Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins: A Step-by-Step Program for Sleep-Training Your Multiples

by Marc Weissbluth

From one of the nation’s most trusted experts on children’s bedtime and nap time comes a new guide for sleep-training twins so that everybody (including Mom and Dad) will be rested and happy!

As parents of twins and multiples know, double the fun can be double the sleep deprivation. Now, in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins , beloved pediatrician and renowned sleep authority Dr. Marc Weissbluth combines specialized advice for parents of twins with his tried-and-true sleep-training methods to show exhausted moms and dads how to get their babies to sleep on their own, stay asleep, and sleep regularly. This essential step-by-step guide to establishing good sleep patterns reveals how to build healthy habits in twins’ natural slumber cycles, including

• how healthy sleep differs from “junk” sleep, plus a helpful tutorial on the techniques of sleep training for new parents
• the five ingredients of healthy sleep, and why daytime sleep is different from nighttime sleep but equally important to good health
• why it’s crucial for babies to master the ability to fall asleep unassisted, without protest or crying, and how to help them do so
• essential tips for synchronizing your twins’ sleep schedules, plus information about how twins sleep best–when to keep them together, and when it’s time to separate them
• how to recognize early drowsy cues in your babies so you can catch the sleep wave before it turns into nervous energy that will keep them awake

Sleep-training twins presents a unique set of challenges. This invaluable guide will not only get your babies to sleep through the night but help you stay healthy and rested so you can enjoy the many blessings of having more than one!

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Self Help, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably most of you will not be looking for guidance on sleep-training multiples, but there is a prior version ("Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby") for those that prefer one baby at a time. However, assuming the principles are the same, I wouldn't recommend it. The first section about healthy sleep vs. "junk" sleep is wonderful and I was very excited about the book. But as for the actually technique, I was disappointed. It is pretty vague. I came away with, "Just do what feels natural and then at four months let them cry it out for an hour plus for a few nights and you can enjoy sleep again." I personally think "On Becoming Baby Wise" is more effective and humane for babies and parents.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, to the point, helpful, and easy to read. My main take aways: synchronize their sleep schedules right away and get help.

[Morgan Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book. There's enough depth to be helpful but was also very brief and practical. Sections on reseach statistics are mostly useless but still interesting! Definitely worth the read. I'm excited to try this balanced sleep training method with my twins.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this will be a good resource! I probably only absorbed half of it but I feel better reading it before the twins come and will have a good book to look back to when I have questions.

[Cait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that this book is geared toward twins specifically. So much of the sleep advice I see doesn’t take another baby into account (moms on call has a teeny chapter on it that I didn’t find helpful). This book confirmed much of what I was already doing (yay!) but also helped me a lot - specifically with naps. I appreciate how short and to the point this book is (it appears the author is aware that twin parents don’t have much time lol)

[Nahla Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I owe my good night's sleep, my husband's, and most importantly, my twins, sleep to this book (as well as the original and Babywise if I'm being honest). Following the principles mentioned in those three books helped me get my twins sleeping at least 11 hours through the night before they were 3 months old.

That being said, I, having read the original, came prepared so I was just looking for information about getting both of my twins to sleep at the same time amd through the night. I do think that this book is missing a lot of information compared to the first one, but I did want it to be precise, as I can't say I liked how long and redundant the first one was, but I think it was taken a little too far.
Especially with the different techniques and what works for which age. Also, this book doesn't give you much info about what happens after your kids get past a certain age (3 I think?), you still need to manage your kids' sleep after that, you know.
So yeah, it's good, but just don't depend solely on it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skimmed this book. I've already read a lot on sleep training so there was nothing new in this for me, but it would be a good place to start for new parents.

[Leanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for parents of multiples, be it twins, triplets, or quads. Thank God and those who recommended this book, we were struggling not getting any sleep before we used the method described. If you are feeding twins all night, this will help you get some sleep and sanity, plus help your twins get on a schedule so they feel better. Highly recommended!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read nearly all of it and then stopped when it got to older ages... I think I’ll wait til I’m closer to that time to read those parts because I know I won’t remember. Some useful advice and some I don’t entirely agree with, but it may be a good reference if we run into sleep trouble!

[Daniel Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative read. It made me feel supported and not judged for the struggle that is raising twins. My wife and I are first time parents of twins and we look forward to trying out some of the strategies in this book.

[Kathryn E · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written with Unclear direction

Poorly written, circular logic, author used no outline. It’s just word vomit with no distinct direction
Best advice was to go with your gut
Nothing that wasn’t intuitive
Not worth reading

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio from the library in preparation for sleep advice for the twins. I will probably need to listen to it again once the babies are 4-6 months old to refresh my memory. It was an easy listen and full of helpful sleep advice.

[Madee Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My twins are not born yet so I cannot say how effective this method is, but I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of practical advice and realistic expectations for having twins. It made me feel more confident in sleep training and breastfeeding my twins when they do arrive.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. I liked Babywise better.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to see if this sleep training guru can help the girls during their tough time in the evening.

[Sabina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crit. reading if you have multiples.

[Anuvratrao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful

[Lillian Gray Fox Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful

[Madelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful. I will revisit sections of the book.

[Andrew Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short enough that it wasn't too much of a commitment, but definitely could have been shorter. There were like 3-4 main points that the entirety of this book boiled down to.

[Tyler Foglesong]

TBD on efficacy

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some interesting tips, hope it works!

[Ricki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read 7 books now on baby sleep, and here is what I have learned: Babies are different.

Here are the more memorable books in order from easy to hard. #1 on this list assumes that your baby will be easy and naturally fall into a schedule of naps that works for them and everyone else. On the other end of the spectrum, #6 on this list assumes that your baby needs to be forced into to be a rigid, drill-sergeant schedule, to basically sleep-deprive them during the day so they will sleep 8 hours in a row at night, for the sake of everyone's sanity.

1. Baby Sleep Book
I have to put this one at #1 because it's obviously the first one on the spectrum. Sears is famous for giving advice to co-sleep, demand feed, basically do whatever baby wants. But if that worked, I wouldn't need to read books to get our lives in order, so I didn't even bother reading this one.
2. Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Twins
"Sleep begets sleep." Hahaha no.
3. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
Best attitude, mostly good advice. I wish this had worked for us.
4. Baby Wise
How to set up a schedule and understand the shifting sleep needs of your growing baby.
5. Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems
How to "cry it out" once your child is developmentally ready. Definitely read the book instead of just googling how to do it. Interesting to read the psychology of what to do and why.
6. Contented Little Baby
A rigid, probably somewhat arbitrary timetable. Great for twins, because if you don't keep a timetable they will not nap at the same times, and then your household is chaos.

[Katie Curlee Hamblen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty helpful and straightforward information regarding sleep training/schedule for your twins. Most sources point out how necessary it is to sync your twins' sleeping/feeding schedules. This book goes further in explaining the sleep developments that occur as the twins grow, and methods for encouraging good sleep. It also discusses differences in sleep between identical and fraternal twins, and twins born with and without reproductive assistance. Also emphasizes the fact that premature twins still need to catch up to their due date before you can expect the sleep developments that come at "x" weeks of age.

Though everyone has to experiment individually with the specifics that work for them, there is good general advice here that applies to everyone. Some of it is probably old hat to people who have older children, but either way, twins seem to have their own "rules."

There is also a chapter on breastfeeding twins, though I found Ina May's guide more helpful for breastfeeding advice.

[Caryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now, we sleep!

My daughter and her 8-month-old twin boys moved in with my husband and I on a moments notice. I don't regret it for a second, but the first few nights were hard. I love those little guys fiercely, but no sleep can make even the most doting grandma a "Grumpy Gus!" My daughter texted me the link to this book, saying "You should really read this!" I said, "Why? Is it good?" "I don't know" said she. I can't stay awake to read it! Will you read it and tell me what we're going to do?" So I did, mostly overnight rocking one of the boys. And we set to work following the guidance in the book. I'm over-the-moon when I say they have slept 10-12 hours nearly every night since that first week. No lie. They are happier and more playful during the day. Some small "tics" they had before they were sleep trained have disappeared. I tell EVERYONE about this book and it's companion for singletons. It quite literally saved our sleep sanity. Read it. Do it. Love your sleep again!

[danielle. milbauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book that I've read specifically written on sleep training for twins. It was helpful and gave me an idea of when to start and what to expect...but like others said, it also states that all babies are different. I wish that it had more visuals or links to printable documents. For example, it spoke of the number of hours of sleep that each baby needs at different ages and whether this sleep is typically at night/during day. Definitely interesting and helpful. But, this type of info is more useful and digestible when put into a chart or any visual format. I don't have time to translate it myself. That's my main complaint. Otherwise, a helpful book for those expecting twins and hoping to synchronize their eating/sleeping.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a while to get through, but my wife actually already read it and kept me up to date with the plan for our little ones. The methods actually work really well at getting our kids on a regular sleeping schedule. One of the twins is sleeping through the night. The other one was, but we had her in a rock 'n play to help with her reflux. Now she's gotten a bit better, so she's laying flat, but she's definitely not used to it and can't put herself to sleep quite as easily. This was bound to happen sometime -- hopefully she gets back to sleeping through the night and our little girls can spoil mom and dad.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. Scott is reading it now. We're going to try these techniques on our twins in hopes that they will be sleeping through the night (4-5 hours in a row) by 3-4 months. We will be overjoyed if this actually occurs. :)

Update: THIS BOOK WORKS!!!! MY BABIES HAVE BEEN SLEEPING LIKE CHAMPS SINCE THEY WERE 4 MONTHS OLD, AND THEY HAVE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT SINCE THEY WERE 6 MONTHS OLD. WEISSBLUTH KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT!!! BUY THIS BOOK AND SLEEP TRAIN YOUR BABIES NOW!!!!!

[Michelle Alley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one thing this book is not is a one child fits all sleep method. The book is split into three sections: an introduction to understanding sleep in children, techniques and strategies for sleep training your multiples, and finally a section combining breast feeding and sleep. I found each section not only was informational, but had specific strategies for your own situation. I recommend this book to anyone who is expecting twins or multiples.

[Elicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the explanation on why babies and kids need good, scheduled sleep and also how much they need at every age, even what they should be doing week by week but it needed to be more specific on how to get there. I guess I was dissapointed to read that I shouldn't expect my girls' to sleep thru the night until they are a certain age (adjusted to the due date not birth date). I want them to sleep thru now...