Caring for twins during infancy: A systematic review of the literature on sleeping and feeding practices amongst parents of twins

Objective: To better investigate how the parents of twins approach the care of their infants in terms of feeding and sleeping practices after birth by examining the sleeping and feeding behaviours of parents with twin babies. Methods: Three electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and ScienceDirect) were searched, and studies published between 2006 and 2016 were included. The Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Moher et al., 2015) was adopted. Key findings were extracted and synthesised. Results: Fourteen studies were included (three focused on sleeping, seven focused on feeding, and four focused on sleeping but considered feeding to be a secondary issue). Conclusion: Caring for twins presents unique challenges that require specific choices to be made. The parents of twins could benefit from additional and specially developed advice from health professionals for considering and implementing adequate sleep and feeding practices that reduce parental fatigue and stress, as well as promote parent-twin relationships.