Struggling with getting your twins to sleep well for naps and/or bedtime? We know the struggle all too well. That’s why we’ve rounded up some helpful sleep information on wake windows and twin sleep schedules for the infant stage.
By far one of the biggest challenges that twin parents face is getting their twins on a solid sleep schedule. Whether your twins share a room or not, the act of coordinating delicate sleep schedules for two individual babies can be quite a circus at times.
And while there’s no way to completely eliminate certain challenges (like teething, and natural developmental regressions), your twin sleep schedule doesn’t have to feel like a circus forever.
So keep reading below to take a look at some helpful guidelines for twin sleep schedules for ages 6 months through 12 months.
Twiniversity Tip: Keep your twins’ adjusted age in mind as you look through this!
For example, if you have 32-weekers, when they reach 6 months old, they’re more developmentally like a 4-month old baby due to their adjusted age.
Need more help with figuring out their adjusted age? Learn more here!
Twin Sleep Schedule: 6 months
At 6 months old, your twins still need a ton of sleep to support their rapid growth and development. Their sleep needs equal a total of 12-16 hours split between their nighttime sleep and 2-3 naps.
For 6-month-old twins, ideally 10 – 12 hours would happen overnight and then nap times would add up to about 2.5 – 4 hours. The exact amount varies slightly for every baby (hence the range).
For wake windows, babies 5 – 7 months old can typically handle staying awake for 2 – 3 hours at a time. That means they’ll still need about 3 naps a day. (A wake window starts from the time your baby wakes up from a nap and ends when they fall asleep for their next nap/bedtime.)
And as for night wakings, some babies at this age will be able to handle longer stretches than others. Check in with your pediatrician to discuss whether or not you should stop waking your twins for feedings at night.
Here’s a sample sleep schedule for 6-month old twins:
| 7:00 to 7:30 a.m. | Wake-up and first feed of the day |
| 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. | 1.5 – 2 hour morning nap with a feed after waking |
| 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. | A 1.5 – 2 hour afternoon nap with a feed after waking |
| 3:30–4:00 p.m. | If needed, you can do a third nap for about 45 minutes to one hour. |
| 5:00 or 5:30 p.m. | Nursing or bottle feed plus solids |
| 6:00–6:30 p.m. | Begin bedtime routine (which may or may not include a final nursing or bottle session) |
| 7:00–7:30 p.m. | Bedtime |
Of course you may need to make adjustments to this schedule based on your twins. Many twin parents prefer to keep their twins on the same schedule to make it more manageable. That means, if one twin naturally gets up from bedtime at 6:30am, you may choose to wake the other twin up at that time too.
But perhaps you’d prefer to keep them staggered by 15 – 30 minutes. This way you can focus on feeding one first and then the other. Play around with whichever method works best for you and your twins. But keep in mind that you want to try your best to follow the overall guidelines for total sleep and wake windows for each baby.
Also realize that some kiddos struggle through a sleep regression around this stage due to teething. So try not to give up on sticking to a plan if you have a few days or weeks of rough sleep. The more consistent you are with the routines, the more quickly your twins will hopefully be able to get through the regression.
Twin Sleep Schedule: 8 months
8-month-old twins still need around 14 hours of sleep each day between naps and bedtime. This splits up into about 10-12 hours of nighttime sleep and 2.5 – 3 hours of daytime sleep.
When your twins reach around 8 months, you may need to make a few shifts with naps like dropping the third nap (if you haven’t already) or slowly decreasing the length of their other naps. It’s important to make these shifts gradually so as not to completely disrupt their sleep all at once. You can make shifts over the course of a few days to a week by shifting nap times by 15 minutes or so as best you can.
Lots of infants also experience sleep regressions around this age too due to all of the developmental milestones they’re going through like crawling, teething (ugh), and beginning to feel separation anxiety from their primary caregivers.
Here’s a sample sleep schedule for 8-month old twins:
| 7:00 AM | Rise and shine + first feed of the day |
| 9:30 – 10:30 AM | First nap (1 – 1.5 hours) |
| 11:00 AM | Feeding & playtime |
| 2:00 – 3:30 PM | Afternoon nap (1-1.75 hours) |
| 4:00 PM | Dinner after a stretch of playtime (with solids, ideally) |
| 6:30 PM | Start your bedtime routine |
| 7:00 – 7:30 PM | Bedtime |
Again, this 8-month-old twin sleep schedule is just an idea of a possible layout so you can see the spread for naps and bedtime. The exact length for your nap times may change slightly over time.
For example, when you drop the third nap, your twins’ afternoon nap may need to be closer to 1.75 hours so they can make it to bedtime. Try not to let naps go past 2 hours at this stage though so that they still sleep through the night.
Stressing out with your infant twins? Let us help! Learn what to expect in the first year with twins, including tips, tricks, and advice from real twin parents who have been there. Click here to learn more… and while you’re at it, check out our twin parent coaching services and Twiniversity shop!
Twin Sleep Schedule: 12 months
Twin sleep may feel a bit crazy as they approach the one year mark. This is because their brains are so busy and active with all the new things they’re learning (or about to learn) like walking and talking.
One-year-old twins need around 13 – 14 hours of total sleep each day. This breaks down to 10 – 12 hours at night and 2 – 3 during the daytime. While you may feel like you’re losing your mind some days when one or both twins resists napping or fights bedtime, hang in there.
Again, the more you are able to stick to consistent routines overall (even if the timing shifts slightly), the more quickly you can help your twins through the changing schedule.
That said, even with your steadfast consistency, if the resistance continues, you may need to make some minor adjustments to the timing of nap times or bed times or look at their feeding schedule to make sure they’re getting enough to eat during the day so they’re not waking at night.
Here’s a really simple 12-month old twin sleep schedule for general guidance:
| 6:30 – 7:30 AM | Rise and shine |
| 9:30 – 10:30 AM | First nap (1 – 1.5 hours) |
| 1:30 – 3:00 PM | Second nap (1 – 1.5 hours) |
| 7:00 – 8:00 PM | Bedtime |
Final thoughts on twin sleep schedules
If you try your best to follow wake windows and total bed time sleep and you’re still struggling, know that you’re not alone. There’s never a one-size-fits-all answer for sleeping situations, which of course can make it feel all the more challenging with two babies at once.
You are a rockstar for even getting to this stage with your twinnies and being here reading this article to better inform yourself about good sleep habits.
There are also lots of folks out there who can support you through twin sleep challenges! We’ve curated a list of Gentle Sleep Coaches who are specifically trained in helping with twin sleep.
You can find Twiniversity-approved gentle sleep coaches here!
All content on this website, including medical opinions and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. Use of this site and the information contained herein does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.
Want to read more about all things twin sleep? Check out these articles too!
- Nap Tips from the Sleep Lady Kim West
- Gentle Sleep Coaching for Twins from the Sleep Lady
- Getting Your Twins to Nap
- Sleep Training Methods that Worked for Our Twins
- Sleep Regression: Why They Happen and How to Get Through It
Paige Figueroa is a mom to fraternal twins. After teaching English for 9 years, she now works from home as a content marketing strategist and entrepreneur so she can spend more time with her children. She loves helping other moms and women enjoy more freedom in their lives by monetizing their passions. You can follow her on IG and TikTok @mombossfreedom.
