Daytime naps

[Bamboobambino]

I have twins aged 3 months (just turned 13 weeks) and we aren't doing a strict daytime routine (No Gina Fording etc) but we do have a good evening routine... bath/feed with cot mobile on/bed. They are waking 1-2 times per night and getting better with longer stretches.
I notice during the day they tend, at times to get really fed up and tired. I feel they should be having some scheduled naps but am not sure if I am right.
Should I be aiming for a morning and an afternoon scheduled nap, of so where? We did have moses baskets downstairs but they are a bit big for them now and not keen on going in anymore. Cots are upstairs.
Am I being optimistic in aiming for some scheduled daytime naps? My worry is that it can take ages (an hour or so) to settle them for their nighttime sleep after bathing. I didn't ant to have the same battles in the morning and afternoon for the sake of a nap

[neversleepagain]

I personally think structured naps work well for babies and toddlers. Too little or too much day time sleep can cause chaos during the day, at bedtime and during the night.

3 months is still very tiny and they need quite a bit of sleep. When mine were 3 months they couldn't stay awake for more than 1.5 hours at a time and they were having a morning, afternoon and late afternoon nap with a very early 5:45pm bedtime.

Mine would wake at 7am, morning nap was around 8:30 (for 1.5 hours), next nap would be near to 12pm (for 2.5 hours) they would also have a 45 minute nap at 4:15. Ideally settling them in a dark room awake from light and noise is what I found best.

It gets easier, mine are one now and from about 5 months onward I have found things much easier. Good luck :)

[Twicethehugs]

At 3 months mine wouldn't go long without needing a nap, they had 3 a day - times varied a bit depending when they woke up I.e. the first nap of the day had to be about 1.5/2 hours after they'd woken up. At 7 months they still need 2 naps a day otherwise get v grumbly and overtired. I often find they'll sleep in the pushchair if getting them to sleep takes a while (if timed right) and it's good to get out of the house, don't know if this would work for you?

[thegirlinthesassyspace]

Mine did the same as neversleeps and twicethehugs. I was fearful of naps as found it stressful (at 4 months I was still resorting to putting them by the Washing machine as the white noise kept them napping) but posted on mumsnet for advice like you. Since then it's been brilliant having them in a napping routine, gives me 3 hours to myself a day to relax and wind down. As the babies got bigger I found I also needed that time to prepare their solid food. Anyway, the thread is on here and called 'settling twins for naps' - it has good advice that I followed. I would also say that be really consistent in keeping to nap timings -mine still need reo naps a day and even though they are less ratty when tired now I still put them down at 9.30 and 1pm for their naps. They go out like a light pretty much. They are 9 months now, and having a napping routine for me worked as I got stressed with their overtired meltdowns.
Good luck
X

[MultipleMama]

When my boys were 3 months we didn't have scheduled naps. If I saw them tired I'd just nurse them down and let them wake when they wanted to. Never had a problem with night time but from early on they always went to into their co-sleeper at 6pm. Now at 11 months they still nap when they want to and still go to bed at 6pm and now only wake 2-4 hours on a good day.

My eldest on the other hand had scheduled napped and slept just as well. He had naps mid morning and mid afternoon.

Naps were taken in a dark, quiet environment.

Do what feels right and what works best for you :)