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What does your bedtime routine look like with more than one child?

KariKari Posts: 1,765
edited November -1 in Parenting and Life
I'm curious how you put the kids to bed when you're a single parent (or putting them to bed solo) and you have more than one child. I've tried putting both to bed at the same, putting one to bed while trying to quietly occupy the other one, and putting one to bed while the other one is willingly or unwillingly in another room. What works for you?

What I've been trying is to bathe both kids but take Juliet out first and get her into her PJs. Then I get Justin out of the tub and dressed. Justin gets his milk and a tv show while I nurse Juliet right next to him. She falls asleep, and I try to transition her to the crib (often unsuccessfully). Then Justin and I have some time to cuddle and read books (with Juliet if she didn't stay asleep) for about 30 minutes, and then brush teeth and get a nighttime diaper and tucked into bed. Often Juliet is up during this time, so then I have to nurse her to sleep again while Justin hangs over the edge of the bed because he feels left out and keeps talking, keeping Juliet awake. She has to fall asleep first, then me, and then Justin will sleep . . . which leaves me no time to myself in the evening.

In a perfect world, I'd like to have Juliet asleep at 6:30, Justin at 7:00, and go to bed at 8:00 myself; but I haven't quite figured out a routine that works to do this and could use some advice. Tonight Juliet was almost asleep at 6:15 when Justin screamed near her face, "I think she's waking up, Mom!" (only the 5th time he's done that today) so she woke up. If I could put them to bed separately, I don't think we'd have this problem, but Justin gets jealous if I ask him to play in a different room and cries and carries on so she can't sleep through his tantrums. And if he stays in the room, he wakes her up.
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Comments

  • ShannyShanny Posts: 2,456
    edited November -1
    You are off for the summer right? Can you do baths at a different time of the day? Morning or just any random time your bored, come in from outside or whatever. I feel like dinner, bath, bed all within a time period that everyone is SO done just adds stress to the situation. Other thoughts - can you save Justin's tv time so that he can be doing that while you get the baby down? I'd probably invest about a million dollars in coloring books or natchbox cars (or whatever will keep him happy for 20 minutes and pull a new one out every night) in order to establish the routine you need for sanity. L goes to bed at 6:30 but at 15 months that only takes a few minutes and she is done. A goes to bed closer to 8 but at 4.5 she is more than capable of waiting while a lone grown up gets L down. It was much more difficult a year ago so at least I can tell you that there will eventually be a light at the end of this tunnel.
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  • tc0104tc0104 Posts: 579 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Appreciating all of the responses in this thread as the thought of bedtime come January stresses me out as we add twins to our family. Laney has a great routine but relies heavily on us, but we're working on that.
  • Shaeley MaeShaeley Mae Posts: 1,731
    edited November -1
    So far ....... we turn off the tv and lights downstairs at 7:30pm, and everyone goes upstairs.

    The baby temporarily goes in his crib whether awake or asleep.
    I help Lilianna potty, brush her teeth, and put her diaper/pajamas on. Then she goes to bed with a simple hug and kiss. I turn off the light, put up the baby gate in her doorway, and she's done for the night. Sometimes she's asleep in 5 minutes, sometimes it takes her an hour. As long as she stays in her room, I try not to micromanage the situation.
    Once she's down, I get the baby and take him back to my room, and he chills on my bed while I get ready for bed. Once I'm in bed I either interact with him if he's awake, or I nurse him to sleep. And, unless The Bachelor is on, my light is usually off by 8:30pm.

    Oh, and regarding baths .... the baby only get's bathed twice per week, and L and I typically shower together right after dinner. So, bathing really isn't even a part of our bedtime routine.
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  • KatydidKatydid Posts: 515 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I don't co-sleep, so I don't have advice on that. It sounds like you need to set limits for Justin though. I think someone else mentioned losing book time which is what I do for my kids and foster kids. When my kids were younger I bathed everyone together and then had a pajama assembly line. The older kids were expected to sit quietly on their beds looking at books while I did books, bottles, and songs for the little kids. Once the little ones are down, I read to the older ones if they were quiet. If not then it is lights out. They rarely miss book time because they all love it so much. If I have a foster child that is new I do the super nanny technique of saying good night and helping them back to bed on the first trip out, and then putting them back in saying nothing with subsequent trips. I covet my "me" time at night because I give them the rest of the day; therefore bed time is not negotiable and they pick up on that quick. If I have a little baby that is not on a schedule, I bring it in for story time, but after story time the older child is expected to stay in bed with the lights out. They act the way that you let them act, so you just need to set limits and either have a consequence or reward in place.
  • cAtWmN84cAtWmN84 Posts: 462
    edited November -1
    Kari wrote:

    What I've been trying is to bathe both kids but take Juliet out first and get her into her PJs. Then I get Justin out of the tub and dressed. Justin gets his milk and a tv show while I nurse Juliet right next to him. She falls asleep, and I try to transition her to the crib (often unsuccessfully). Then Justin and I have some time to cuddle and read books (with Juliet if she didn't stay asleep) for about 30 minutes, and then brush teeth and get a nighttime diaper and tucked into bed. Often Juliet is up during this time, so then I have to nurse her to sleep again while Justin hangs over the edge of the bed because he feels left out and keeps talking, keeping Juliet awake. She has to fall asleep first, then me, and then Justin will sleep . . . which leaves me no time to myself in the evening.


    lol.this is exactly how it is at my home :) it goes a little smoother if i can get adri into a movie in another room or very quietly playing her inno tab (with headphones) in her toddler bed next to my bed.
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