turn 16…
December 28, 2006 at 4:41 am
One word. Grandparents. Or close friends to hold & feed & cuddle & generally make babies content while you sleep. Worked with my new grand-daughter; we got ‘custody’ during the day while the new mom & dad slept. Wonderful for all concerned! (you can see the cutest baby girl at http://www.yarn-tails2.blogspot.com). Or a shot of whiskey mixed in with the baby bottle. My mother used scotch. (it was a long time ago. she had 8 kids. it worked.)
December 28, 2006 at 7:24 am
Damn, Kathy took the exact words right out of my mouth! I’m not one to give advice; I only had one and I used to lay down with her on my chest to sleep all the time. Big mistake – ended up with her in our bed until she was 9 years old! I think it’d get pretty crowed with all of you in the bed
December 28, 2006 at 8:24 am
Yesterday I was watching the news and there was a report about a program at a hospital or clinic where they used simple techniques to train babies to sleep through the night so new mommies could get more sleep. They didn’t go into detail as to what these techniques were, though.
December 28, 2006 at 9:26 am
Um, my only baby experience is with my niece, who isn’t a very good napper, but does sleep through the night. One trick that daycare suggested for getting her to nap was swaddling her and then strapping her into one of those little automatic swings and cranking it up to the fastest swing speed. Puts her out every time, even when she’s fighting it.
December 28, 2006 at 9:46 am
Have a drink and then breastfeed. LOL
Seriously, though, I think the idea of another caregiver is the most practical. Do you have someone who can come over and watch babies while you sleep? Wish I lived closer!
December 28, 2006 at 10:00 am
hmmm after four children (one who gave us 15 months straight of no sleep..) I have to say they are all different.
But when working in daycare we got all the babies to sleep at the same-ish time.. routine.. we fed em changed em, and wrapped em up and patted their little backs/bellies/bums.. with some quiet music. using the same music each time it then triggers sleep.. I know that singing Danny Boy was my sleepless son’s trigger.. it was the only thing that worked..routine routine routine!
December 28, 2006 at 10:14 am
Baby Benadryl?
December 28, 2006 at 10:19 am
Step 1. Procure 2 Snuglis. Yes, I realize they don’t really make Snugli’s made for twins however proceed to Step 2 regardless.
Step 2. Put one Snugli on your back and one Snugli on your chest.
Step 3. Insert said insomniac infants in one Snugli each (You can enlist the hub’s help on this or consider it a strange form of Hatha Yoga stretching that far back to insert a few pounds of baby on your back).
Step 4. Procure a Ricky Martin CD (be sure said CD includes the song “Shake Your Bon Bon.”)
Step 5. Crank said Ricky Martin song “Shake Your Bon Bon” up to 11 on the volume dial.
Step 6. Follow the words of our beloved Puerto Rican crooner and shake said bon bon.
Step 7. Repeat as necessary for maximum sleep relief.
The rythmic gyrating of your bon bon while strapped to you in addition to the driving Latin beat will of course lull your little kiddies to sleep.
Or in the alternative, the dancing and sweating will exhaust you to the point where you drop into a blissful golden slumber, leaving the hubster to deal with said insomniac infants.
December 28, 2006 at 10:21 am
They’ll sleep better once they hit about 12 lbs. Until then they just don’t have the resources to draw on. My son was in ICU and had a difficult time transitioning to home.
With my twins I used the baby swings a lot. My son would fall asleep every time. His sister, well not so much. However she couldn’t resist a stroller ride. The fresh air knocked them out and I would wheel the stroller right into the house and leave them sleeping.
My best resource was grandparents. Now that I’m a grandparent I can assure you that we love holding and caring for our grandchildren. We have plenty of time and patience to hold, rock, sing, talk in silly voices, and …. my favorite ….. hog the baby.
December 28, 2006 at 10:35 am
We used to put our kids in their car seats and then put them on top of the dryer and turn it on.
December 28, 2006 at 10:39 am
This is just what worked for me with my singlet: a nighttime bath followed by nursing, then into the arms of dad to be put down. I don’t know if the whole family will fit in your tub but my baby really seems to get relaxed when we give her a bath. She hated it at first. Then, we abandoned the baby bath thing and just got in with her. Easy access to food, warm water, good things.
December 28, 2006 at 10:51 am
You might as well call off the contest because I win.
Go to Radio Shack.
http://i13.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/80/20/7aa6_1_b.JPG
Buy two of them. Best money ever spent. Both of my kids, (almost 8 & 5 years old) have had them forever. We put them in their beds, turn on the rain sound, and they are OUT.
And the socks look great! Don’t start anything else because I have the next skein done and ready to mail out TODAY!
xo
December 28, 2006 at 11:17 am
Well, I haven’t told many people this, but when the twins were very young and I was very tired (every night right! Who am I kidding I’m still tired. They shouldn’t have more energy than you!) I would wrap them individually in a baby burrito, put them each on one shoulder and lay down and we would sleep until one of them woke up. Typing this I know how crazy it sounds, but it worked for a couple hours. Another thing I did was wrap them together in a blanket and put them in one crib. They slept in one crib until they could roll around. I figured that’s what they were most used to eachother. Even at 7 they have bunk beds, but they still want to sleep with eachother. Not because they are so alike and are such great friends. We say the only thing they have in common is their birthday. They don’t look alike nor do they have the same interests. I think they just find comfort in the other one being there. It’s all they have ever known! Good luck. You will find your own “tricks”. And one night you’ll sleep 5 hours in a row and you’ll have hit the jack pot!!!
December 28, 2006 at 12:25 pm
here is my seasoned advice…
A nice thick european beer, or tall glass of shiraz and a nursing….
then you bathe them, get them all snuggled into some warm jammies, wrap them up like little dutchican burritos, and put them in slings (www.mayawrap.com)…. you can wear 2 slings at once, and being close to your heartbeat (or even better hubby’s while you sleep) will soothe them like nothing else…. It could take some time to get past this because they are preemies and they need to eat more frequently… Hang in there Kristi and Noel!! This too shall pass….
btw….there is something soft and pink on my blog today
December 28, 2006 at 12:58 pm
with my first babe, i was young and dumb(that’s how i got him!), but i thought he had to be asleep to go to bed. therefore, we spent many a night with johnny carson and david leno, back before cable and the tv would sign off at 2:00 a.m. he wasn’t fussy, just wide awake. eventually this passed, and i got a new model a couple of years later. by then i was older and less tolerant, so into bed he would go awake or not. guess what? he learned to go to sleep all by himself! hope this helps your perspective a little, enjoy it while you can.
December 28, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Well I’m gonna have to put some thought into this. Poor Otis, he looks so sleepy. And that last picture is such a hoot! It looks like he’s having a very serious discussion with the bambino.
December 28, 2006 at 1:53 pm
I wish I lived closer to you because I would come over and do the nighttimes for you. Being perimenopausal(is that spelled right?), I have insomnia like you wouldn’t believe!! I have been known to stay up until 5 a.m. and then sleep just about an hour before I need to get my kids up for school!! My suggestion is to find a woman in this wonderful time of womanhood to help you out. Maybe a google search for insomniacs who have parenting experience!! My husbands sales assistant had twins in August and I went over there and did a 15 hour shift when they were 10 days old. I loved every minute of it. You have to see the sliver lining during this menopause crap!!
December 28, 2006 at 2:57 pm
If you are breast-feeding these little guys, have a glass of wine 2 hours before their final feeding. Then have a glass of wine directly after. The wine before is for all 3 of you, the wine after is strictly for you.
If you’re not breast-feeding, how about a shot of Baileys in with their final bottle of formula?
Not helping? Not so funny?
Okay, I used to rock my baby brother in a rocking chair when he would wake me up fussing (his crib was in my room). And my SIL take her son for a drive to get him to sleep.
If all else fails, I suggest some serious soundproofing, a solid door, a bottle of wine, and a healthy dose of feline logic…ignore ignore ignore.
Yeah, still not much help, but that works when the dogs are restless and whiney.
December 28, 2006 at 4:34 pm
My son had to be held to sleep for any length of time during the first four or five months. I’d lay in bed and nurse him until we fell asleep. If it was during the day, I’d put him in a baby bjorn and carry him around. By five months, he was sleeping in his own bed at night without much trouble. It took a few months more to get him to sleep in the crib during the day.
December 28, 2006 at 5:06 pm
I’m recommending a 15 minute drive in the car and a quick switch to the bed; it should buy you SOME time. The other thing I liked was a bear that you could turn on; it made a heartbeat sound. Bliss! Good luck!
December 28, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Oh you have my complete sympathy.
My twins are now 11 and my third child is 7, but I can still remember the desperation I felt at night over sleep. I think you’re a very wise person to set your sights at the achieveable goal of getting your two to sleep at the same time for at least several hours at a time. I did this by having them sleep in the same bed as my husband and I, and nursing them back to sleep when they woke up, a process you can do almost in your sleep. If my boys both woke up at the same time, my husband tended to one with a bottle while I tended to the other with a breast. Although nursing in bed is the least sleep disturbing way to attend to young, wakeful babies, it’s important to know that if you go this route, you’ll be doing it for quite some time. (By the way, if you’re not nursing, a bottle by the bedside also works.)
But equally important is that you allow someone else to be on night duty at least one night a week, if not more. It’s very important that you do some sleep catch up. If you arrange for that every few nights, or once a week, you’ll find your days of being on night duty far less awful and stressful.
December 28, 2006 at 8:53 pm
Disney movies. They put me to sleep everytime! Have you tried to negotiate a car for each when they hit 16 years of age?
Hope you get the sleep you need, and soon. I would like to say I remember those days, but I was the night owl!
December 28, 2006 at 9:32 pm
OK, two suggestions. Set the babes in their carriers on the dryer and set it to running. I have it on good authority (a father of SIX) that this works.
My other suggestion will just make your pediatrician have a cow, but it has worked for all three of my boys, and only the youngest took more than 2 weeks to learn to sleep through the night (11pm to 6am was “through the night” for me). Go buy some rice cereal, and then mix it up really thin with their formula and feed it to them only with their bedtime bottle. Now really thin will still be too chunky to go through a conventional nipple, so you will have to enlarge a couple of nipples to accomodate this thin gruel (a yarn needle should work well). Like I said, your pediatrician will just have a fit, so don’t tell him/her. They will give you some crap about causing the kids to develop food allergies. Bull!! my boys are 20, 16 and 9 and no food allergies in the bunch! Try it. It might bring you and hubby untold peace of mind.
December 28, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Alyson listed my idea – the dryer. Something about the noise, the warmth, and the smell seems to work well. We put the bouncy seat on top of the dryer and secured it with a tie-down!!
December 28, 2006 at 10:34 pm
My youngest, now 17, was a very colic baby. 24/7. My relief came with a swing , warmed blanket from the dryer and a “rolling sea CD”. They now make Mood DVDs with sight & sound (I saw them today in Bed, Bath & Beyond). But when I just couldn’t hold her anymore and there was no one around, I used the swing and the sound of the waves CD. I guess it simulated the sloshing of still being in utero. All I know is that it worked. Thank God. Good luck girl. Thank goodness for the “red babysitter”.
December 28, 2006 at 11:14 pm
You tell me how to get my teenagers to go to bed, and I’ll tell you how to get the babies to sleep. LOL! We co-slept, and I nursed, so my babies just slept well. It’s now that they never want to sleep!
Gosh, your boys are so cute! Love the we’ve gotta talk photo. Aww.
December 28, 2006 at 11:50 pm
I have to recommend my favorite lullaby CD, i used to use it when i taught preschool…nap time, ya know.
I still have it loaded on my iPod and i have NO children of my own. Heehee, it’s for ME!!
“Sleep, Baby, Sleep” by Nicolette Larson. It is amazing. They should be out by track #4.
http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Baby-Nicolette-Larson/dp/B0000029FT/sr=1-1/qid=1167364081/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6181088-3783909?ie=UTF8&s=music
Good Luck!
~Suz~
December 29, 2006 at 1:09 am
When my girls first came home, we all sacked out together on the futon. It was the only way we could all get a little simultaneous sleep. I hope that you find something that works for you; the first couple of months can seem neverending. Enlist any help you can!
December 29, 2006 at 11:43 am
Well, you already got some of the ideas I had…mostly about breastfeeding in bed with one on a breast. I like the burrito over the shoulder idea! There is a story in our family about my cranky aunt who was a cranky baby. Left in the care of Uncle Jack. Family comes home, baby calm and quiet. White hankies all over. He’d given her sugar tits says mom. SUGAR TITS? WHAT? says I. Hankies with a spoonful of sugar, dipped in a bit of whiskey. Not exactly recommended any longer! The thing that calmed my cranky son (though this wasn’t necessarily a sleep inducer) was a dance move called step pause pat grunt, from some book on calming cranky babies. Hold that baby firmly (or both babies firmly), take a big dancing swooping step, pause, pat the baby firmly (this might be a problem with one in each hand!), then grunt (this is important). The rythm, regularity of the pause, grunting noise from your chest to theirs is all some how important. Good luck!
December 29, 2006 at 11:53 am
Our little one was tough to get to sleep early on. She refused to sleep on her back. When my MIL came two weeks after the birth (Number Guy was back to work), she sat down on the couch and put Neatnik next to her on her tummy for a nap and the kid slept beautifully. I can’t say try this because of the whole “Back to Sleep” campaign and the concerns over SIDS, but it worked for us – and we were nursing and are non-smokers so we didn’t have any of the common factors associated with SIDS. She still sleeps on her stomach preferentially four years later.
Alternatively, you could tell the twins that if they don’t shape up this sleeping gig you will take away all of their nice handknits and only dress them in scratchy acrylics. That should work!
December 29, 2006 at 12:17 pm
I had one child who slept well and one who never slept through the night until he was 8 years old!! Some kids just have their own internal agenda. I’ve heard the bit about babies sleeping better after they reach the 12-pound mark. My son didn’t reach 12 pounds until he was 3 months old, but that still didn’t do it.
I don’t know where you are in our fine state, but I’m here too. I’ll drive over and help with some midnight shifts, ok?
I seriously would do that if it would help. I know how horrible it is to be sleep deprived. You begin to feel like a bumbling idiot after a while!
December 29, 2006 at 12:55 pm
Shh! Step over here, where I can tell you in private, just between us, that NONE of my five children would sleep on their backs, so I gave up and laid them on their stomachs. Don’t tell my pediatrician. However, none were preemie, all over 8#. I might be more careful with the littler ones. I will say that several seemed to prefer sleeping in carrier over a bed, especially at first. Maybe the pose is closer to that in utero. I had one bad sleeper that would only nap if I swaddled him, laid on my back w/him on my chest, then bounced him, rather roughly, until he finally passed out. I then also caught a few zzz’s until he woke up. My theory is that these little ones need lots of warmth, snuggling and togetherness: don’t be afraid to keep both in bed with you so you can all get sumodat. This will NOT result in you having to do this forever: only until their tums are big enough and they weigh enough to sleep well on their own. Trust your instincts, do what you need to, do whatever works for now.
December 29, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Wish I could give you some good helpful advice. My 4 month old did the same thing for the first two months. Then she was diagnosed with acid reflux and put on Zantac. She now sleeps like 12 hours strait thru the night and then some. The 2 year old never had sleep problems. She was sleeping thru the night at 8 weeks…
December 29, 2006 at 1:09 pm
I used to tease my mother for not remembering more (she had 5 kids in 6 years, including twins), but now I find (3 kids in 6 years) that I don’t remember a lot of the details, either. She always said that she just did whatever needed to be done and didn’t have time to think about it.
I do remember nap-time, though, and I’d fall asleep with a baby on my chest — that heartbeat would put ‘em out in no time. Sometimes I’d fall asleep, too, and other times I’d practice the smooth roll and snuggle that allowed me to get up.
My neighbor lady always used music — and not necessarily lullabyes. Is it possible they’ve confused day and night?
December 29, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Wait for six months. Seriously. They`re too young to have a routine and anyone that tells you otherwise about their child has just been lucky. Sleep deprivation is a fact of life with a new baby, and it`s squared when you have two.
Only one practical tip…if the two of them are asleep, lie down and catnap. Forget all other chores, especially anything to do with cleaning. Sleep, even if it is only 10am. One of the hardest things to learn after you have had a baby (or two) is that your life will never be “normal” again, if by normal you mean your life before babies. You fit round them, not the other way round. And the priorities have to be babies, you and your hubby`s health, all other things.
Sorry! I`d come and babysit if I could, but it`s a long way from Scotland!
December 29, 2006 at 1:27 pm
OK-the following ideas worked with my 2 boys-however, my daughter did not sleep til she was 4 and could be “reasoned with” so there you go-some kids just don’t sleep(now she wishes she could have all that unused sleep back-as a Marine and wife and mother she now knows how I felt).
As the boys get bigger and weigh more they will sleep more but till then:
1. Always sleep when they do-even 10 minute stretches add up. Let the world around you take care of itself and sleep when they do. But try to keep them awake alittle more each day during the day. Housework can be done by friends or if you can afford it hired help-even someone coming in once a week to muck out the big messes can make you feel less overwhelmed.
2. Babies have to learn to sleep so ignore them for a few minutes before you rush to pick them up-hard I know-but they have to learn to go back to sleep on their own. Start with 2 minutes and work your way up to 10 minutes.
3.Give a warm bath in the evening before bedtime. Then wrap them in warmed blankets(toss in dryer-the blankets, not the babies),give them some warm breastmilk or formula with a few flakes of rice cereal shook up in it-just a few. Keep the room lights low and the noise to a minimum.
3. Warm one crib with a heating pad(do this while still tending to babies so it will be ready ) and put them up against each other still wrapped tightly in the blankets after removing the heating pad.
4. Play heartbeat or waves sounds or run a humidifier -these noises while they are fussy or being fed can help too-and help you to relax. If you are relaxed they will be too.
5. If all this fails the first night, don’t give up, try it every night for 2 weeks-the routine will sink in and babies love routine.Soon they will associate these steps with sleep.
6. Get out once in awhile and leave them in the capable hands or Grandma, trusted friend or babysitter(Not teenage yet!!) . Even a hour out can refresh you and allow you to be calmer with them.
7. This too shall pass. That phrase got me through 3 babies who morphed into teenagers overnight.
Maybe repeating it like a mantra to the boys will put them to sleep!!LOL
If none of this works-hand them off to hubby and get a glass of wine-oh well, get him one too.
Oh, I forgot-10 minutes of fresh air before bathtime. I know it is cold now, but even alittle cold air won’t hurt babies-germs cause illness not cold air. Just bundle them up and walk around the driveway or yard.
This too shall pass, this too shall pass,this too shall pass,this too shall pass………..
December 29, 2006 at 1:59 pm
You have gotten some great advice! I have to say that the sleeping position has changed many times during the last 24 years: my doctor said this for each of my children: my oldest is 24 – MUST sleep on stomach, next child – 21 – MUST sleep on side (a 10 year gap) – 3rd child – MUST sleep on side for SIDS issue, -4th & 5th children – MUST sleep on back…anyway – every child is definitely different. I agree with the 12lb comment – they have to be able to hold enough milk to content themselves. One of you should try to sleep in a different room than the boys. Sometimes they will be awake but not crying and their movement will keep you awake. Definitely sleep whenever they DO sleep – no matter what time of the day or night. The housework and laundry will always be there – maybe hire a housekeeper to come in once a week for a little while? I had to sleep sitting up on a couch with my youngest for 6months while he nursed ALL night! He would wake up as soon as I laid him in his crib – I propped pillows under my arms and put a blanket over my lap and had the TV on low to keep from going insane. He was a very hungry boy. The couch back was the perfect height for me to put my head back and sleep when I konked out – he happily continued to nurse. Also – my doctor told me that they are smart if they don’t sleep very much – I think it has to do with all the brain activity going on. It is something to grasp onto when the insanity prevails. They will eventually sleep…thank goodness for hot showers and concealer!! They ARE adorable!!
December 29, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Can’t wait to see the winning suggestion. Four kids, the youngest is 18 and to this day, I don’t think any of them sleeps all night. I have gotten to the point that I’m too old to stay up with them.
Best of luck!
Jan
December 29, 2006 at 2:38 pm
I don’t suppose tranquilizer darts are a realistic option?
I don’t have kids of my own, so I asked my mom. Apparently, what worked best with my brother and me was 1) driving, which you mentioned you’d tried, and 2) dancing, which sounds like it would be difficult with twins. Sorry, I guess I’m not much help. Good luck!
Congratulations on your blogiversary.
December 29, 2006 at 3:41 pm
I wasn’t able to read all the comments, so not sure if anyone has suggested these…
My son was huge – over 9 lbs and could eat enough at one feeding to take him through the night by 3 weeks of age. He also had a rocking crib. (It rocked for 30 min. after he was put inside.)
My daughter (Kiddo) was a whole other species. She was small, needed to be fed more often and thought nightime sleeping was illegal. I have a very baby friendly chest, and had never met a baby who could resist falling asleep on my over ample front porch. She could fall asleep there, but not stay asleep when put in her basinette. So we got a tape of lullabys that had a very strong heartbeat in the background. It worked quite well, and she slept much better for the 5 months she spent in our bedroom.
When she went to her crib in her bedroom, we found WE couldn’t sleep. It seems we had become addicted to the lullaby with heartbeat – hee! She never was a good sleeper, and I found hearing her movement over a monitor kept me awake – even if she wasn’t crying. So she often ended up in our bed. She would sleep very well if cuddled against my chest, even if I were lying on my side. However that sleeping in the parents’ bed is not an easy habit to break, and with three of them – you would soon run out of room.
I highly suggest a friend who loves babies to come take the nightshift a few nights so you can get some quality sleep knowing your babies are well cared for. I helped out a neighbor with twins for several weeks. We discovered they slept much better if put in a basinette or crib together.
Good luck!
December 29, 2006 at 7:08 pm
The bad news? You are exhausted, and the babies are still so new to this world that their nervous systems and digestive systems aren’t up to sleeping through the night yet. Even full-term babies have three months of extra-utero nerve growth to go through…your boys are catching up fast, but they still have a ways to go.
The good news? This won’t last long. In fact, it’s one tiny k2tog in a king-sized afghan knit on size 0 needles. Someday you’ll laugh, and tell people that your two strapping lads used to cry all night. The boys will roll their eyes and pat you on top of the head, and borrow a $20 to go get a pizza. (You’ll never see change from the $20, either.)
I’m the kind of mom who just couldn’t let things go, though…and other moms of preemies have recommended this book: “The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer” by Harvey Karp. It comes on DVD, too. Amazon ships amazingly fast…but I bet they’ll be sleeping better before it arrives!
December 29, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Well, you got two, I only had one… When I was finally home with baby, I have no clue he was very very young and I was very very exhausted (c-section and all) he cried all the time during the night. I finally figured out that everything was OK, he was just bored that’s all. I was getting pissed, went to his room, turned on a small light, told him in all seriousness that I could muster that its ok if HE wants to play, I MUST sleep now. Gave him a toy, went back to bed. That was the last 2 minutes of nightly cry that I had ever heard. Slept through since then. I figure that I must have sounded extremely serious to him and he understood I meant it. My tip for you is, do talk to your little ones really as you mean it, they understand by your tone of voice and often “get it”. Sometimes I think my son gets “it” less now cause I try to reason with him etc. Don’t reason with a 22 year old, its no use
December 30, 2006 at 12:06 am
The only thing that worked for us was a routine. Not a SCHEDULE per say but a routine. I nursed my daughter for 22 months but when she was really little it was every 3 hours at least. What I started doing at about 8 weeks was establishing a routine time for feeding, sleeping, waking, changing, playing etc. Of course every day was a challenge until we got the hang of it, but it worked. I’m not into the Crying It Out thing and really, I didn’t need to do that. Once my daughter knew that she was going to be cared for and knew what to expect we all started getting sleep and were much happier. The other thing that worked for me was telling her what we were doing…okay, Sydney we are going to put you down for a nap now…I need you to close your eyes and go to sleep. Mommy will be right here if you need me. Reassurance is really good for babies. They need to know that if they need you, you will be there. I’m a firm believer in talking to your baby in a NORMAL voice and not goo-goo ga-ga either. This helped her realize when I was talking more serious…like…Syd, it’s time to sleep now…or now we are going to eat.
December 30, 2006 at 12:09 am
One more thing. We got a Homedics noise machine for her. It provided just enough background noise and she liked the rain sound…maybe it reminded her of the womb. She still sleeps with it on every night and she is 2.5 years. I liked hers so much that I got one too. Now she is a 12 hr a night sleeper and a 2 hour napper.
December 30, 2006 at 12:12 am
Oh another thing…my daughter has always slept on her tummy. I was paranoid at first but I am a stomach sleeper and she just was not happy till she was on her tummy. She’s still a tummy sleeper. Ultimately you need to do what works for you. Everyone will give you advice about what worked for their kid, but each child is so unique. Try different things but only things that don’t make you feel a stab in your gut. If your instinct says no, then don’t do it! Trust your mommy instinct.
December 30, 2006 at 5:34 am
I don’t have a baby but I would vote for brandy before feeding time
Good luck – hopefully your little one will grow out of it.
December 30, 2006 at 9:08 am
I have nursed and co-slept with both of my children and that took care of getting them back to sleep in the middle of the night, but one of the many things that worked for falling asleep was to sling up the babe and vacuum! When that stopped working I went on to walking and then dancing. I had a very clean house there for a couple of months — I kinda wish she had continued to like that. Good luck.
December 30, 2006 at 10:37 am
As it has been said before, all babies are different. My oldest like a ride in the stroller over the same patch of sidewalk that made a certain thump, thump thump. Both boys did like the swing and being rocked or danced with.
My brother in law would turn on the vacume and I guess the white noise helped get his son to sleep. This too will pass, it does not seem possible at this moment however! ( mine are 14 &11)
December 30, 2006 at 10:51 am
I’d have to agree, they’re so young right now that they won’t totally sleep through the night, but co-sleeping totally helps. Go to askdrsears.com for tips on cosleeping safely. We’ve coslept with both our sons and can honestly say with both, at about two months, they woke up but I barely noticed. I’d just latch them on to nurse and go back to sleep. And no, they won’t stay there forever!
If you’re a book person, I highly recommend “The No Cry Sleep Solution.”
Good luck!!!
December 30, 2006 at 12:22 pm
My sister accidentally discovered after several crazy sleepless nights that her baby fell asleep to the sound of the dishwasher running. So she made an audiotape and played it over and over. Worked like a charm while the baby was very young.
I have to agree that sleeping while the babies sleep will save you from exhaustion. Also, maybe someone could help you for a night or so each week. It’s very hard to be a new parent; get all the help you can.
December 30, 2006 at 1:18 pm
How much caffeine and/or sugar are you consuming? Try cutting back as much as possible, and see if that helps.
Also, I seem to have a soporific effect on babies… but you’d have to cover my travel there and back.
December 30, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Swaddling, soothing music and sharing a crib. I’ve found that the twins in my life (several sets) slept well as wee infants TOGETHER. They were jammed in utero together and probably find all that free space around them unnerving a bit.
Like several have mentioned, the boys are still young for a routine and may not form one until THEY decide it’s time, no matter what y’all do. Sleep when they sleep and worry about the house, laundry and showering until later. Even when my third was born (6 yrs after the middle one), I dozed when she did, usually with her in my arms. As much as it feels you don’t sleep now, it’s just practice for the teenage years…believe me.
December 30, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Wish I had a magic answer. I remember my oldest had a Sesame Street wind up wooden radio. Everything was fine till the music stopped and the wailing would begin. I remember my husband and I taking turns crawling guerilla fashion on the floor over to the crib so he didn’t see us so we could reach up between the bars to wind the darn thing. I so love the Otis pictures guarding his “flock”.
December 30, 2006 at 11:59 pm
With my twins I was determined they would sleep as best they could on their own from near day 1! Lofty goal I know but after having survived a miserable first year with non-sleeping son I was determined.
Teach your babies to go to sleep on their own. Do not rock, give soothers, feed until sleeping. Put them in their beds when you assume they should be tired and hope they go to sleep. If they fuss a bit go in and comfort them (this is all assuming they are well fed, changed and not sick), leave, repeat as necessary. They may cry a bit (or a LOT if you try this when they are older, trust me.) but will soon learn to soothe and fall asleep on their own.
I found the first year of my son’s life so hard as he did not get to sleep on his own, getting him to bed was a nightmare and a half every night and when he did finally fall asleep and was older (not needing a feeding) he would wake me up countless times a night for his soother! I wish I had a penny for each time one could find me under his crib in the dark looking for one of many soothers.
When the girls were born I was determined and all went well helping them learn to sleep on their own. They caught on fast and are good sleepers to this day (nine).
All kids are different but I found helping the babes learn to fall asleep on their own was a true blessing and what I needed to survive 3 young kids in the early years.
All the best to you!
December 31, 2006 at 12:01 am
And one more thing, routine, routine, routine! Worked for us.. The kids all knew what to expect and sleep schedules (naps, bed time) was predictable and vital for the kids (and me!)
December 31, 2006 at 4:03 am
Kristi, I’m in town and I usually stay up till 3am. (In fact, I’m writing this note at 3am right now.) I’m feeling like I’ve got a half a cold this week but I’ll let you know when I feel well and I am totally available to give you a night or a few of rest.
No, I don’t have kids, but I babysat full time for two years and have tended infants before. This is time for any action you can take, and as other folks have suggested, sometimes that means accepting outside help. I don’t cost a dime.
Sleep deprivation is a method of torture, take this knowledge seriously and pursue your own sleep with vigor. Nobody can make good decisions on no sleep, nobody can stay healthy without sleep. You need to do everything you can to sleep, even if it is for 2-3 minutes at a time. Only do “housework” if that means getting food. Nothing else matters. Sleep, food, babies. Down to the basics.
Pat is right. This, too, shall pass. Thank goodness.
Do let me help. You have my email.
December 31, 2006 at 1:20 pm
I have a twelve week old that gave us the same problem-the best thing I found is to sling her-then take her out when she’s asleep! We have the native baby sling and the peanut shell pouch-get two-put one in each and then walk while patting their bottoms through the shell-it worked for us-good luck!
December 31, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Happy blogiversary!
December 31, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Well I like all the suggestions so far. Have you tried putting them swaddled together? or swaddled seperately so that they can touch? Baby Einstein videos? carrying them in a sling? I know that helped sometimes for me. My body heat or each others body heat seemed to help. I have heard that the little beating heart bears for the crib work well also though I never tried.
What finally worked like a charm for me was to swaddle up the baby. Go outside for a bit of a walk. Once we were back inside the cold to warm and a bit of milk seemed to be his undoing.
Good luck! Something will click one day soon even if it doesn’t seem possible right now. In the meantime maybe a great babysitter for a few hours just so you can sleep might be the ticket.
Hugs to you and your babes! Love the pup modeling.
December 31, 2006 at 5:33 pm
Ok, ok… everyone has mentioned alcohol. This will work, although isn’t very safe for the wee munchins!
Age works wonders– but this is meaningless at 3 a.m.! The trick that always worked for the little ones in my family was to put them into the back of the car (in car seats, of course) and drive around for a while.
Best of luck! I hope you get some sleep soon.
December 31, 2006 at 6:37 pm
duck tape??
December 31, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Hi there. I’m a pediatric nurse, but not a mom. This is what I do for crying babies in the hospital…I can’t remember the name of the person who “invented” the technique. It’s the 5 S’s…swaddling, swinging (in your arms back and forth…more like swaying), shooshing, sucking (pacifier, finger, whatever), and singing. Generally the first four in combination work and monotone singing under my breath will help too. BUT it doesn’t work for every baby, of course. Good luck! Happy blogiversary and Happy New Year!
December 31, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Our second son liked being bounced up and down rather than back and forth in the rocking chair.
We swaddled him tightly and sat on the edge of the bed and went up and down…endlessly. About the time my knees began to ache, I realized I should have had my kids at a younger age!
A wonderful cd is “Trio Lyra” (flute, cello, and harp) http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Dreams-Lullabyes-Trio-Lyra/dp/B00000J6YZ/sr=8-1/qid=1167610481/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6017358-5830251?ie=UTF8&s=music
Best of luck and Happy New Year!
December 31, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Our twins went through the same thing and I can tell you I sympathize with you 100%! Our little guys slept better if they were together in the one crib. They are 4 now and still like to sleep snuggled next to one another (not in a crib, though, ha). Hope this helps!
January 1, 2007 at 1:52 am
This will sound weird, but it will work, and then you can leave a comment on my blog telling me what I won.
Recite the following aloud:
Angels/Universe/Other Cosmological Substitution,
I’m am so grateful for these two (mini-miracles,babies, bundles of wide-awakeness) that have graced our lives. I want to be fully awake to enjoy them fully, and furthermore, frankly, I just really need some sleep, human being that I (currently) am. I request that at your earliest convenience, you arrange for both joy-bundles (I would name them here if I were you) to sleep, together, for at least 4 hours, starting about 5 minutes before my bedtime. I need this, and it’s easy for you to arrange universe, out of the infinite possibilities available. Thank you!
Next, practice expecting this to occur shortly, and visualize your joy and gratitude upon awakening after a decent night’s sleep. *You might want to adjust the 4 hours to 8, with a wake-up for feeding, whatever.
At any rate, I said it would sound weird, but quite honestly, if you’re willing to give up yarn to achieve this, what have you got to lose?
January 1, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Oh wow. You and hubby and Otis have your hands full! My son was a preemie… but a singleton. In NICU, the twins were sleeping together. Are your boys sleeping together? I would try that. they’ve just spent all that time in-utero together. Also, I don’t know if you are breastfeeding or bottle… but your guys are little and will need to eat frequently. I would try the side sleeper pillows, too. One thing that really helped my son was warming the bed before putting him in it… toss a receiving blanket into the dryer to warm and then put it into the crib or bassinet, or lay a heating pad there to warm the bed before putting baby in there. I also carried around a burp cloth in my shirt for days to transfer my scent so that when he went to bed, it went with him… and so the bed was warm and it smelled like momma was there.
I wish you the best!
January 1, 2007 at 3:22 pm
a couple of things … 1) they are so cute
2) even if you are breast feeding, give them a bottle of formula (even do half and half of breast milk and formula) … the formula is more filling then breast milk
3) did you get to watch the Oprah show about the “baby whisperer” … if not … let me know … I’ll get you a copy. There were women on it who could not get their babies to sleep/eat ect and she was able to show them what to do!
*hugs*
January 1, 2007 at 8:29 pm
i don’t have twins but had a baby that NEVER napped–i looked everywhere for solutions and with my second tried:
warm+full tummy.
feed, warm bath, feed, wrap in blanket warmed by the dryer (if you can).
when teaching my son to sleep through the night we fed him and cranked the space heater in his room.
g’luck
January 2, 2007 at 3:43 am
My boys were really good sleepers, so I am not sure if it was something I did or just the way they were.
Make sure they are feed, burped (really well), changed with dry nappies and snuggly them securely in their blanket, arms in the blanket too, and put to bed. A bit of crying won’t hurt them, and you will know their cry so when they become distressed you will know to check on them, well before they get too distressed.
January 2, 2007 at 10:34 am
I wish I had some good advice. My single child was up every hour and a half for a long time, then all of a sudden, he slept 5 hrs, then 6hrs, then 7…..at about 10 weeks old. I think a lot of it has to do with weight and your guys are on the right track, but for now, you may be at the mercy of the little guys until they get bigger. As long as hubby is off work, definitely take nice long shifts, so someone is getting some sleep! good luck. We still owe you dinner, but all have been sick and we won’t be coming around as long as sickness is going around. XXOO.
January 2, 2007 at 11:53 am
Now this is a serious one. My in laws SWEAR if you turn the baby counter-clockwise around once it resets their internal clock. I did this when I took my little guy to an infant specialist chiropractor when he was a few days old – there was a study in germany that said something along the lines of doing atlas orthotic chiro was effective in preventing ear infections so I had him adjusted right away. Lil guy slept through the night after that (by 2 weeks and had 2, 4 hour naps a day) and has never had an ear infection. Considering both DH and I had them really bad and my neice is now deaf because of hers…I think that is great.
January 2, 2007 at 6:49 pm
There are so many good ideas in the comments!
All three of my children were different. My first was spoiled beyond belief! She loved the bouncy chair, and every night we would put her in it, and bounce it with our foot FOR HOURS until sh went to sleep. Then it was a 50/50 chance that we would be able to pick her up and put her in her crib without her waking up. This went on for months, when I decided to let her scream herslef to sleep in her crib, it took a week. A WEEK OF HELL!!! and she still is stubborn 6 years later.
Now we vowed not to do that with the second. He was colicky and it was rough. He would scream from about 7pm to mdnight every night. What worked with him???? A swing. We went through hundreds of D batteries in that swing. But then he got spoiled y that and would not sleep unless he was in it. It only took 2 days of yelling to get him to fall asleep on is own.
The third? I put my foot down. No swig, No bouncy chair, he had to fall aslepp on his own. Of course when he was young I held him….he liked to sleep on my chest…..but by 3 months he was falling asleep on his own.
SO far #3 is still the best sleeper…my 5 and 3 year olds get up at night and the 2 year old sleeps like a baby!
January 2, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Sometimes a common household noise will soothe babies. For my daughter it was running water. For a blissful month I could take a shower and put her to sleep at once! A pal’s baby was quieted by the exhaust fan in the kitchen. Seems like those things are always discovered by accident, however!
The big question: will it be the same noise for both babies?
January 3, 2007 at 10:52 am
I have a few suggestions. One is, it’s totally true that you should tell the boys what’s going on and ask for help. “Hey fellas, it feels really good to sleep, you can pretend to be warm and floating and it’s just like when you were in mommy’s womb. All you have to do is feel warm and cozy and close your little eyes and mommy and daddy will be right here, you won’t miss anything. And drift off to sleep, you’ll like it because it feels so good and happy. Mommy likes it, daddy likes it and you like it too!” The second thing is that the adults have to be in control. Don’t wait for those two to tell you what they want; tell them; “You like this and assume with all your heart that it’s true.” Don’t let them push you around. They’re new the to world, what do they know? They’re looking to mom and dad to guide them to what they’re suppose to do.
Good luck; I’m here to help at ANY TIME!!! XO, Amy
January 3, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Hmmm … you want me to be creative and give you a suggestion on how to get the boys to sleep at night. That’s funny. I’m not wordy creative and both my kids were up through the night (at least once) until they were about 6 months old.
Maybe you could just ask the boys nicely. I’m sure that’d work. Or try some “white noise” … that always puts ME to sleep. The sound of a fan or a humidifier … or the buzz of a fuzzy radio station. You could try putting Lavender sachets in with their jammies. Lavender is soothing and might help them feel sleepy at night.
I hope this helps. You are a GORGEOUS looking family, btw.
January 3, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Hey Kristi,
Nice to see the boys are providing lifelong lessons in child rearing. Either I was blessed with a child who liked to sleep, or she knew that Mommy was a sleeper myself.
Or success rested on the simple premises of tight (and I mean tight) swaddling, feeding (full bellies and because they are so tiny, their little GI tracts transit quickly) and noise. Jacqueline loved the sound of vacuum cleaners and the dryer. I guess you will have to find what works best for you but the suggestion of shift work does make it bearable. Luckily, she slept through the night at 8 weeks in her own room, and soon you will see the light. Can’t wait to see them soon, and love the pics of the boys.
January 3, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Do they have a lot of gas? Try gas drops (simethicone). Also reflux precautions. Keep upright 30 minutes post feed.
January 4, 2007 at 11:45 am
Singing mixed Dutch/Spanish lullabies didn’t work, eh?
My vote, snuggle Otis up with them and watch them nod off.
January 4, 2007 at 6:12 pm
If there was any particular music you listened to a lot while you were pregnant, you could try playing that. It doesn’t even have to be anything particularly soothing – just something they were exposed to in the womb. I don’t have kids, so I can’t vouch for this personally, but I have a friend who swears by it.
January 4, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I read on somebody’s blog that their babies slept well on top of the dryer, so they recorded the dryer noise and played it in the nursery. Worked like a charm. Best of luck,
Li
January 4, 2007 at 9:52 pm
So when I read this post last week, I did the only thing a librarian can do: research. I looked at every sleeping book in the library, and more than a few regular parenting books. Then, I went toall the staff that had kids and begged for their secrets, explaining your problem. The results:
3 votes for car seats on the dryer
4 votes for smooshing swaddled boys together (a la in utero)
1 vote for any bass heavy music you can get your desperate hands on
1 vote for a sugar tit (which doesn’t seem likely)
The books were no help. I’m sorry. I’m glad to hear that they’re sleeping, though
January 4, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Try co-sleeping when you are really tired, mine always slept longer when next to me although I didn’t sleep as well as by myself (I am a light sleeper, and the baby heavy breathing woke me up).
Try getting them to wiggle around or put them on their bellys for 5-10 min before you want them to sleep. I found that if I had my daughter in a carrier, sling, swing whatever that restricted her movement all day she was less tired then if I had her on floor for a few minutes play time. Routine (not a schedule) definately helps but that will take awhile to develope. Once asleep white noise or repetative music can help them sleep longer, also a darkened room (mine always sleep longer on rainy days)