Not Waking Twins Up

Why You Shouldn’t Always Wake Your Twins Up

As a twin sleep consultant, I often hear about waking up both twins to keep them on a routine... But there is a catch!

Getting twins on the same routine is definitely easier, but always waking one twin up just because the other woke up means you can end up with two overtired babies.

And... They can both develop “bad” sleeping habits.

Because when you always wake them up to maintain a routine you aren't necessarily creating a routine, but you can inadvertently create "bad" sleeping habits such as not completing sleep cycles and/or not linking sleep cycles (cat naps).

Babies learn to link sleep cycles when they are given opportunities to re-settle, and when they are able to complete sleep cycles. By waking them up before they are “ready”, they will learn to sleep for short periods of time.

Therefore, helping the early-rising twin return to sleep helps them change their sleeping habits and enforce the good sleeping habits of the one who is asleep.

When to wake the other twin up?

There are times when waking both up works well and makes sense, like night feeds, or if the other is just about to finish a sleep cycle.

Yet if one baby sleeps great and another wakes up after 30 minutes, I will not wake up the one who sleeps well. That will be counterproductive.

Instead of waking both twins up

Keep a sleep log and observe their sleep duration.

Baby’s sleep cycle lasts 45-50 minutes. So if one twin wakes up after 30 minutes, help them go back to sleep. If they aren’t due for a feed and one wakes up, try and help them go back to sleep for another sleep cycle. These re-settling efforts will help your babies sleep better and longer, and then eat better when food is offered.

Because tired babies don’t eat well, and hungry babies can’t sleep well.

This means that over time, you will have two babies who know how to sleep well…

And... They will be on the same routine.

So, I invite you to think twice before waking up your twins to create a routine. If you are after better sleep, it might not be the best way to achieve it.

If you want more help with your twins’ sleep, book a sleep consultation package today. Or you can learn how I can help your twins sleep better in a free discovery call below.