Sleep is a precious thing for the whole family when newborn twins arrive home. It's important to ensure that the sleep environment is safe and that parents start to learn the babies' sleep cues.​

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Whether you have chosen to have your twins sleep in the same crib or separate bassinets, you need to be sure that their sleep environment is safe.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Do not use blankets, dress babies in light clothes or swaddle baby in their diapers

• Be sure not to use bumper pads in cribs which can restrict air-flow to sleeping babies

• Use a cool mist humidifier if you have dry air in your home

• Start babies off sleeping on their backs (swaddle to keep them from startling and waking up)

• Wake newborns every 2-3 hours if they don't get up on their own to nurse (your health care provider will ask you to keep track and be able to give you further direction)



Some items for a peaceful sleep might include:

• 1 Waterproof crib/mattress liner (or 2)

• 2 sheet savers (6 eventually)

• 4-8 Fitted crib sheets

• 2 baby quilts to lay them on the floor

• Baby Monitor

• Smoke alarm / carbon monoxide detector for baby's room

​For the first few months, our twins slept in the same bassinette/playyard/crib.  It wasn't until they started sitting up and beginning to crawl that we moved them to separate sleeping spaces.  But each family has to do what works best depending on the living situation.  Twins are quite adaptable though! 
 

Here are some places to look for more information on Twins and sleeping:

BC Perinatal Guidelines on Infant Sleep

Twins UK - A mum's personal sleep experience with her twins