by Jennifer Powers

Created on: March 03, 2009

One of the questions I asked myself was how I would lay my twins down to sleep. Would I let them co-sleep with us in our bed, put them in the same crib, swaddle them, put them on their back or put them on their tummy, and what time should they be laid down to go to sleep? As a new parent, I wanted to know what was deemed safe and what was not deemed safe. Sometimes it might not all go according to the plan we have in mind.

Sudden Infant Death Syndroms (SIDS) is a common concern for parents today. It is said babies put to sleep on their tummies have an increased risk of SIDS. For the first six weeks, my babies were swaddled and placed into their own seperate crib on their backs. We put them on a sleep positioner to prevent them from rolling over in the middle of the night, and we then had to add a crib wedge to elevate the mattress since they seemed to spit up on a regular basis. Every now and then one or both babies would have to join us in bed as they wanted to be comforted, but all that changed when they developed harsh colds at six weeks. On a nightly basis, the only way the babies would sleep is on their tummies because they could not breath from all the congestion when laid on their backs. They also had to be in our bed with us so they could feel safe and secure. After two weeks, they finally got better, but laying them on their backs to sleep was a thing of the past. While I had always told myself I would always place my babies on their backs so we wouldn't have to worry about SIDS, my concern for them being healthy and well-rested took its place. I have faith that they will be safe lying on their tummies.

Some other questions regarding laying your infant down to sleep is whether or not they should be given a pacifier. Pacifiers aren't recommended before one month of age, but after that, it can be introduced to help sooth your baby. Not only do pacifiers decrease the risk of SIDS, this also gives your baby something to pacify on if awakened suddenly or just to help with initially going to sleep. However, do bear in mind once your baby outgrows the pacifier, not to replace it with a bottle. Giving bottles to a baby at bedtime have been proven to wear teeth enamel and cause cavities.

However you decide to lay your infant down to sleep, establish a sleep pattern early on. We were told to wake our babies every two hours during the day to help train them to sleep through the night. As a pattern developed, the twins learned they needed to eat more before bed so they could last longer through the night. Our trick to get our five month old twins to sleep is to nurse, eat some Oatmeal, take a bottle, give a nighttime bath, and finally soothe them to sleep with nursing. We might have a two hour feeding routine, but putting them to bed at 8 pm to have them sleep until 6 am makes a very well rested family!

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Powers.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.