I admit that I love colecho, sleeping with my kids in the same bed seems so adorable that in fact I think I could be sleeping with them until adulthood. When I learned that I would have twins I knew that the sleeping situation was complicated because in a double bed we were going to start to be somewhat fair. So I decided to investigate if the case of having to add the crib in my room would be more convenient than my little ones slept together or apart.
I asked pediatricians, gynecologists ... they all told me the same thing. "They will spend nine months together, at first do not hesitate, put them in the same crib, then over time, you better leave them their space" And so it was.
In general the brothers usually sleep very well together in a single crib, since they have been sharing the mother's belly very close, touching, listening to the same noises and sleeping at the same time.
In fact, in cases where they must remain in the incubator, it was found by chance that being in the incubator, growth was accelerated, breathing was relaxed and blood oxygen increased. That is why most hospitals choose to put them together, as long as their health allows.
Some parents doubt if the colecho is advisable and put objections at the time of joining them in the same crib, in case one wakes up by the crying of the other, or they get upset, they even wonder if it is dangerous for them. Well, I can tell you from experience that the twins and twins end up getting used to the cries of their brother and at least mine sleep peacefully without problem.
In this sense, the Dutch Association of Multiple Births, along with some pediatricians, say they can suffer overheating by sharing the same space, and may even increase the risk of Sudden Death Syndrome. However, in 2006, Dr. Hellen Ball, from the University of Durhan, conducted a study with infants under 3 months and found that there was no greater risk of sudden death from sharing a crib, knocking this hypothesis. Within the same study, he also showed that children did not suffer any increase in body temperature, provided that they try not to put too many clothes in the crib, as is logical.
We might think that they bother each other with crying and their movements, they can even hurt themselves. As a consequence, since they wake up to each other, they sleep less time and this would affect their growth, and of course the tranquility of the daddies. But we must bear in mind that the twins are accustomed to sharing space in the mother's womb, much tighter, so their brother's movements should not affect them at all, on the contrary, the twins or twins who sleep together , far from waking up more frequently, they usually wake up and sleep at the same time.
They also talk about a risk of suffocation between them and nothing is further from reality, it is proven that they hug, look for each other, and calm down next to their brother. As an anecdote I can tell you that with 24 hours of life, sharing a crib in the hospital, one of my twins was sucking his brother's nose while he slept. Currently with 10 months every two for three they are fighting to suck their brother's hand or foot.
In the case that there are more than two babies, it is difficult to put the colecho into practice due to lack of space, so they recommend rotating the shifts in the crib, so that everyone can be with their other siblings.
Tips for laying them in the same crib
- Put head to head, that is, do not place one contrary to the other so that they do not kick. I also alternated them and put each one in a corner so that if they moved, they did, they wouldn't hit each other.
- When it is considered that they can bother each other, more or less at 6 months, it would be time to separate them. Personally this is what I did because they pulled their hair or kicked their heads and could be dangerous. They currently sleep in the same room in a convertible and stand up and see themselves through a wood, they love it!
- Avoid using pillows or rolled blankets
- The position is important and it is best to lie on your back.
- Do not shelter them much, try not to pass cold or heat. The bags seem ideal to me.
- When they are very small no stuffed animals or objects in the crib.
Benefits of sleeping together
- They certainly like it. As much as I put each one in a corner, they ended up coming together.
- You save space in putting two cribs.
- Do not break the bond they have been developing for nine months.
- If you are lacking space in your room, having them together will allow you to have them in it, otherwise you might have to take them to another one.
- It is easier to serve them.
- They adapt their needs to each other, mainly the dream something that you will appreciate.
- Benefits for breastfeeding: personally when they touched the shots, having them together I used my twin cushion and gave them at the same time and in a very short period of time they were both eaten and asleep again.
Most babies sleep together peacefully, however there are children who prefer to have their own crib, even if they share a room. Let's check the preferences in each case and do what best suits the needs of the whole family. Everything that has to do with our children depends on each one. Not everyone works the same things, let us be guided by our intuition and do what is best for parents and our babies.
In my case, today, all three times they return to my bed or assemble the crib in my room and rotate. As we say, each family is a world and only you know what is best.
