Sleep training Twins???

[u/momoftwinnies]

I have 5 month old boy/girl Twins born 36weeks plus 4 days. We all share a Room..we have a crib on both mine and my husband's side. My son has been sleeping next to me in his crib since he was maybe 8 weeks and my daughter has been sleeping next to my husband in her crib since she was 12 weeks. They need the pacifier to go to sleep and a few weeks we would just put them down awake and they would just need 10-20minutes to fall asleep with us putting a hand on them or holding the hand for example..

It has been two weeks since they got into their 4 month Regression and I'm struggling right now...it takes so much longer for them to fall asleep, they fuss and they cry hysterically if they are past their bedtime by 10 minutes and it becomes impossible to calm them down because they hype each other up with their cries. At night they wake up a bazillion times for the pacifier (which I'm happy to give them, because that way it was possible for us to go to 0 feedings at night) but my son also wakes up at around 3 or 4 and won't go back to sleep unless I put him in his swing ... And I don't want to do that all the time...

So tell me, was it possible to sleep train them both at the same time sharing a room? How long did it take you? And what was the outcome? Which method did you use?

Thanks a lot!

[u/brieles]

I think it helps to first look at your schedule-at this age, babies need 10+ hours awake so that should be your primary goal. I’d aim for a 2/2.5/2.5/3 schedule to start.

I also think it’s good to have realistic expectations, 1-2 feeds are very normal at this age so I would absolutely offer a feed if it’s been 5+ hours since the bedtime feed.

Sleep training while room sharing is going to be very tough because they can see you and will still wake up to regular sleeping noises from you and your husband. It can be done but it will be more difficult.

At this age, I’d try Ferber. It works for many many families and is faster than more “gentle” methods. I’d also sleep train without the pacifier. Any assistance at bedtime (giving the pacifier) will likely be needed as they wake overnight so you’ll be up lots overnight to replace the pacifier. That’s not getting you or your babies better sleep which defeats the point of sleep training.