Phases and Stages in a Baby’s Life

My neighbour told me that when I am feeling like pulling my hair out because of something the twins are doing it is important to remember that each stage, or phase in a baby’s life is about two weeks long. We are currently four days into a two week phase in which Annalie has decided that 7:30 or 8pm is not an appropriate bedtime.

Annalie has arbitrarily, and without any advance notice, changed our bedtime ritual over the last couple of days. It used to be that we would go up to the nursery, do our reading, have tub-time, get powdered and diapered, have our final bottle of the night and then enjoy a little cuddle before laying down in the crib and sleeping for at least a couple of hours. Now we get to the part when we have a little cuddle and then she lets loose a tribal scream. Of course Story, her little twin sister is in the other room doing the same ritual and if she hears the screams, well then she wants to investigate the noises. Then we have two babies wide-awake, two grumpy and tired parents and chaos in the house.

So over the last couple or four nights I have tried to get Annalie to sleep. If she goes to the tribal scream then I bring her back to the living-room where I make her do laps around the agility circuit I have built in the living-room. I keep her doing laps until she starts to yawn and rub her eyes to let me know that she is ready to return to sleepy-time.

And my neighbour with the advice? I trust her because she is an experienced mother. Her youngest is just a month older than our twins. Her other seven children are all older than that.