Newborn twins Case Studies

These newborn girls were used to settling in the arms, and transferring to their cots more often than not ended up with them waking up.

Cat napping was the most they could do in their cot, and sometimes not even that.

Mum was accumulating fatigue, and so did the girls. As Dad was at work during the day, Mum had to find a way to do this on her own, and help all three get the rest they needed.

Although they were only 3 months old, there was still a lot we could do to help them get more sleep during the day, and settle more independently.

We worked on a newborns’ sleep plan that focused on:

1. the girls’ age (age-appropriate wake window).

2. optimizing sleep environment.

3. observing feeding windows

4. effective settling and re-settling strategies

This sleep plan helped the girls begin to settle in their cots rather than in the arms, and learn how to link sleep cycles. We slowly phased their cat naps out.

Transferring to the cot and settling in their day beds became more successful too. This meant Mum could tandem settle, and get the girls on a similar schedule more easily.

Following the sleep plan meant Mum could plan the day’s errands and rhythm without having to be bound to the house all day, and have a more predictable schedule for their wake and sleep times.

These little twins were 5 weeks old when we started working together (3 weeks premature). They were sleeping in the buggy in the living-room, and were awake for too long between naps. This made settling efforts very hard, and sleep was not lasting for long once achieved. The evenings were particularly difficult between 8pm-2am, with frequent wake-ups. Re-settling took a long time, at times 1.5 hours during the night.

Our course of action focused on newborns’ age-appropriate wake windows, as well as a better sleep environment and effective newborn's setting technique. The twins responded very well to the changes offered. Once sleep was offered at better times of the day, we used an effective settling method and optimal environment - they settled faster and slept better.

Parents’ consistency and commitment to the sleep programme helped their efforts bear fruit fast. The twins slept better and longer, and had a much better mood during the day.

the boys were 8 weeks old, but 4 weeks corrected age when we started working together. They struggled to settle to sleep and usually skipped one nap a day, leaving them very overtired for the next nap. This accumulated fatigue made it harder for them to settle to sleep and consolidate sleep cycles.

Looking at their daily schedule, we addressed their wake windows to help them build a better sleep drive and settle better to sleep. It also helped them sleep for longer when sleep was offered and improved their night's sleep.

We optimised the sleep environment and established an age-appropriate sleep routine. Even for newborns, this can make a huge difference when establishing good sleeping habits.

Our two-week programme has set the stage for much-needed sleep for parents and bubbas alike. This helped the parents get them on a similar routine and took the load off of on-going settling and re-settling, and reduced the crying significantly.

The little ones thus started their journey towards restorative sleep and good sleeping habits.

Only 1.5 weeks premature, these girls wee edging towards the end of their newborn phase. This meant a small scale of self-settling could soon be introduced. But we needed to get the ground ready first…

The girls were mostly sleeping on the go, or in the arms, and re-settling wasn’t quite established. Cat-napping was a constant companion of the day which resulted in accumulated fatigue, and the evenings were thus unpleasant.

With mum mostly on her own during the day, we needed to find a solution to work on settling in their cots, and make everybody comfortable with a new nap routine.

By tweaking the timing of their nap, observing age appropriate wake windows, and introducing an effective settling and re-settling technique, slowly, but surely, better and longer sleep was starting to take place. One of the girls was beginning to self-settle, which gave mum the confidence she needed to support her new established skill. It also meant more attention could be given to her twin sister, who needed a bit more support as she was learning to adjust to the changes.

A newborn routine for the day and night, age-appropriate schedule and a newborn-specific settling method, meant the girls were extending their naps during the day, and beginning to wake up at a more decent time in the morning within only 2 weeks.

Both Mum and Dad noticed the girls’ crying has changed too, as they build trust and confidence in themselves and the settling method, and with less fatigue accumulate during the day their mood while awake improved too!

Settling these 4-month-old twin boys was definitely a challenge for Mum and Dad. Understandably, parents have used various props and techniques to help them settle, from using bouncers, rocking, and the Snoo.

Mum and Dad were very keen on helping their babies learn to settle independently in their beds, and get a routine that would help them get the sleep they needed during the day and night.

While one baby was still dealing with feeding aversion, we started with just the one twin. Twin B joined the process a few days later.

We introduced an age-appropriate nap schedule, and an out-of-the-room settling technique. We observed wake windows, feeding times and consistent settling strategies. Parents were keen to support their babies as much as they needed, yet wanted to allow them to develop self-settling skills.

The first week was a bit challenging for Twin A and parents, as everyone adjusted to the new routine and settled in, yet progress emerged in small and big steps. And by week 2, things really took shape! Twin B responded well to the changes, and as parents knew what to expect, and getting him on the same routine was easier.

The first and fastest thing that changed was that babies were calming down without needing to be rocked and tapped. Parents learned that their presence was an effective calming factor, and the babies were no longer required to be held and touched each time to settle.

Also, by removing the swaddle and giving babies time to find strategies to settle independently, they began rolling in their cribs, and started falling asleep on their tummy (which is great once babies can independently roll back and forth).

Then, babies began to consolidate sleep cycles, and naps began to extend. This meant less overtiredness and better bedtime settling. Now, bedtime was falling into place, which meant nighttime began to consolidate.

We gradually reduced night feeds to 2, and Twin B (with the feeding aversion) shuffled his calorie intake to daytime.

While there were still minor things to tweak, after 2.5 weeks Mum and Dad were having a predictable routine, settling was done smoothly without any rocking, and babies learned to self-settle, and re-settle (a more complex skill to learn), which meant they were sleeping better and longer.