Bedtime with an age gap...

[mumfeelingguilty]

Just wondering how you arrange bedtime when there's a big age gap between children.

We currently have an 8 year old and a newborn. At the moment, baby just goes to bed when I do, but I'm wondering what sort of routine to aim for as baby gets a bit bigger. 8 year old currently goes to bed at 8pm.

If you have children a similar age, what do you do? Both go to bed at the same time? Baby first? 8 year old first?

[Caspianberg]

I dont have that age gap, but i would just leave 8 year old having their usual bedtime at that age, and depending on babies age even keep doing what you are, or take them to bed around 8pm also.

[Ricekrispie22]

If your newborn is anything like mine, their bedtime will suddenly shoot forward at about 4 or 5 months, to about 7pm.
I’d have dinner at about 6 and then let 8yo have some playtime while you bath and feed your baby. Put baby down at 7pm, turn on white noise, while 8yo has bath, story, perhaps some quiet reading by themselves and then lights out at 8.

[1Pinkfluffyelephant]

We have a 7 year old and a 4 month old. Baby has last feed around half 7 which has always been bed time (sometimes 8pm) for 7 year old. Lock down means bedtime has been slightly later/more relaxed but usually one of us take DD to bed for story, cuddles and tuck in etc and the other feeds and settles baby to bed.

[BertieBotts]

We have a 10 year gap. I didn't ever see their bedtimes as connected.

[LoisLittsLover]

I have 5 year old and 7 month old.

Baby has bath at 6:39 and I then feed to sleep with white noise. Dd (5) usually watches TV in my bed while I do this. Then she has bath at 7:30 and reading with me before bed.

[Lilybet1980]

It won’t be long before you’ll probably be putting the baby to bed at 7ish in which case you can do baby bedtime and then your elder DC can go to be at 8pm. That gives time for you to do a story if you’re still doing story for your 8 year old. Also gives time to do a quick bath or shower separately after the baby is asleep as I’m guessing by that age it won’t be joint bath?

[DaffodilsAndDandelions]

We have a high sleep needs nearly 7yo and a low sleep needs 19mo. They both go up to bed at 7. 6:45 if a bath is needed. Older one likes to have a story with his brother but then sometimes we feel he is hard done by and he gets a more age appropriate story later. That's not my car is not exactly inspecting at 7yo but it's lovely that he wants to join in.

Little one bounces out of bed at 6:30. Older one needs prodding at 7:30!

[mindutopia]

We have a 5 year age gap. After the first, say, 3-4 months, ours have always gone to bed roughly at the same time. It doesn't make sense to me to try to put one to bed, just to have them woken up by the other, or have it all take twice as long with two rounds of baths and bedtime. I've always put younger one to bed while dh does older one. Bedtime at our house is about 8-8:30pm. Now 7 year old stays awake tinkering with various things in her room and listening to an audiobook after dh reads to her, but younger one mostly goes right to sleep (now 2). We don't eat dinner until 6:30-7pm, so works well for us.

[mnahmnah]

I have 5 years between mine and they have slept in the same room since the youngest was 5 months old. Currently 8 and 3. I would put the youngest to bed first, at 7.00, then when they are asleep, the eldest goes up, around 7.45. Still do it that way.

[mnahmnah]

Also, they have a bath together the eldest just reads a book or watches tv until the youngest is asleep. Gives us some time just us aswell

[INameChangeTooMuch]

3 year old goes to bed at 7pm and 5 year old goes to bed at 7:30-8ish. She really enjoys the one to one time with us