Why Room Sharing is Best for Twin Sleep Training: A Twin Sleep Expert's Perspective

Should twins sleep in separate rooms for sleep training?

As a twin sleep consultant and mom of twins, this is one of the most common questions I hear from exhausted parents. While it might seem logical to separate "the good sleeper" from "the challenging one," research and experience show that keeping twins together during sleep training actually leads to better long-term sleep and room sharing success.

The Twin Room-Sharing Advantage

Many parents worry that twins will keep each other awake or that one twin’s sleep habits will negatively impact the other. However, after helping twin families from all walks of life achieve peaceful nights, I've discovered something surprising: twins who sleep train together in the same room often become better sleepers than those separated during training. If you do plan to separate your twins soon and have the space, it’s fine to go ahead and do so now. But most parents I work with don’t have that option or they want their twins to sleep in the same room in the long run.

Why Separating Twins Often Backfires

Here's what typically happens when parents try separating twins for sleep training:

• The "good sleeper" gets used to sleeping in a quiet room with no noise

• The "challenging sleeper" becomes more disrupted in their new environment

• Parents end up managing two separate sleep spaces, which can feel like a game of musical chairs

• Reuniting twins later creates new sleep challenges

• Neither twin learns to sleep through normal sibling sounds

Some parents are told to separate their twins for naps. This can work, if you have the space. However, if you want them to share a room for naps long term, it is better to get them used to napping together as well.

Real Twin Sleep Success Story

Recently, a family I worked with had tried everything, including moving their "wakeful twin" to a pack-and-play in the living room. This was not a long term solution for them. They had a small house and needed their twins to share a room.

Sleep only got worse, not better.

The “wakeful” sleeper was more and more angry, the “better” sleeper was being awoken with more crying. And of course, the parents were at their limit.

Once they started working with me and we implemented proper twin room-sharing strategies, both babies were sleeping through the night within days.

The Long-Term Benefits of Twin Room Sharing

This is how I think about twins and room sharing: My husband's snoring used to keep me awake all night when we first got married. Now, after 16 years of sharing a room, I actually sleep better with his familiar sounds. The same adaptation happens with twins who room-share from the start. When we go on vacation and share a hotel room, he keeps the kids awake, but I can sleep right through it.

My own twins, now 9, still share a room successfully despite having completely different sleep personalities. Twin A needs perfect conditions: dark room, white noise, ‘the right’ pajamas. Twin B falls asleep with lights on, surrounded by toys . Yet they've learned to sleep peacefully together because they developed these skills early.

Setting Twins Up for Room-Sharing Success

The key isn't separating twins, it's creating the right environment and implementing twin-specific sleep strategies.

This includes:

• Proper room setup for two babies

• Strategic use of white noise

• Twin-specific sleep schedules

• Room-sharing sleep training methods

The best indicator for room sharing success is whether or not the parent believes that their twins can learn to sleep in the same room or not. Children truly do live up to our expectations. Help them see that they can do this.

What About Limited Space?

Some of my most successful families sleep trained their twins in:

• Shared nurseries

• Parent room-sharing situations

• Small apartment spaces

The space isn't what matters… it's the strategy.

Sometimes, it takes a little creativity and rearranging, but having helped families in many different living situations, I’ve seen it all.

I am happy to chat about your specific situation, just send me an email: [email protected]

Ready to Start Your Twin Sleep Journey?

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