One of the hardest things about parenting is the lack of sleep that comes with it. Yes, of course, tantrums are also difficult to deal with, but being a tired parent dictates how you even deal with discipline.
And it sounds like it’s no different for celebrities, either. Mum of two-year-old twins, Leigh-Anne Pinnock took to social media to vent about the struggles of her toddlers’ sleep regressions.
The former Little Mix singer posted on TikTok about how exhausting it can be being a twin mum, asking others in her position for help.
In a caption she wrote: “Where have my angels gone though? They’ll be three in August so I’m guessing it’s partly a case of the terrible twos.
“I know there’s been a lot of change recently for them, but this is so hard. I physically can’t split myself into two, when they both just want mummy and they’re hanging off me crying and tantrumming.
“That’s what I find the most exhausting. On top of them recently deciding not to sleep through the night. I’m having to now retrain them to sleep! I’m guessing this is just another phase and it will get better. Any twin mums out there? HELP lol.”
Other parents commented on the video sharing tips for the singer. One, who said they worked in a nursery, suggested maybe the kids are sleeping too much in the day.
Another offered: “Fellow twin mum! Hardest part to this day (mine are almost seven) is the battle of splitting yourself into two, especially when one is poorly and one isn’t. You’re not alone. They will sleep eventually.”
Leigh-Anne was quick to reply — she said: “THISSS... or one will wake up in a great mood and the other will be grumpy lol.”
But others said it does get easier and to enjoy the cuddles while she can, to which Leigh-Anne said she needs to focus on the positives as time goes too fast.
It turns out most sleep specialists don’t really consider sleep regression a thing, per se – the concept is not really used in scientific or medical contexts when discussing child sleep. That said, sleep specialists do recognise that lots of parents are aware of them.
“The only ‘regression’ with any science behind it, that I recognise, is the one that happens around four months old when babies’ sleep cycles actually change and become more like adult sleep,” says Emily Houltram, founder of The Sleep Chief. “But even that one divides professionals!”
Explaining what a sleep regression is, Lauren Peacock, a sleep consultant at Little Sleep Stars, says that “it generally refers to a sudden perceived deterioration in a child’s sleep pattern, typically characterised by difficulty settling at sleep onset and/or night-waking that is happening more frequently and possibly for an increased duration”.
Then, whenever children hit a significant stage of their development – so that could be crawling, walking, talking, starting childcare, becoming a sibling, getting sick or teething (the list goes on), there is potential for their sleep to be impacted. Again, and again, and again.