Twins Sleep Through the Night in Two Days

Overwhelmed Mom of Twins and a Toddler in Search of Sleep Support

Nicole reached out when she and her husband were broken from sleep deprivation. They had a toddler who wouldn’t fall asleep before 9:30 pm, and newborn twins who woke up every 1-2 hours, all night long. Both parents are physicians. At the end of her maternity leave, Nicole began to work 12-hour overnight shifts in the ER. Nick was alone with all three kids from 6 pm – 8 am, then had to see patients all day! Because it was easiest to feed the babies to sleep (and back to sleep in the middle of the night), the twins were taking most of their calories at night, and not feeding so well during the day. Both parents were overwhelmed, totally exhausted, and had no tools to end this cycle of madness. In desperation, they planned to hire a baby nurse to help Nick with overnights. 

Why a Night Nurse Wasn’t the Right Sleep Solution

Nicole and Nick desperately needed a solution to their sleep challenges. The babies were waking every 1-2 hours at night, and their toddler was having some sleep challenges as well. They learned from interviewing night nurses that the investment didn’t make sense. Night nurses were essentially expensive Band-Aids, offered no assistance with sleep training, with no clear end in sight to how long they would need their support. While a night nurse would offer short-term relief, they did the math and realized that hiring a sleep consultant with Mommywise was a better investment because it offered a sustainable solution.

Choosing a Baby Sleep Consultant Instead

After interviewing several night nurses, Nicole and Nick felt pretty defeated. They searched online for another solution to sleep train the twins and reached out to us at 3 am after a particularly bad night. I heard on our call that both parents were really struggling, and that Nicole was especially concerned about how Nick would cope when she returned to work and began working overnight shifts. They needed hope that they could and would sleep again, and I was happy to give them that hope. I assured them that I was confident we could get the twins sleeping 11-12 hours through the night in the same room. I knew from what they shared on the phone that we could get the babies night-weaned, feeding better during the day, and into a predictable three-nap schedule during the day. I was also confident that we could help troubleshoot the issues they were having with their toddler’s bedtime (she was a good sleeper, just wouldn’t go down before 9:30 pm)! 

Within 24 hours, they were connected with their Mommywise Coach, Erika, who is also a mother of twins and has helped countless parents and babies sleep! We booked a Platinum Package, which includes 5 nights and 4 days of in-home sleep training support, followed by unlimited remote coaching after the in-home portion. (We don’t charge extra for multiples, but we do recommend a package with 4 or 5 nights of in-home support.)  

Practical, Hands-on Approach from our Mommywise Sleep Consultant

Erika arrived at 5:00 pm on the first day of their package, and became “part of the family” during her 5-night stay. Erika started by thanking them for trusting her to guide them through sleep training their twins. She assured them that while the days ahead might be a bit hectic (especially in their small NYC apartment!), she knew the results – the babies would learn to self-soothe, put themselves back to sleep through the night, they would be night weaned, feeding better during the day on a 4-hour feeding schedule, and that she would guide them through every decision they needed to make to accomplish all of their goals, and ensure that they won’t ever go back to the mess they were currently in. 

From there, Erika discussed strategy and what she recommended to start. The twins had been sleeping in separate rooms in Snoos. Nicole had been nursing one of the twins down in their room, and Nick had been rocking the other twin to sleep in the nursery. Erika suggested that we keep the twins separated for the first 1-3 nights, then put them together again when they were sleeping through the night. She recommended they do the same for naps until the twins got better at connecting their sleep cycles during naps. 

Erika checked the cribs for safety and checked the video monitors to ensure she could see both babies. Then, she guided Nick and Nicole to put the babies down awake. As with all sleep training methods, there were some inevitable tears, but nothing like what Nick and Nicole feared (our approach makes it easier for babies to learn to self-soothe, with as few tears as possible!). Nicole was understandably sensitive to her babies’ cries, so Erika offered the option to take a walk or a long shower for bedtime. Instead, she decided to stay to learn from Erika and watch her babies fall asleep independently for the first time! Which they did, within less than an hour. No nursing, no pacifiers, no swaddle, no Snoo, no bouncing and rocking. Both parents were shocked that they could do it, and with far less crying than they expected!

While the first night was long and hard (both babies woke up several times), they magically slept through the second night and started going down for naps without crying. From there, the babies consistently slept through the night in the same room for 11-12 hours a night. They were night-weaned by the fourth day, and eating better during the days.

The biggest challenge with multiples is getting them on the same schedule, especially when one of them wakes up from naps before the other. Erika worked with Nicole and Nick for four consecutive days. She helped them slowly shift their feedings to reduced overnight feeds and fuller day feeds (6-7 oz), every 4 hours. She helped them learn to connect their sleep cycles so they could sleep for more than 30-40 minutes at a time. While there were many twists and turns over the five nights Erika was with them, Nicole and Nick were included in every decision they made, and felt empowered to continue working on an ideal nap schedule during the days. (Predictable nap schedules usually take 2-3 weeks to come together.)

Better Sleep for the Entire Family

Erika encouraged Nicole and Nick to catch up on sleep while she was there. Erika watched the monitor anytime the babies woke up. Of course, Nicole couldn’t sleep on the first night, but woke up after the second night, completely shocked that her babies had slept all night! Nicole and Nick had their first night of uninterrupted sleep since the babies were born! It took a few days, but the whole family started getting more sleep and began looking and acting more rested. The babies were visibly happier and could play independently for longer periods of time. 

12 Hours of Uninterrupted Sleep for Twins

Twelve hours of sleep for twins is hard to accomplish, especially a 7 pm-7 am schedule. Babies aren’t robots, and babies whom we help sleep train don’t always sleep 12 hours a night. For example, some babies wake up at 6/6:30 am no matter what we try! But these twins were rockstars and fell into a 7 pm-7 am schedule, with three naps and feeds every 4 hours, really quickly. Erika noted that after the twins slept through the night for a few nights, they were visibly more rested. Instead of taking 3-4 oz bottles every 2-3 hours, they drank 6-7 oz bottles every 4 hours. While they were more fussy and clingy before sleep training, they began playing independently for longer stretches. She said that they looked like completely different babies – so happy and rested!

Toddler Sleep Issues Subsided

You know that the twins slept together in the same room for 12 hours after two nights with Erika, but what about the 2-year-old toddler? Her sleep improved as well. She had been sleeping through the night, but bedtime had crept later and later over the past year until they couldn’t get her down before 9:30 pm. However, she still woke at 6:30 am which meant she was only getting 9 hours of night sleep, so she was super cranky and tired during the day. They learned a few toddler sleep training tips from Erika, including that they needed to start bedtime earlier and also set some boundaries about what is permissible before bedtime. Their toddler had been falling asleep after a bottle of milk, so Erika recommended eliminating bottles. She wanted to read multiple books (she was using it as a stalling technique), Erika recommended limiting bedtime to three short books. She wanted one of her parents to lie down with her until she fell asleep. Erika coached them to give her space to fall asleep independently so they could have their evenings back. Their daughter whined a little but ultimately complied, and by the end of Erika’s stay, their toddler was getting 11 hours of night sleep between 7:30 pm – 6:30 am!

Sleep Training with Mommywise is Literal Magic!

People come to us after months of struggling with sleep challenges, after “trying everything” (and failing). 100% of the time, we deliver sustainable results. Nicole said in her online review that working with Erika and Mommywise was “nothing short of life-changing” and “literal magic!” They could have used their money on night nurses with no end in sight, but they chose instead to invest in our sleep training support. Nicole says in her review, “save your night nurse money” and invest in Mommywise instead. Most importantly, Nicole and Nick got their lives and sanity back and felt so much better as a whole family! 

Let’s review the results:

• Twins slept 12 hours through the night 
• Both twins moved into the nursery
• Toddler started going to bed at 7:30pm without struggle
• Parents saved money by not hiring a night nurse
• Twins were night-weaned and ate better during the day
• Twins settled into a predictable nap/feed schedule
• Parents got their bedroom, evenings, and their lives back
• The whole family became visibly more rested