by Getting your twins ready for bed is often an adventure. Regardless if your twins are newborns or toddlers, you will have the daily responsibility of getting your twins ready for bed.
Here are some tips I’ve found useful for getting our twin girls ready for bed:
Bed Time Routine
Consistency and a familiar routine are essentials for a successful bedtime with your twins.
Review your current bedtime routine and see where it differs from what you did yesterday.
Think about how you can standardize bedtime so your twins know what to expect every day.
Our toddler twin girls followed a predictable pattern every night:
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- Baths
- Put on pajamas
- Read stories
- Brush teeth
- Floss teeth
- Have family prayer
- Go potty
- Go to the bedroom
- Say prayers
- Tuck in to bed
- Mom or Dad sing them songs
- Good night and shut door
There is comfort in the familiar and repeatable pattern they go through every night. It reduces fighting (with you or each other)because they know what to expect.
We have also found it helpful to have bedtime at a consistent time every night. For us that is between 7:00 and 7:30. Granted this time varies when we have evening activities or plans that take us out of the house. Nevertheless, when we follow the pattern and stick to the routine time, the twins (and their brothers) do really well.
Tag Team the Twins
If your twins are in the routine, it will be possible to have only one parent help with bedtime. However, if your twins are still infants, you’ll find the process goes much more smoothly when both parents help.
As with most things, having two sets of adult hands is always helpful with twins. But if you are by yourself, don’t worry. You can always put one twin to bed at a time.
Peer Pressure
Leverage the power of positive peer pressure with your twins. If one twin isn’t cooperating, help her twin get ready for bed while showering her with positive attention for compliance. The resistant one will likely follow.
Pick Your Battles
Bedtime with twins can be a challenge, particularly if your twins park their heels like stubborn mules. Not all steps in the getting-ready-for-bed routine are necessary every night. Your twins will be OK if they skip baths for a night or don’t floss their teeth for a night. Be patient and compromise with choices, such as “Do you want to brush your teeth or floss?” instead of caving to their “No!” demands.
(RELATED: Still looking for the right twin gear? See my Twin Baby Gear Essentials.)
Good luck! The sooner the twins are in bed, the sooner you can rest too!
Picture by Joe Goldberg
