A Canadian neonatal nurse has won an award for her work which includes a study on the benefits of putting twins to sleep together. Kathryn Hayward is an assistant professor at the Dalhousie University nursing school.
Seeing twin infants when she worked as a nurse piqued her interest as did the fact that her own sister gave birth to infant girls and asked her for advice about sleeping arrangements.
ListenTwins filmed to preclude bias
Hayward searched the literature and found very little scientific evidence on the subject and decided to do her own study. After filming 117 pairs of twins for one week she found that the pairs who slept in the same crib slept more and cried less. They also co-regulated, meaning they adjusted to each other’s schedules making it easier for parents.
Parents must make their own decisions
Safety was a prime concern and Hayward said the number of twins she studied was not big enough for her to make any conclusions about the safety of co-bedding for twins. So she says it is up to parents to decide for themselves what to do.
Parents who want the benefits of more sleep, less crying and co-regulation may decide to put their twins together, but if they do, Hayward says they must follow Canada’s safe sleep guidelines for babies. They include sleeping babies on their backs on a firm mattress with only small, thin blankets, no bumper pads, and no stuffed animals.
She adds, if parents decide to co-bed their twins, the infants should be one arm’s length apart. Hayward says further study will provide more definitive answers about safety and the value of co-bedding twins.
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