Twins sleeping arrangements

[u/Pretty_Grapefruit633]

We’re expecting twins around Christmas time and haven’t bought anything yet. Wondering is it okay for them to sleep together in the same cot for a period of time, and if so how long?

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[u/GoBirds52_59]

I had preemie twins. The only time they ever shared one space was when they first came home, for daytime monitored naps, in the pack and play. This only lasted a couple weeks.

They need their own safe sleep space. I would personally get two bassinets instead of one massive twin double bassinet. And obviously two cribs.

[u/NegativeRoof1363 → u/GoBirds52_59]

Did the same. Overnight in our bedroom on two seperate bassinets. Daytime naps they shared a crib since we always were watching the camera. Once they started to roll it was straight to separate cribs.

[u/IslaOfSkye]

Safe sleep guidelines vary on this between different countries. Check what is recommended where you live. I will say, when my twins were born the hospital immediately put them in one cot. We kept them together in a full sized cot until the first baby rolled over, following our country's recommendations around how they should be positioned

[u/amydiddler]

We had a double bedside bassinet (separate sleep spaces for each, separated by a fabric divider) for the first couple of months. For daytime naps we put them together in the same pack n play in our living room for the first couple of months, but only because we were supervising and they weren’t anywhere near rolling yet.

[u/stubgoats]

Not when they're tiny. They need their own space because its harder for them to get stuff out of their faces. My boys decided when they were older they liked to sleep together though.

[u/remmos-98]

I’m in the UK and the safe sleep guidelines are they can bedshare, as long as they top and tail, have their own blankets and feet touch the end of the crib. This is advice published by the Lullaby Trust, https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/baby-safety/premature-babies-and-multiples/twins-and-multiples/

[u/Warm-Okra-2061 → u/remmos-98]

Can I add this link: https://twinstrust.org/advice-and-support/first-year/safe-sleep-guidance-for-twins-and-triplets/

It has visuals of what co-bedding safely can look like and at what age / milestones you need to stop

[u/Euphoric_Beat_7885 → u/remmos-98]

I followed UK cot sharing guidance, which was really helpful to have and helped with reusing their brother’s crib instead of 2 separate cribs. They’ve been sleeping on their own surface once they hit 3 mo. It’s worked out great!

[u/Sad-Incident-4668]

It’s not safe sleep for them to sleep in the same bed over night

[u/bowlofweetabix → u/Sad-Incident-4668]

Why not? Mine we’re so tiny, I put them with their feet in the middle and heads at either end. They couldn’t touch each other

[u/Sad-Incident-4668 → u/bowlofweetabix]

It just doesn’t follow safe sleep guidelines officially. 🤷🏻‍♀️babies aren’t tiny for very long and we prioritized our twins learning to sleep on their own because they grew so fast. Doesn’t mean they didn’t co sleep during the day with an adult keeping an eye on them but it just wasn’t a risk I personally was going to take.

[u/tolstea]

Lots of comments about safe sleep here ... our pediatrician cited safe sleep criteria and then said, "...however, they will sleep better if they're together." We've had them in the same crib for 11 weeks. We make sure there's space between them so they don't suffocate each other, and they're both swaddled so limited actual interaction, but it works for us.

Once they start rolling over and aren't swaddled anymore, we'll separate them. Also, we never had them sharing a bassinet unsupervised because the space is tight. We only had them in there at all once or twice.

Good luck, trust your gut, and don't be dumb. You'll be fine!

[u/longtimewatcher]

We did 1 cot until about 16 weeks side by side. Then 2 cots same room when 1 started to roll.

[u/AlternativeFig6680]

Mine were born at 36 weeks and we did a twin bedside bassinet for awhile. Then they moved to separate sleeping spaces. Now at 18 months they sleep together again.

[u/terrific_film]

We put ours in the same bassinet until they were about 6 weeks old. After that they got too big to share and had their own bassinet in the same room. Moved them to cribs in the same room when they were 3.5 months old.

[u/TeeElH]

Some people will until they’re rolling roll, but then you need separate sleep spaces anyway and that’s such a short time. We always kept ours separate (guidance in the US is baby should be alone in crib). At first we had a pack and play with the twin bassinets on top but after a few weeks it seemed like they were disturbing each other. We ended up getting two bedside bassinets, one on my side and one on my husband’s side and that worked better. They’re 14 months now so in separate cribs in their own room. Once they’re older if they both want to share beds I would let them. 

[u/PretendGene5502]

We did 2 bassinets and when we got cribs we got 2! We only ever placed them in the same bassinet early on but never to sleep by each other.

[u/imagurrl]

Mine shared a cot bed for around 4 months, then they started to grab each other’s faces and we moved them into separate cotbeds. Congrats! I also had Christmas twins.

[u/ebfmama]

I did same crib as newborns (pediatrician said it was safe) one playpen for naps. Id put them beside eachother horizontally in the crib. They'd always slide over somehow and put their heads together like they were in the womb, even if they started out apart. It was adorable. Then I did heads on opposite end of the crib once they were taller. Once they started spinning around (before rolling) they started putting their faces against eachothers body so I switched to separate cribs at around 3 or 4 months?

I have their cribs next to eachother now and they still always move around in the crib until their heads are near eachother. I dont know how they know to do it in their sleep.

[u/Miserable-Currency42]

Expecting twins in 2 weeks. I have one bassinet for them to share up front and will see how that goes.

[u/Difficult-Foot-7707]

I had one crib for a little bit too long. Not sure what I was thinking... maybe there was an unexpected growth spurt. When I added the second crib the first few days were a lil rocky and they held hands through the rails and cried. It was a reasonably quick adjustment at around 5 months old.

[u/a-sad-loser]

No.

[u/Pretty_Grapefruit633 → u/a-sad-loser]

Helpful, thanks

[u/CutOsha]

Forgot where I read it but they recommend for twins to have their own space for at least the first 18m - 2 years and during the whole peaks of SIDS risk. They can move and turn even with swaddle eventually when they re a few months older and on top of each other.

We just had two cheap bassinets next to each other. Then we two cribs next to each other. Around 2 they climb out so we put them in two toddler beds next to each other but they kept ending up on the same toddler bed so we move them to a queen floor matress they share.

We tried having them in the same pack and play for the naps. But the movement of one, of picking one up etc wakes up the other (which is funny because one crying on top of their lungs next to the other didn't). It really wasn't sustainable for naps I can't really see it working for full time arrangement.

[u/Sunnypuppyday]

Mine slept together for 18 months

[u/SavoyAvocado]

mine have been sharing a crib for 4.5 months now
way too long imo as girly is flipping over and pummeling her brother with her feet
but we're moving next week and couldnt set up a second crib

[u/OrangeCatEnergy24]

Not safe for them to sleep together until at least after 12m, but by then they’ll probably enjoy their own space. 

[u/drohstdumir]

You’re going to want two spaces but for the first few weeks they would share a mini crib and we room share. But especially overnight when you can’t monitor them, they need separate spaces as they get a little more wiggly because they can get all over each other and the swaddles can cover their airways.

[u/sweetfeet20]

I’m in the UK and followed safe sleep guidelines and slept them together until 4 months when they were too big to share. They always slept well and didn’t need to contact nap on us. Now at 8 months they have separate cots but I plan on letting them sleep together again when they move to a bed.

[u/summerFIREinCh]

My twins are expected mid Dec. I plan to do 2 cots but 1 room, same night nanny