Hi there,
I have a 2 year old toddler and 4 month old triplet girls...so busy so I have not been on the forum since they were born. They have been napping during hte day in their bouncy seats and/or pack n play since they came home but not on a schedule or all at once, more cat naps that a good 2-3 naps a day.
I have recently been trying to get them to nap upstairs in their cribs (all in the same room) and sometimes it works I can get two of them to nap at the same time but still challenging.
i do have them on a feeding schedule about 6 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm , 6 pm, 10 pm but please, any tips for how to get triplets napping together on a schedule...at this age, is it more 2 or 3 a day? I forget how I got my son and when to do two naps a day.

Also, I can't be alone with all 4 kids at this point, i have been hiring someone to be with me...anyone else with a toddler and triplets, when does it get a little more manageable where you can actually be alone with all 4 kids?!! if ever???!!! life is wonderful, yet crazy and exhausting as I'm sure you all know.
thanks for any advice, tips, support!
Melanie

I am in your boat, except I also have a 5 year old. My "middle" child was two in July, but only 21 months when our trio arrived. It sounds like you are doing a great job. Right around 4 months is exactly when I started the upstairs naps too (they were born at 35w). They actually grew into it pretty quickly, within 2-3 weeks they were taking two naps a day upstairs (9 am and 1 pm), and then they need a late afternoon power nap for many months after. I let them power nap downstairs, either in the bouncy, on the floor, or in the swing. I wasn't going upstairs 6 more times for a 15 minute nap!

Honestly, it's really hard to be alone with all the kids still for me. The triplet part is "easy", but the 2 year old is hard. I think it's unsafe for her to be roaming the house, so to speak, while I run up and downstairs, make bottles, feed 3 babies, etc. In recent months, her safety is becoming less of a concern, but my toddler is a daredevil so I have to be sure to not become complacent. Just when that was getting easier, two of my guys started crawling, so now everyone is in a different direction. I would say that if you are more willing to "cage" in your 2 year old, or the triplets once they are mobile, you will be more likely to be on your own and keep everyone self. We're kind of against that sort of thing b/c we never did it with our older kids, so we feel bad doing it with the triplets just b/c there are 3.

But, I definitely can see where once the babies can take feedings from a sippy cup and then once they can walk well on their own, I will be able to handle much more on my own. Until then, I accept help when I can

I should have also mentioned... once you institute your trio's afternoon nap, make sure to time it with your toddler's nap start time. That will ensure you get at least an hour on peace to yourself. If you do your toddler's nap at 1, and then the trio at 2, you'll be stuck on those days when your toddler takes a short nap. I get everyone down at the stroke of 1 and then I know I have peace from 1-2:15/2:30.

Hey Melanie -

I also have a 2 year old (3 in December) and GGG born in April also 4 months (corrected)

What seems to work for us right now is putting all the GGG down for a nap after 2 hours of wake time. This seems to work like clockwork if we catch the window. All three have different styles and personalities - I put the first one down that I know is better at self soothing. Then I work on the one that needs just a few minutes of cuddle time before she can settle herself. Then I work on the last on who needs a longer cuddle to settle. Have you tried to establish some kind of routine before nap/bed time? It doesn't have to be elaborate. I don't have much of one, but it's the same every time - swaddle, cuddle, soother, put in the crib, massage and say time to sleep...or something of the sort.

We have a crib in our livingroom however I too feel it's time for them to be napping in their bedroom. The bottom line is there is no right answer. I've taken tips from Dr. Marc Weisbluth http://www.drweissbluth.com/ - he's got a book on twins/multiples. I'm not sure it's something that will help but thought I might throw it out there. (Cause you have a ton of extra time to read!)

Hope that helps,
cheers,

Janet
G - 12/07 35 weeks
GGG-04/10 30 weeks