Twins sleep Training Case Studies

The 5-month-old twin girls had been co-sleeping with Mum for a long time and were fed to sleep for naps and overnight.

This was the easiest solution for Mum as she was handling caregiving on her own while hubby was away.

It worked well for a while... until it didn't.

The girls started taking up a lot of space in the bed, moving, kicking Mum, and sleep was not happening for either of them.

On top of that, naps were falling apart, and night wakes were all over the place

Mum needed a change, and so did the babies. This was not feasible anymore, and Mum wanted her sleep space back.

While slightly apprehensive about moving from co-sleeping and feed-to-sleep to self-settling in their own cribs, Mum was ready to embark on a new path.

We worked with a gentle in-the-room method for 2 weeks.

A tweak to their feeding schedule (as they were feeding on demand), the sleep environment, and optimising the nap routine have set them up in the right direction.

The babies took to it rather well, very quickly (much to parents' surprise).

While settling required a bit more patience and time to allow the babies to get used to the changes, self-settling was evident from week one.

It worked so well that settling to sleep only required Mum to stay in the room for a little bit, and the girls did the rest.  

Naps began to extend, the girls were sleeping in their own cribs during the day and night, and feeding times were more predictable.

Mum and Dad gained confidence in solo-settling, and hubby returned to the parents' bed as the babies were now sleeping in their own space at night.

Mum's patience, commitment to implementing the changes, and consistency in settling method and routine laid a solid foundation for better sleep habits, and the girls were able to sleep better during the day and at night. night within only 2 weeks.

At 5 months, and little sleep, Mum and Dad needed a change.

Sleeping was rough for babies during the day, which meant that overnight they were up every 2-3h.

Settling was mainly done in the arms, and rescuing naps was needed more often than not.

Without a clear rhythm to the day, and out of fear of the babies waking each other up, Mum had little to work with.

Sleep was happening sporadically, every prop possible was used to help babies sleep, and Mum felt on edge... Sacred to go to the bathroom, no time to rest, and no idea how long each baby will sleep for at any given time.

Something had to give.

We worked together for 2 weeks, and Mum and Dad absolutely transformed their babies' sleep.

From rocking in the arms, having poor feeds and unsettled babies day and night, we were able to help these babies begin to settle in their cribs, use their pacifiers more independently, consolidate sleep cycles, sleep through the night (with 2 feeds), and share a bedroom.

This took a lot of effort, but Mum and Dad were up for the challenges.

While things got messy, and it was hard to see the light at times, with patience, focus, and care, these babies got a predictable nap routine in place, learned to settle easily in bed, and even started to self-settle.

This, in turn, helped their milk feeds improve during the day, their mood got much better, and Mum and Dad can enjoy happy, energetic babies who sleep well and love their beds.

The routine helped Mum and Dad plan their days, prepare for changes, rest, and make time for self-care and couple time.

Mum and Dad aren't scared that the babies will wake each other up anymore. They have an action plan in place now, and the babies can sleep with the noise more often than not.

These 5-month-old twin boys were having a hard time settling to sleep and staying asleep.

Parents resorted to bouncing on yoga balls, rocking in the armchair, and trying anything hands-on and physical to help them settle, which meant they had to both be in the room every time, and many times overnight.

This was taking a toll on both of them, not the least since they also had a toddler who needed their help.

We waited to start working together till they were able to learn to self-settle, and parents chose an out-of-the-room method.

While this entailed waiting outside the room for set intervals, there was still a lot of support offered in the room during check-ins, and parents were responsive and attentive to help the babies gain confidence in settling to sleep more independently, and when support was offered, trying to stay in bed to help them find comforting positions to settle in.

We worked together for 2.5 weeks, and the boys responded great! Within the first few days, parents shared that things were going better and more easily than they had anticipated. The boys were settling to sleep pretty quickly within 2 days, and night sleep started to take shape (no more 7oz feeds thrice a night!).

We tweaked their nap routine to ensure sleep is offered at the best times during the day, observed their age-appropriate wake window, and included a predictable and soothing wind-down ritual to help them recognise sleep as approaching and prepare to settle more smoothly.

Parents shared they finally started sleeping well for the first time in months, as night stretches extended, and resettling to sleep during the day and night took less and less time.

One of the boys hit a slight regression as they were learning to crawl. This led to a delayed sleep onset and difficulty linking sleep cycles. We maintained our routine, and focused on consistent re-settling methods to help him tackle this obstacle, and after a week we saw his naps extend, and night sleep was consolidating again.

These parents' consistency and commitment to the sleep plan made the process much more rewarding and positive for the entire family. One parent was attending to the toddler in the evenings, while the other was on babies' duties. They gained confidence in settling and re-settling both babies to sleep on their own, and following their action plans meant the process was easier to implement, and the babies responded much better to their efforts.

With a few bumps on the road and tweaks to adapt to each baby's needs and temperament, we saw remarkable results in less than 3 weeks.

They now have a routine that meets their sleep needs and the family's dynamic, and everyone gets much more sleep and rest!

At 5.5 months, these twin boys were still getting out of their newborn phase, as they were 7 weeks premature.

Although they were gaining weight like champs, and the night sleep wasn't all that bad, day naps were all over the place.

With 3-5 naps a day, ranging from 40-120min, it was hard to get a routine in place. Not least because self-settling skills weren't yet established. 

One boy was quite independent in settling, while his twin needed to be rocked to sleep.

With an older toddler, things were just not sustainable for these parents.

Our first course of action was to optimise the boys' nap routine to meet their needs. With 7 weeks to account for their corrected age, we needed to keep their wake windows short enough, while working on putting their naps at the best times of the day.

We then began, as per parents' request, using an out-of-the-room settling method to help the boys to slowly and gradually learn to self-settle and re-settle. 

The boys responded splendidly to the changes. They started settling really well quite early on and consolidated sleep cycles. This allowed Mum and Dad to attend to their older child, and be available to support either babies when they needed it.

The early morning wake-ups were still harder to shake off, and with another tweak to their sleep schedule and consistency in routine, the boys began to sleep longer more predictably.

Even with a sickness in between, and a sleep regression that hit us right in the middle of the sleep plan, Mum and Dad worked hard to remain responsive, consistent, and keep their eyes on the prize - better sleep habits for all.

The 6-month-old twin girls were just over 5 months corrected age.

While they settled to sleep in their cribs, sleep was sporadic, and settling was often an exhausting game of whack-a-mole with their pacifiers.

This meant parents stayed in the room each time for settling (re-settling was a hit-and-miss), and running between their beds was stress-inducing for all parties.

At night, the girls tend to wake up hourly from around 9-10pm, each night, till about 2-4am. 

This left parents and babies perpetually tired, and anxiety around sleep was hard to avoid.

Following the parents' preference, we worked with an out-of-the-room settling method.

We optimised the girls' nap routine (ensuring naps take place at the best time of day, and for the "right" duration).

We also observed their night feeds, and ensured sufficient milk was offered at night (as at this age, night feeds are still recommended).

Within one night the girls' night sleep was transformed!

In the following week, we saw their naps take shape, their milk consumption stabilised, and self-settling skills were taking place beautifully.

The 2nd week, we started tackling the first sleep regression.

But since great sleeping habits were already established, and the girls honed their self-settling skills, this passed within a few days.

After 2 weeks of working together, the girls' nap routine was like clockwork. Their nights were consolidated, morning began at a friendly hour between 6:30-7am, and the parents enjoyed a much-needed rest during the day, and time in the evening for themselves.

These 6-month-old twin girls were having a hard time, and so did their parents.

They were co-sleeping, which meant someone had to lie down with them for every nap. Settling required a lot of rocking and took a long time. Naps happened at different times each day, and there was no way of knowing how long they would last… but oftentimes, they did not last very long.

To make matters worse, the girls were waking up a lot overnight, taking small feeds to settle back to sleep, and then starting the day way too early.

All this was taking its toll on Mum and Dad, and the girls. They were not feeding well and were overtired most of the time, which impacted on their mood too.

Mum needed a change. Something to help her baby girls settle more independently, sleep longer, and better, and have some structure to the day.

After 3 weeks of implementing our sleep plan, we could see big changes:

Introducing a nap routine meant the girls were taking their naps at the same time each day. With a gentle settling method, they began settling in their own sleep space (no more co-sleeping), and they learned to settle without rocking. Night wakings were slowly gone, and so were the night cluster feeds.

Settling was much smoother, and mum could finally get some much-needed me time during the day, and the night. After nearly 7 months of not much sleep, everyone was getting the rest they needed.

This is not by chance… It was the result of Mum and Dad working hard to help their baby girls learn to sleep better, so they could all enjoy each other more.

These twin boys were ready to learn how to self-settle, but Dad was apprehensive about the process.

The boys were struggling to settle well for naps, and consolidating sleep cycles was a hit-and-miss.

With bedtime taking longer and longer, naps being a hot mess and too early morning wake-ups, he wanted to try, but was scared of letting his boys cry.

The parents wanted a fail-proof plan that can help them understand their babies’ sleep needs and feel confident supporting their self-settling process with ease and peace of mind.

They were used to hands-on settling, but this was taking longer and longer. Very common for babies at this age as hands-on settling becomes too stimulating.

We talked about effective settling and re-settling methods, and parents wanted to work with an out-of-the-room strategy.

It took less than two weeks, and the boys were settling faster and easier each day. The morning wake-ups were our last hiccup to tackle, and we achieved that by the end of two weeks, once the 3rd nap was adjusted.

With a quick bedtime, solid naps and appropriate wake-up time, the parents, and their boys, were getting the sleep they needed, and deserve.

At 6 months (5 months corrected), these twin boys were struggling to go to sleep, and stay asleep.

Mum and Dad needed to rock, walk, and squat to get them to settle to sleep. But naps were inconsistent in duration and timing, and nighttime was a mess.

To add insult to injury, the boys often woke up at 5am, making the rest of the day much harder for everyone (themselves included), to endure.

Something had to change, as this settling technique was not sustainable, and sleep was just not happening.

We worked together for 2.5 weeks. We started by tweaking the boys' nap routine, ensuring their wake windows matched their ages, and placing naps and bedtime at consistent times throughout the day.

The parents opted for an out-of-the-room settling method, but wanted to keep it as responsive as possible, meaning waiting intervals were kept short.

Within less than a week, the boys learned to self-settle. The nights consolidated, and naps were falling into place.

We then worked on extending naps (by focusing on re-settling), helped the boys start the day at a more friendly time (between 6:30-7am), and ensured bedtime was in place to support any overtiredness they might experience.

These parents worked hard, yet gently, to help their twin boys learn to self-sell, re-settle, and sleep through the night, thus enjoying their days together without feeling overtired, cranky, and unsettled (big and small).

It doesn't have to take long to change babies' sleeping habits. With consistency and patience, you can also help your twins sleep better sooner rather than later.

These twin boys were 8 months old when we started working together.
They took a long time to settle to sleep (apx 1h every time), which included rocking, walking, patting, and at times doing all this in a dark bathroom to try and block all other stimulation.

This was becoming physically challenging, as the boys were getting bigger and heavier.

The process was tedious, and Mum was dreading settling, as she never knew how long it's going to take, and how much crying would be involved.

Dad was due to go on a 2-week work trip, and mum was getting worried ans anxious, thinking how can she possibly do this on her own?

We worked on adjusting the boys' naps' duration and timing, looked into how much milk and solids to offer and when, and how to introduce a gentle self-settling method that will allow both parents to settle the boys on their own, in their own pace.

We worked with a gentle, in-the-room settling method, so both parents can feel confident and comfortable phasing out physical, hands-on support, and replacing it with emotional support.

After our 2-week sleep porgramme, the boys were sleeping through the night, settling on their own pretty quickly, and both parents felt incredibly confident settling them on their own.

The anxiety around bedtime was gone, and the whole family can now rest well during the day, and the night!

This can be your reality too!

All it took was consistency, encouragement, and a sleep plan that suited the parents and the babies.

These boy/girl twins had similar, and yet different sleep issues.

One was waking a lot overnight, drinking 1 night bottle, and often transferred to the parents' bed.

The other was waking up before 6am with a poo (don't you hate it when that happens...?).

Naps were a bit of a hit and miss for both, and bedtime was taking too long.

Babies were only settling in the arms, and someone had to stay in the room for settling each time.

Parents were feeling anxious about naps and bedtime, not knowing how much sleep they would get each night, and how much re-settling they would need to do.

Over 3 weeks of working together, parents worked hard to help their babies learn to self-settle with a caring and responsive settling approach.

Naps and bedtime were set in place to meet the babies’ sleep needs. Soon enough, night wakings began to subside, and early morning wake-ups were gone.

We worked on dropping the night feed, effective re-settling methods for naps and overnight, and also had to tackle a sleep regression in the midst of it all!

Yet the babies have responded beautifully to the process, and gained confidence in their sleep space, routine, and self-settling abilities.

At the end of the sleep programme, babies were sleeping solidly during the day, settling was smoother, they began to eat more solid food, and bedtime was a breeze!

Mum and dad gained confidence in settling babies to sleep on their own, and can now enjoy a consolidated night's sleep which they, and babies, craved!

Mum told me she loved co-sleeping with her boy/girl twins. This has been working for a while, yet when she reached out to me, sleep was hard to come by, for herself, her husband, and the twins.

Settling was taking longer and wasn’t as effective, and night wakes were becoming more frequent. This was especially hard as she also had a little toddler to take care of.

While hesitant about the process, she wanted to find a gentle way to support the transition of the babies to their own cots, so everyone can sleep more.

Having breastfed both to sleep for so long, Mum was also looking forward to having other people helping with settling, so it isn’t all on her.

We agreed on a slow, gradual and very sensitive strategy. The moment Stephanie felt comfortable making the changes, she was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and positively both babies responded. It was almost as if they were waiting for a change so they can start sleeping better.

We introduced a more structured nap routine, kept an eye on age-appropriate wake windows and milk consumption during the day and night. With a gentle settling method and a contingency plan for naps, settling was becoming easier, faster and more effective.

Even though mum got sick in the middle of the sleep programme, results were sure to come. Once the changes took place, settling wasn’t her sole responsibility, and good sleeping habits soon became to form.

After 3 weeks, the babies were sleeping much better in their own cots, without a feed. The nights were taking shape, and everyone’s mood was improving.

Change can be slow. Faster isn’t always better. Yet consistency, patience and determination can help you and your family sleep better.

Although 2 months premature, these 8-month-old twins (corrected) were ready for a change in sleeping habits.

Mum used to feed to sleep, and also for any night re-settling (which were many!).

With naps hardly ever extending past 30min, and fear of one twin waking the other up, Mum found herself in need of overhauling these girls' sleep habits.

We started with a tweak to the routine to ensure no one is over/under-tired, optimised the sleep environment (Mum got blackout curtains installed), and started working with an in-the-room settling method that will allow Mum to breastfeed when/if needed while we change the settling associations.

Dad was on board, eager to try something new that would allow him to offer more support, now that settling wasn't done exclusively with breastfeeding.

It took a couple of weeks, but great progress was emerging in week one.

Night sleep started to extend, self-settling skills took place, and naps became much more predictable.

We were working on optimising the solid meals too, which are integral to sleep, and by the end of week two, settling was much easier and faster, they were sleeping until later in the morning, night wakes dropped to only feeds (which we planned to drop in the following weeks), and we moved from 3 to 2 naps.

With a few more kinks to iron out to extend the 2nd nap consistently (it's usually the trickiest part), both parents felt comfortable tandem settling, bedtime was quick and easy, and healthy sleep habits took root.

Mum no longer needs to rely on breastfeeding when it's time to sleep, which gave her a lot of freedom, and understanding her girls' sleep needs and patterns means she can better prepare for any scenario.

These 9-month-old twins were sleeping pretty well during the day. But nighttime was a different story.

While they could effectively self-settle, resettling was proving to be challenging, and babies were waking anywhere from 1-6 times overnight.

Each wake-up required parents to go to the babies’ room, as they were unable to return to sleep.

Needless to say, having such a disruptive night's sleep was taking its toll on mum and dad.

Our action plan focused on optimising babies' day naps to support sleep drive at night, and beginning to introduce a gentle re-settling method.

The first night was a bit rough on everyone, as Mum and Dad were implementing the changes, and the babies adjusted to the new strategy.

From night 2, things began to take shape.

It didn't take long for this motivated family to see results. With Mum and Dad's consistency, the babies responded super well to the settling strategy, and night sleep began to consolidate.

With a good night's sleep, and a tweak to the day naps, the midday nap began to extend, which meant bedtime became smoother and easier too.

Because sleep promotes sleep, the positive impact of nighttime sleep supported babies' day naps, and both parents and babies finally got the rest they needed.

These 9 month-old-twin girls were actually 12m old, but 3 months premature. Which meant we had to approach the process according to their developmental stages, and match the sleep programme to their particular needs.

The girls were not super bad sleepers, but sleep habits were less than ideal… They took their morning nap in the bouncers, and afternoon nap was usually happening on-the-go or only for a short time in their beds.

Night wakes were unpredictable, and one of the girls was habitually waking up before 6am, to snuggle with mum in bed…

Mum wanted to work on self-settling, and establish a predictable routine to help her and the girls get more sleep during the day, and the night. Re-settling was just not happening, which meant that once the girls were done with one sleep cycle, that was it.

We only worked together for a week, but superstar Mum took the plan seriously, and within only a few days the girls were self-settling in their own beds, beginning to consolidate sleep cycles, frequent night wakes reduced and nearly gone, and no one woke before the crack of dawn.

With a nap routine, effective and gentle settling method, and a tweak to their diet, these girls are now enjoying the rest they need, and so does Mum!

These 9-month-old boys relied on rocking and holding whenever they needed to settle and re-settle.

As they were getting bigger, and day sleep and nighttime were all over the place, Mum and Dad knew this wasn't sustainable anymore.

The too-short naps and frequent night wakes were taking their toll.

Everyone needed a change and more sleep.

We chose to work with an in-the-room method to help the babies learn to self-settle and change their sleep associations. 

While this meant a parent was in the room while settling, it allowed the other parent to attend to their older toddler who needed help at bedtime, and ensured Mum could handle settling on her own while Dad was at work during the day.

With a nap routine in place, an action plan for settling and re-settling, and a clear idea of how to help each baby, and in tandem, changes quickly followed.

Although we hit a sleep regression in the middle, teething, and separation anxiety, Mum and Dad remained consistent and responsive.

Naps and nighttime started to take shape, good sleep was a part of the routine, and appetite also improved!

Even when things unravelled a bit with all the milestones we hit along the way, parents' clear strategy and eye on the prize helped them push through and reinstate naps and night's sleep back into place.

After 3 weeks, the day's predictability, effective settling method, and self-settling skills are all in place to help Mum and Dad tackle any obstacle they encounter in their way.

These parents were exhausted when I came to see them. After 11 months of barely any sleep, they were understandably willing to try anything to help their twin girls sleep better.

The girls were taking 2 naps a day, but the duration varied from 30-90 minutes, and they were only settling in the pram.

Nighttime was not a restful time for anyone, as they were drinking 3 bottles, and oftentimes spending 1-2 hours awake in the middle of the night, playing in the living room until they were ready to go back to sleep.

Within only 1 week, life has transformed!

We introduced an age-appropriate nap schedule, ensuring the girls got all the rest they needed at predictable times. We reduced night feeds and implemented a gentle self-settling method to help the girls settle to sleep interdependently in their beds (no more pram…).

The girls learned to settle on their own so quickly!

Nighttime began to consolidate, and everyone’s mood improved significantly!

Now, nighttime is a time to rest, for everyone! They have a 2-hour nap in the middle of the day, which means parents get a break too.

The sleep consultation helped adjust the girls' meal times throughout the day, allowing them to sleep better and longer during both day and night.

Parents now have time for themselves, and can enjoy their time with the babies with more energy and a great mood!

Dad was not convinced sleep training works. But with 1-tear-old twins who weren't sleeping well, and 2 older children under 5, he agreed to give it a go.

The twins were starting the day at 4am, taking a while to settle during the day and night, and naps were largely a hit and miss.

At night, he and his wife will divide and conquer as each will try and settle one twin, which took close to an hour... They often ended up splitting, with one parent sleeping with each twin in separate rooms.

It also meant the older children did not have mum and dad with them at bedtime…

During a 3-week period, we worked with a gentle settling technique to help the twins settle in their cots rather than in the arms, and addressed age-appropriate wake windows.

We optimised the times and duration of their naps to their age, and slowly, a wonderful routine emerged.

The twins now sleep amazingly through the night in their own room (6:30pm-6:30am), bedtime is much faster and easier, naps are a breeze and mum and dad can attend to their older children for quality time before bed too.