TTMA Transitioning to Cribs...

[requiressnacks]

Hi! I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but can you tell me a bit about transitioning your multiples out of your room and into their cribs? Currently, mine are 4.5 months, still swaddled and sleep in PnPs in our room (they are angled similar to RnPs) and they have never slept on a flat surface. They are becoming very loud sleepers and so even though they seem to sleep relatively well (getting up once at night), they make many weird noises.

When you transitioned to cribs did you just set aside a weekend and prepare yourself for no sleep? Should I wait a couple months? Any advice welcome. I have no idea where to start.

ETA...I should add that one baby is a better sleeper than the other. Did anyone transition one and then the other?

[piccyami]

I....don't remember much about transitioning. We did work on napping in the nursery first, then I don't remember if they shared a crib at first or not, but we transitioned them at the same time to their room.

[anakah]

We transitioned our twins from bouncers to their cribs around 1 month. I started with nap times and then once they were napping fairly well in their cribs, we put them in at night too. We had to experiment a bit with different swaddles to find ones that they preferred. I also found that my DD was a bit more picky and needed flannel sheets so her mattress was "cozier" than the regular cotton sheets we first had. DS didn't care at all. He was and still is my better sleeper.

We transitioned both together. I didn't' want to feel like one was getting preferential treatment over the other even if it was only in my head.

ETA: they were in their own cribs in the same room. 

[pbandj714]

We transitioned at 4.5 months. I remember starting on a Friday night just in case of shit show, which it was. 😂 However, night 2 we decided to put them in the same crib rather than their own, and I couldn't believe it, but they slept. Amazingly! G would scare himself awake and reach over to pet L's hair for comfort. I die every time I think of it. Anyway, they pretty much adapted immediately upon being together even though they'd never slept together prior (they were in RnPs in our room before this). About 3 weeks in, they began rolling and making me nervous so we put them in their own cribs nervously. That also went well! I think because they were already used to being on the flat surface, so being alone didn't bother them. Good luck mama!

[richzep]

We did naps first as well for a couple weeks. Once that was no longer an issue, I transferred them at nights too. No major problems. Slept in the same room in separate cribs. The younger they are, the easier the transition. So I wouldn't wait much longer. You don't want them to start being too aware of their surroundings and get used to it and then try to make the switch.

[schmella]

We kept them in our room until 6m based on SIDS recommendations at that time (I think it's a year now? I'm glad we transitioned at 6m). They were swaddled in RnPs. At about 5m we started napping unswaddled in their cribs. I figured if one nap went to hell, I could do the next nap in the RnPs. Once they mastered naps, I was finally cajoled into moving them the night they turned 6m. We also did this on a Friday. A actually slept better in his crib. W wasn't as ready for the transition but did ok and was sleeping well within a few days.
So we went from swaddled, inclined, hugged by the RNP and in our room to flat and unswaddled and open in their own room all in one shot and it was really not a big deal. I think a bedtime routine really helped.

[dke2010]

You've already gotten great advice. I would pick a weekend in the near future to transition. We did naps in the crib the week before. I started them in the same crib because they seemed to sleep better that way. After a couple weeks I separated them. Their cribs are right next to each other. We still swaddle in the crib for the night but not for naps (at 6 months). Through trial and error we learned that L sleeps better with one arm out and A doesn't.
I have zero advice for sleeping through the night. Mine were doing it and now they aren't. I was up 7 times in 8 hours last night!

[mc13]

We did similar to schmella. We went from RnP to pack n plays in our room at 4 months. It was seamless. It was like they were ready for more space to stretch out. We never really swaddled so we didn't have to work on any transition for that. They go down easily for all naps and bedtime. Even though they go down well, during Months 4-6.5 we've had anywhere between 2 and 27373 wakeups at night. They were previously sleeping 6-8 hours their first stretch. Now at almost 7 months, we've finally had a few nights of only 2 wakeups each at 11ish and 3ish then up at 630/7am for the day. I still feed them at each wakeup.

[requiressnacks]

Thanks ladies! I think we are going to make the transition starting on Good Friday (April 14) because both me and MH are home and hopefully will take shifts with the wakeups. I will also try naps this weekend and see how it goes. If it goes OK, I might start asking my MIL to try to get them to nap in cribs when she watches them on Mondays and Wednesdays. Right now they usually sleep through from 7p-4a (sometimes 6:30a!) and I really don't want to screw that up.

[schmella]

Mar 22, 2017 9:06:35 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

Thanks ladies! I think we are going to make the transition starting on Good Friday (April 14) because both me and MH are home and hopefully will take shifts with the wakeups. I will also try naps this weekend and see how it goes. If it goes OK, I might start asking my MIL to try to get them to nap in cribs when she watches them on Mondays and Wednesdays. Right now they usually sleep through from 7p-4a (sometimes 6:30a!) and I really don't want to screw that up.

Dude, I had the same feelings. I had twins that STTN, I wasn't messing with it!

[DVMmomma]

Mar 22, 2017 9:06:35 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

Thanks ladies! I think we are going to make the transition starting on Good Friday (April 14) because both me and MH are home and hopefully will take shifts with the wakeups. I will also try naps this weekend and see how it goes. If it goes OK, I might start asking my MIL to try to get them to nap in cribs when she watches them on Mondays and Wednesdays. Right now they usually sleep through from 7p-4a (sometimes 6:30a!) and I really don't want to screw that up.

I feel like I wouldn't have the balls to make the transition if they were both sleeping this well!! I know it has to happen though and you'll probably actually sleep better with them out of your room

[dream2be3]

I am probably the odd man out here but....I found it easier to transition the twinkies into cribs at night and let them nap in the RNP's. Worked like a charm. Mine were not napping all that great at the time which is why I chose to put them in the crib at night instead of starting g with day naps. I didn't have any sleepless nights and after a few nights in the crib they started napping in them too. We still use the RNP for particularly rough patches, like the 4 month growth spurt, but we're so close to packing them away!

As a side note, the twinks have been pooping more regularly since transitioning to the crib. Not sure if yours have problems in that area so thought I'd mention it.

[pbandj714]

That's what I forgot to mention! Similar to dream2be3, mine napped in the RnPs even a few weeks after transitioning to cribs at night. They weren't very consistent nappers until closer to 5 months. Either way, you'll figure out what works for you!

[schmella]

Mar 23, 2017 22:18:51 GMT -5 pbandj714 said:

That's what I forgot to mention! Similar to dream2be3, mine napped in the RnPs even a few weeks after transitioning to cribs at night. They weren't very consistent nappers until closer to 5 months. Either way, you'll figure out what works for you!

You know what's funny, everyone I knew transitioned overnight first and then naps but we did the opposite. It's totally a matter of whatever works for you!