Bedtime strategies with 2+ kids

[mishka29]

Please share your strategies for getting 2 kids to bed at the same time - with help and/or flying solo. Suggestions welcome too!

Bedtime is a full on shit show at my house. We try to divide and conquer but that can be difficult when DD1 wants everything to 'mommy's turn' and I need to feed DD2. Cue tantrum...and everything goes down hill from there.

[GeorgeWBush]

Staggered bedtimes. Wear the little while putting the big to bed.

[miniwheat]

You just described my life after 6pm.

[miniwheat]

Both my kids only want mama. So sometimes I have to just lie in our bed with both of them until we can carry them to their own beds. My bedtime approach has always been "Whatever they need and whatever works". Sometimes that really blows up in my face.

[RedGiant]

We divide and conquer. DH takes DS and I handle DD. The kids take baths at the same time, DD in the baby tub, DS in the normal tub. Then DH brushes DS' teeth, reads stories and puts him to bed while I read one book, nurse, and rock DD to sleep then put her down in her crib.

Bath time starts at 6:30 and both kids tend to be asleep between 7:30 and 8 pm.

[RedGiant]

If I have to do it myself, DD might not get a bath (or get one earlier) and just have to hang out in her bouncy chair while DS is in the tub and brushing teeth. Then I can read stories to them both, and sit in the glider in DS room and nurse her to sleep while DS falls asleep. Then leave his room and put her down in her room.

But that is not common, since DH is almost always around for bedtime. (Which works out great since DS loves his daddy)

[misshart00]

Um, I really bad about bath time since H works a lot of evenings. My goal is to not let the baby fall asleep while I'm getting the toddler down. I usually put baby in the swing or on the floor in the living room, change the toddler for bed, read a story and put her down.

Then I come change the baby and swaddle him and feed him. I rock him to sleep if he doesn't nurse to sleep. Then I lay him down.

If the toddler starts crying, she has to wait until the baby is down before I'll get her.

When H is home, he puts DD to bed while I feed and rock DS.

[mamabisme]

We don't do baths at bed time. That alone relieves a good 75% of the stress. Instead, we do bath times in the early evening for the older girls (after school and extracurricular activities but before dinner) and whenever I can fit it in for DS (sometime through the day). After dinner we usually allow the girls to watch 1 cartoon, while we clean up. Then they brush their teeth, DH reads a story and we both tuck them in. I feed DS after they're settled and put him down.
ETA: Girls are 3 & 5. They go to bed 7:30-8 and so does DS. It varies slightly based on DS's last feeding but our goal is to have everyone down by 8.

[michelle142]

It goes something like this:

Right now we're alternating bath nights since DD can't sit up in the tub yet, but once she can they'll both get a bath at the same time.

I start DD's bedtime routine at 7pm. If DH is home, he entertains DS. If he isn't home, then I let DS play a game on his leap pad, or he plays quietly in his play room - sometimes he'll sit in DD's room with me and look at books. Luckily, DD is usually out in about 15 minutes.

DS goes to bed at 8pm.

The staggered bed times really help I think.

[miniwheat]

mamabisme, I think we are going to try the earlier bath time. In the summer we let DD play outside a lot later because her natural rhythm is being a night owl. But this fall when she starts Preschool I am going to try having a bath early. I hope the fun of preschool will help tire her out earlier as well.

[dreemkin]

I give the girls (separate now) baths every other morning bc we are all usually too tired to do it before bed. No daycare here so we're not that concerned about putting them to bed germy either.

The strategy: DH takes the toddler. I take the babe. They go to bed at the same time: 8:30 to 9.

[constancegoodspeed]

I do bedtime alone, and it takes about 1-1.5 hours. I hate bedtime. On a perfect night I:

Nurse DD

Bath for DS while DD hangs out in the bathroom with us

Move both kids to DS' room where DD hangs out on his bed or the floor while I get DS dressed and read to him

Bed for DS

Bath for DD

Take DD upstairs to our room to be dressed and nursed to sleep

On an un perfect night you can add in: clean up pee from the floor where DS missed the potty, nurse DD while sitting on the bathroom floor while DS soaks in the tub, feed DS bedtime snack, switch laundry that I forgot about until I realize DS has no clean pj pants, etc.

[ChickenOnSunday]

If DH is home then he takes on toddler duty and I'm generally nursing the baby at the same time. I solo parent on Thursday evenings because DH plays softball with our church. Thankfully I've had few issues dealing with both girls solo. I can put the baby in the swing and she is usually PTFO while I put the toddler to bed. I then come back downstairs to nurse the baby and put her to bed before collapsing on the couch all while wondering why I ever agreed to let him play softball.

[lizzybean]

DH travels a lot for work. When Audrey was younger I would have her nap in the swing while I did bath, stories, etc with Ella.
Now Audrey goes to bed right after Ella, so she sits in her bouncer in the bathroom with us while we do bath, then joins us in Ella's bed while we read stories.
Then I nurse Audrey and put her to bed.

[lizzybean]

Oh, and Audrey doesn't get daily baths because of her mild eczema. She gets her bath during the day about twice a week when I have the opportunity to.

[krispy83]

Most nights, DH is home to help, so this is our routine:
One of us brushes DS' teeth and gets him ready for bath while the other gets DD ready. We give them a bath together (DH holds DD in the tub while I wash her and DS plays with bath toys). Then I take DD into her room to do lotion and pjs while DH washes DS. Then, either DH gets DS ready for bed (lotion, bathroom, pjs) while I nurse DD or he holds DD while I get DS ready for bed. I read stories to DS and put him to bed while DH holds DD (and rocks her to sleep if I've already nursed her). If I didn't nurse DD before DS went to bed, then I nurse her after he's in bed and rock her to sleep.

If DH is not home, it's insanity. I do DS' bedtime routine quickly (brush teeth, quick bath, stories) while DD is either in her bouncer or on her playmat, then I give her a bath and get her ready for bed after DS is in bed. Usually while consuming copious amounts of wine to help cope

[ChickenOnSunday]

So do any of us get out at night and leave our SO's with the kids?

My old coed softball team is starting back up in August and I really want to play.

[maryxc1]

Most of the time, we each take one kid.

The baby needs to go to bed about 30 minutes before the three year old so if one of us is doing it alone, we let the older one help with bath and jammies for the baby, then set him up with TV (parent of the year award) while the baby gets fed and rocked. Then the older one gets his turn after the baby is asleep.

[mishka29]

Jun 16, 2015 2:02:38 GMT -5 ChickenOnSunday said:

So do any of us get out at night and leave our SO's with the kids?

My old coed softball team is starting back up in August and I really want to play.

That would be nice...not that I actualky have somewhere to go. But baby won't take a bottle so options are limited.

[maryxc1]

Jun 16, 2015 9:05:13 GMT -5 mishka29 said:

Jun 16, 2015 2:02:38 GMT -5 ChickenOnSunday said:

So do any of us get out at night and leave our SO's with the kids?

My old coed softball team is starting back up in August and I really want to play.

That would be nice...not that I actualky have somewhere to go. But baby won't take a bottle so options are limited.

My oldest wouldn't take a bottle either. I just wanted you to know that I feel your pain. Just remind yourself that when you look back on this time, it won't feel like that year (or however long) was that long at all.

[mishka29]

Jun 16, 2015 10:27:37 GMT -5 maryxc1 said:

Jun 16, 2015 9:05:13 GMT -5 mishka29 said:

That would be nice...not that I actualky have somewhere to go. But baby won't take a bottle so options are limited.

My oldest wouldn't take a bottle either. I just wanted you to know that I feel your pain. Just remind yourself that when you look back on this time, it won't feel like that year (or however long) was that long at all.

Thanks! My first didn't take a bottle either. It was hard sometimes but what can you do?! We finally just weaned off when she started daycare at 1 year.

[kartish]

Jun 16, 2015 2:02:38 GMT -5 ChickenOnSunday said:

So do any of us get out at night and leave our SO's with the kids?

My old coed softball team is starting back up in August and I really want to play.

I only have one but I started playing softball again one night a week. But it coincided with DH'S late night, so LO has a sitter if it's an early or really late game, and I miss if it is right at bedtime.