Getting ready to welcome twins or struggling with a sleep setup that works for your newborn or infant twins? See what other twin parents had to say about their infant twins sleeping arrangements!
There are three main things that twin parents tend to harp on as being the most difficult aspect of twin parenting:
- The extra baby (obviously lol)
- Having to constantly split your attention between two helpless little humans
- And…sleep!
Unfortunately, we can’t account for all these challenges in this post alone. But in this lovingly written article, we’ll try to give you some more perspective on twin baby sleeping arrangements that worked for other twin families.
So grab your lukewarm coffee and come join us for this journey!
We recently asked our twin parent community…
What sleep setup worked for your infant twins?
And here’s what twin parents had to say:
Twin baby sleeping arrangements for the first few weeks
“Our twins are 9 weeks and have been in their own bassinets in their own shared room. When one cries it does not disrupt the other, it’s like they don’t hear a thing (for now). The plan is to move them into neighboring cribs in the same position as their bassinets.” – Maggie
“We had a double bassinet pack n’ play and then switched to a side car bassinet and made the play n pack a crib. Then we transitioned Twin A to her own room with her crib. And Twin B is still co-sleeping and nursing 2 times a night.” – Kari
Newborn twins sleeping arrangements
“In the early days, the twins were next to me in a cot downstairs while hubs and I took turns on the recliner and sofa. Then co-sleeping with me on the bed for a few weeks when they are in the clingy phase. Now, they are in the same room as me, sharing a cot. Works well, they fall asleep holding hands. Not sure how I’m going to separate them into their own cots when they are bigger.” – Fausha
“Double bassinet that had a mesh separator in the middle. But I was drowning trying to nurse them both all night by myself. I bought a queen sized mattress and put it on the floor of their room. Now I can cosleep and nurse them and no fear of babies rolling out of bed! Letting them cry it out just isn’t an option for me, so I’m so glad I found something that works for me and my twins minis.” – Elizabeth
“We used the Simmons double bassinet in our bedroom and in the living room (different floor) for four months. And around then they began growing out of it. We then moved them to their nursery with two regular cribs (that evolve with them). We have a changing table and cart in their room and downstairs which has everything we would need (diaper cream, burp clothes, changes of clothes, diapers, wipes, aquafor, etc). When in our room, the cart was next to the bed, as was a bumbo changing pad. We also have a twinZ upstairs and downstairs. Since our arms are usually full, we have really needed the extra set downstairs so we don’t have to take even more trips up and down stairs. And we are thankful for Facebook Marketplace and hand-me-downs to be able to have the second set! (Oh we also bring bottles upstairs in a hospital tub and have a pitcher of formula in a mini fridge in our bedroom. Game changer).” – Emily
“Bassinets in our room (3 months) to two cribs (in their own shared room) to “mega crib” at a year old, where we zip tied their two cribs together (removing a side on each to form a giant crib) and they loved it!!! Worked well for us. Gentle Sleep training at 4 months onward.” – Cassandra
“When they were small, they were in the same bassinet, playpen, and crib. When they were first born, the nurses put them in two bassinets. They were making noises at each other and would only stop and sleep when wedged into one together. As they got older, we moved them to separate cribs but close enough they could see eachother.” – Andrea
“Before they were rolling over, I had them in a single crib. After that; Side by side pack-n-plays.” – Aurora
Twin sleeping arrangements over time…
“2 cribs in the room for the very early days. From there, 2 cribs in their own rooms. No co-sleeping, they learn fast. Sleep trained at 6 months. Don’t jump at the first cry. You have to be vigilant, once they learn to self soothe (usually day 2-3 of sleep training), you’re on your way…Our boys are 10 now and are still incredible sleepers because of our hyper focus on getting them to be independent sleepers.” – Chris
“When they were new, we had a double bassinet. And at 4 months we moved them into two cribs. They’re almost 2 and I’m expecting another, so in 9ish months they’ll be moved to a big kid room. Thinking of getting a full floor bed for them to share.” – Hanna
“Mine started in a double bassinet and then moved to separate cribs in their own room at around 4 months. Still in their cribs at a little over 2 years old!” – Jackie
“Separate cribs in their own room which they use even now at age 4.5 with lowered railings. A single bed in their room for me to sleep in when they were younger and now to go sleep there if anyone has a wake up in the middle of the night.” – Nupur
“Twin bassinet to mini cribs in our bedroom until 8 months. Then the one having more teething issues got his own room. The second twin got her room at 12 months. We started sleep training around 5 months and eventually did cry it out. We had to redo it a few times with the sleep regressions. The first months were exhausting, and we did shifts which were the only way to get more than 1 hour of sleep at a time. Around a year, it got much easier and both sleep 9p-8a with a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoons at 15 months now.” – Jennifer
“Co-sleeper next to our bed for first couple of months at night. Then they shared a crib in their room before moving to separate cribs in the same room. They shared a room until kindergarten.” – Jessica
“Mine were in seperate cribs right next to each other. I couldn’t put them in the same crib because they beat each other up LOL.” – Elizabeth
“They slept in the same crib until about 2 years old. Slept in the same room until 11 years old.” – Alyssa
Curious to see even more infant twins sleeping arrangements?
Check out the original Facebook post and Instagram post to see even more twin parent insights!
Should twins sleep in the same room?
This is completely up to you and what works best for your family. Some twin families don’t have the space for separate bedrooms and that’s completely fine. Others prefer to separate their twins from the start or earlier on, and that’s okay too. You can consider starting them in the same room for logistical ease (with overnight feedings and such), and then if one of them begins to cry and wake the other up, look into an arrangement that may work better for you.
Should newborn twins sleep in the same crib?
You may find lots of sources that advise against having newborn twins sleep in the same crib. That said, we have heard firsthand from twin families who said this sleeping arrangement worked well for them. If you want more expert insights on newborn twin sleeping arrangements, we highly encourage you to enroll in Twin Sleep School, a comprehensive twin sleep course created by twin expert and IBCLC Natalie Diaz and The Sleep Lady, Kim West.
Inside the on-demand course, they cover a whole gamut of twin sleep topics including: sleeping arrangements for newborn twins, crib sharing, room sharing, sleep regressions, schedules, gentle sleep coaching, and even sleep transitioning through the potty training years.
Do twins sleep better together?
Ahh, the million-dollar question for new and expecting twin parents! The short answer is yes and no haha. Some twinnies do sleep better together which is why you’ll find some twin parents using side-by-side twin bassinets, shared cribs, or shared rooms. That said, other twins end up disturbing each other’s sleep.
You may even find that at one stage, your twins sleep better together and then once you reach a different stage, they no longer sleep well with each other. The only real way to figure out if your twins sleep better together is to trial and error!
Final thoughts on infant twins sleeping arrangements
The best sleeping arrangements for twins all comes down to your unique twinnies and what works best for you and your family as a whole!
If you’re really struggling with newborn sleep or infant twin sleep, you’re not alone! We can further support you inside of Twin Sleep School or through one of our Twiniversity-approved certified gentle sleep coaches.
You can and will figure out a twin sleep arrangement that works better for you and begin to finally get some better rest. Don’t lose hope!
Want to learn more about twin sleep from the newborn stage through potty training years? Check out these articles too:
- Sleeping Arrangements When Traveling With Toddler Twins
- Twin Cribs: Our Best Advice for Your Setup
- Transitioning to Individual Bedrooms for Twins: Advice from Twin Parents
- Twin Sleep Schedules: 6 Months to 1 Year
