FertilityZone

Ladies,

It's been a while since I lasted posted but I need some advice from other twin mummies. My girls will be three in August and have always been great sleepers thank goodness but now the daily nighttime battle is really starting to wear me out!!

Problems have all started since their cot sides came off about two months ago. I have two wonderful, very energetic little girls who love to climb. They go to be every night about 8 and most nights they are just falling asleep about 11pm. They just seem to have a ball in their room and take forever to settle themselves down to sleep. They love climbing up onto the window sill and I'm scared they'll fall and hurt themselves. I've had to lock the window as they were opening it. I've never rocked or held them to fall asleep but now they can roam it's a battle of them playing, fighting with each other, tears and general messing about. I've tried shouting, being silent ignoring them, taking toys off etc but nothing seems to work. I've cut their nap back to 30 mins and they are tired but just won't go down to sleep now.

I am considering separating them into different rooms but they absolutely adore each other and I'm reluctant to separate them but I'm now just really tired and cranky with it all. I have them most nights on my own as DH works shifts so bedtime always falls to me.

Any advice or words of sanity would be greatly appreciated xx

Hi Claire,

Not sure I have much advice because I am still struggling with this problem. Having said that as soon as the sides came off the cots they started to climb up onto the window sill and I went into the garden one night with the dog only to see that they had opened the window and one angel was pushing the other out onto the outside window sill so definitely locking the window is a must

My biggest prob is them actually climbing onto the window sill but I don't have the room to move their beds about enough to keep both beds away from the window to stop them climbing up so if you have the space try to keep the beds away from the window.

I also found that one of my girls no longer needs a nap. I had cut out naos from both of them at nursery but found that Kate who has always needed more sleep was hitting and nipping a lot. I worked out that a lot of it was down to tiredness and reintroduced naptime for her and it has helped. Think sometimes as twin mummies it makes life easier for us to treat them the same but they simply aren't and it helps to remain somewhat flexible.

I've found that the naughty step works well with one of my angels and not the other who thinks it's hilarious when she is put on the naughty step but she hates when i take one of her cuddly toys off her at bedtime and that keeps her in bed if it get taken off her and she only gets it back if I get a good report from nursery and she has been good all the next day.

Ever wish there was a parenting boom out there written just for your children

Good luck for when the sides come down xx

Hi ladies, I'm not on site much either just don't have the same time!!

A solution ... I wish ladies!!! They have thankfully stopped climbing up on to the windows after much nagging and shouting at them about the danger it seemed to sink in finally. Night-time is still an hour long process really except now they use suing hide and seek to stretch out bedtime and just when I think they are going to settle down one declares they need to do wee wees and poos and net thing they've taken off their bedtime nappies and trot off to the toilet by themselves.

I try not to stress too much about it and it's not like i ever stay until they fall asleep so that's not an issue. But sometimes when I'm very tired myself it is still hard work. I generally find if they are playing up a lot after the usual tucking in episodes etc I tell them if I have to come back I won't speak to them. They try all sorts of guilt with their tears at that point with lots of "are you sad mummy?" or "i love you more mummy"!!! It's hard to stay quiet but does work very well when they realise I'm not gonna talk

Our house is just up for sale cos we've found a bigger house that needs a bit of work done to it so will decide then about separating them. I know they wouldn't like it but it would definitely make them settle quicker if they were apart. In t

Oh have my msg is missing!!

Just saying we will decide when we move BUT we (fingers crossed) will need the extra room as we have our FET appt next week tontry to have baby bro/sis(s) for my girlies. So it goes to show it does get better

Any questions give me a shout anytime and good luck xx