Choosing a Bedside Cot for Twins
It's best to keep twins in the infant stage close together, but you should also adhere to the safety guidelines for sleeping. The right crib arrangement can help your twins develop an established routine for sleeping.
A double bassinet that has the option of dividing can be an ideal option for twins. These portable beds let parents keep their infants close for diaper changes and feedings at night. best bedside cot are also great for babies who are likely to outgrow their bassinets when they reach toddlerhood.
Space-Saving
Twins can share a bed in a bedside cot so long as you follow safe sleeping guidelines (that's to say they should be lying on their backs with the tops of their heads facing each other and their feet placed at opposite sides of the cot). They can also co-sleep in a Moses basket or a regular crib when they're old enough.
We really love this Delta double bassinet, which includes a mesh divider, to keep babies separated but still close to one and each other. It has a handy storage compartment that can keep wipes and snacks nearby, too. Additionally, it folds flat and makes it easy to manoeuvre around the house or go on trips.
This EZ Fold Twin Bassinet, available at Walmart, swivels so that you can bring your twins who are fussy closer to you to feed them and calm them. The sides lower and raise to make it easier for you to get in and are secured to ensure safety. It is a little longer and heavier than other models but is great for the second floor or homes for grandparents. It also comes with a bag for travel. It's also less expensive than the Halo Bassinest Twin.
Convenience
It is not recommended that parents of twins place their babies in the same crib or bassinet. Rednose recommends that twins have their own safe sleeping area (crib or portable crib or bassinet) in the room of the parents/caregivers until they reach 12 months old to lower the risk for SIDS. This arrangement is known as co-bedding. It has been demonstrated that twins who grew in this type of environment develop a more coordinated sleeping patterns.
One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to use twin bedside cots, like the Teknum FELLOW 2 that comes with two separate bedding sets so each baby can have an individual and comfortable space. This bedside cot is also easily moved from one room to the next depending on the need. It is an easy and convenient method to monitor your baby without disturbing their sleep patterns or wake them up.
Other options include double bassinets which have been designed specifically to allow infants to stay side-by-side and are ideal for nighttime feedings or diaper changes. The Halo Bassinest Twin, for example, has an air-tight mesh partition and adjustable height so that each baby is visible and reachable at all times, and the sides of the sleeper lower and raise to allow easy access. Walmart's Twin EZ Fold Double Bassinet, which is a cheaper option, has two sleep zones separated by a mesh, allowing babies to see each the other. The sleeper also rotates around 360 degrees to give easy access to infants.
Many parents have discovered that bedding twins together with moses baskets, or a small bassinette is a great option in situations of a short duration, such as a hospital stay or a visit to the family. This should only be done with the supervision of by a healthcare professional. They will make sure that the infants are correctly placed, with their feet placed at the foot of the crib and all bedding is tucked into.
Safety
When it comes to twins sleeping together, the most crucial security feature is that each baby has their own sleep space. This ensures that every infant isn't smothered or trapped by the other. It also helps to prevent deaths in cots, which are more frequent with single infants than multiples.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that tritons, twins, and higher-ordered multiples have their own sleeping area. This can be achieved with an additional bassinet, or a twin bedside crib you can put on your bed to feed or sooth one of your babies during the night.
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has recently issued recommendations to reduce the SIDS risk by encouraging room sharing and disabling cobedding, many families of multiples and twins find it difficult to adhere to these guidelines (1). A previous study revealed that a majority of families with twins that were cobedded during the first 3 months at home used unsafe sleeping practices (room sharing without cobedding).
Parents of twins might not adhere to current SIDS guidelines due to the desire to sleep longer and a lack of space in their home to accommodate multiple cribs. In addition, socioeconomic status could affect the family's decisions regarding sleeping arrangements.
If twins are positioned together in a crib or Moses basket, they can easily be entangled by their bedding and could choke on each other. If you decide to sleep your twins together in the same cot, it is essential to place them in a head-to-foot position and have their bedding securely tucked into each cot to minimize their chances of smothering each one.
One of the safest and more comfortable options for twins to be able to sleep independently is a bedside bassinet like the Halo Bassinest Twin. The double bassinet features an enclosed mesh wall that can separate twins and give them their own flat, safe mattress to sleep on. It can rotate 360 degrees to bring one of your babies closer to you for feedings or soothing without leaving the peace of your bed, and its side walls lower and auto-return every time you move. It is easy to clean, and fits in the standard twin-sized bed frame. Check out the Delta Children Twin EZ Fold Double Bassinet at Walmart. It has similar features to the Halo Bassinest.
Comfort
It is a major life change to welcome twins or multiples into the world. They require plenty of planning and thought especially in regards to where they will be sleeping and how they will get a good night's sleep. Parents often ask themselves what they can do to make their children feel comfortable at an early age.
When twins are very young, they can be able to share a crib. Co-bedding is a method of comforting newborns by reminding them of their mother's womb. It is important to ensure that the beds are big enough to allow the newborns to feel at ease without having to touch one other or roll around. You should also be aware that the baby who wakes up first must be fed. It can be helpful to coordinate nighttime feeds to ensure that you wake one of them up earlier than the other.
It is important to keep in mind that twins may have different sleeping patterns. You might find that one child wakes more than the other or that they prefer to be close to you. In this case it could be beneficial for the twins to share their own crib or bassinet in their room.
Look for twin bedside cots that have breathable mesh dividers to create separate sleeping areas. This is particularly important for babies more prone to overheating or families with c-section mothers. A reversible base as well as wheels that are easy to maneuver are also useful features. The Arm's Reach cot is a great option for these needs, as it offers 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 smaller sleeping areas than the Arm's Reach cot.
It is not recommended to sleep with twins in the same bed as an adult even if they're very close. This can increase the risk of SIDS and lead to strangulation or suffocation. Instead the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that twins have their own secure sleeping spaces, such as bassinets or cribs, in their parents' rooms for the first six months.