Choosing a Bedside Cot for Twins
It is best to keep your twins who are just born close to each other However, you must follow safety sleeping guidelines. The right crib arrangement can help your twins establish the same routine of sleeping.
A double bassinet that has the option of dividing it is a great choice for twins. These portable beds allow parents to keep their babies close for diaper changes and mid-night feedings. They are also great for babies who may outgrow their bassinets prior to 2 years old.
Space-Saving
As long as you adhere to safe sleeping guidelines, twins are able to sleep in a bedside crib side-by-side. They should be positioned on their backs with their heads pointing towards each other and their feet on the opposite ends. When they're old enough, they can share a bed in a Moses Basket or a regular crib.
This Delta double bassinet comes with a mesh partition that allows children to be separated but still close. It has a handy storage compartment that can keep snacks and wipes close by as well. It's also foldable which makes it easy to move around the house and take on trips.
This EZ Fold Twin Bassinet, available at Walmart, swivels so that you can bring your twins closer to you to feed them and soothe them. The sides can be raised and lowered for access, and they lock into place for safety. It is a little longer and heavier than the other options, but great for second floor or homes for grandparents. It also comes with a bag for travel. It's also less expensive than the Halo Bassinest Twin.
bedside cot co sleeper is not recommended that parents of twins place their babies in the same bassinet or crib. Rednose suggests that twins have their own secure sleeping space (crib, portable crib, or bassinet) in the room of the parents/caregivers until they reach the age of 12 months to reduce the chance of SIDS. This is referred to as co-bedding. It has been shown that twins who grew in this type of environment have a more synchronized sleeping patterns.
A twin bedside cot such as the Teknum FELLOW 2 is a fantastic way to achieve this. It comes with two sets of bedding so that each baby has their own space. The bedside cot can also be easily moved from one room to another depending on the need. It offers an easy and convenient method to check on your babies without disrupting their sleep or waking them up.
Other options include double bassinets, which have been designed specifically to allow the infants to remain side-by-side and are ideal for middle-of-the-night feeding or changing diapers. The Halo Bassinest Twin, for instance, comes with an air-tight mesh partition and adjustable height so that every baby can be seen and reached at all times, and the sides of the sleeper are raised and lower to allow easy access. If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, the Walmart-exclusive Twin EZ Fold Double Bassinet is similar, with two sleep zones separated by a mesh panel that allows babies to see one another and the entire mattress is able to rotate 360 degrees, giving easy access to each infant.
For situations that are temporary like a family visit or hospital stay, many parents have found success with co-bedding twins in a large moses basket or small bassinette that has dividers. However this should be done only under the supervision of a healthcare professional to ensure that babies are properly placed, with their feet to the bottom of the cot and all bedding is securely tucked in to avoid them from becoming suffocating.
Safety
When twins sleep together, the most important security feature is that each baby has his or her individual space to sleep. This helps prevent each baby from being smothered, choked, or otherwise choking by the other. This also helps to avoid the death of a cot, which is more common in single infants than multiples.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that twins, tritons and higher-ordered multiples have their own sleeping space. This can be done by using an individual bassinet or twin bedside crib that you can place on your bed to feed or comfort one of the babies throughout the night.
Although recent SIDS risk reduction guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics encourage room sharing with a parent and disallow cobedding but the reality is that a lot of families of twins and higher-order multiples have difficulty complying with these guidelines (1). A previous study revealed that the majority of families with twins that were cobedded during the first 3 months at home opted for unsafe sleeping practices (room sharing without cobedding).
Parents of twins may not follow the current SIDS guidelines due to the desire to rest longer and a absence of space in the home to accommodate multiple cribs. In addition the socioeconomic status of a family may affect their the arrangement of their sleep.
If twins are put in a small Moses basket or crib, their bedding may easily entangle them and they could choke eachother. If you're planning to put your twins in the same cot it's important to place them in the feet-to-head position and with their bedding tucked securely into each cot to minimize the chance of them smothering each other.
A bassinet that is positioned at the bedside, like the Halo Bassinest Twin, is one of the safest and more convenient alternatives for twins who wish to be able to sleep independently. This double bassinet comes with a mesh wall that separates twins, giving them their own secure, flat sleep surface. It can be swiveled 360 degrees, so you can bring your baby closer to you without leaving your bed. The walls on the sides automatically lower and return with every movement. bedside travel crib is also easy to clean and fits into a standard twin-sized bed frame. If you're looking for a less expensive alternative, check out the Delta Children Twin EZ Fold Double Bassinet, which is available at Walmart and comes with similar features as the Halo Bassinest.
Comfort
It's a huge change to welcome twins or multiples into the world. They require lots of thought and preparation not to mention in regards to where they will sleep and how they will get a good night's rest. While decisions about their future room can be made when they are older, parents often wonder what they can do to help them to settle in the early stages.
When twins are still young, they can be able to share one cot. Co-bedding is a method of helping newborns feel at ease by bringing them back to their womb. It is important to ensure that the beds are large enough to allow the babies to feel comfortable without touching each the other or move around. It is important to be aware that the baby who is the first to wake up must be fed. It is helpful to coordinate feeding times at night so that you can awake one baby prior to the other.
It is important to be aware that twins may have different sleep routines. You might find that one baby is waking more than the other, or that they prefer to be close to you. In this instance, it may be best to provide each twin with their own bassinet or crib.
Choose a cot with twin beds with breathable mesh dividers to create separate sleeping areas. This is particularly important for babies that are prone to overheating, or for families with mothers who have had c-sections. A reversible base as well as wheels that are easy to move are also useful features. The Arm's Reach cot is a good option for these needs because it has an ample sleeping space and is designed with mothers who have c-sections in mind. The Graco Pack 'n Play or Fisher-Price Easy Swaivel are also options, but offer a smaller sleeping space than the Arm's Reach cot.
It is not recommended to sleep with twins in the same bed as an adult, even if they are very close. This could increase the risk of SIDS and result in strangulation or suffocation. Instead, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that twins have their own secure sleeping areas, like bassinets or cribs in their parent's room for the first six months.