Sleeping Habits for Multiples

This week's Multiples and More Question of the Week is:

How do you encourage healthy sleep habits in your children?

I learned quickly with my girls that their sleeping habits were something that I would have to work with immediately. As preemies, the girls seemed to sleep a LOT more than I thought they would. They could only stay awake for about 15 minutes before they were sleeping again, so I didn't need to enforce nap time.

Majority of the time, they slept in the living room propped up on their boppy pillows on the couch because I was too nervous to let them sleep in their crib alone.

When they were about 4 1/2 months, I started nap time. They would eat and I would have them changed and in their cribs by 11:30. On a good day, they would sleep until 1:30-2 pm. It was nice. Now their making it till 3 which is even better. They're a lot more personable at night time if they have good naps (which goes for any baby really). Now that they're eating solids, they sleep a lot better.

I've had to teach myself along with the girls that it's ok to cry. I know that if I run to the girls when they start crying, it'll start a trend that will be hard to fix. So, when I lay them down, I leave the room, close the door and turn their monitor off for 15 minutes. I know that they'll probably cry for a bit, but not because they're hurt or in pain...it's because they want their Moma. So...it's ok. They usually cry for about 5 minutes and then fall asleep...if they're exhausted, it's usually quicker than that. Since they've learned to suck their thumbs, they've been a lot better.

They used to sleep together...but now it's a different story.

3 1/2 months

There are occasions, like today, that they wake up out of the blue. Sometimes I can rock them back to sleep. However, there are those times when they are just wide awake and there's no saving nap time. That's when I bring them in the living room, lay them on their tummy mat and let them play. They usually end up falling back to sleep for a bit. Which is fine.

I've been lucky so far that they're used to loud noises. When I was pregnant, the dogs would bark a lot at people who walked by the house. So, thankfully, they're used to their loud voices. I'm sure I owe it to them that the if one wakes up (which is usually Savannah) crying, the other one keeps sleeping. It's been nice...but I'm sure it will end one day. *sad face*

How do you deal with nap time? Is it a struggle? Share your tips over at Multiples and More.