How can I stop my toddler disturbing his sister at bedtime?

[FedUp120028]

Toddler is keeping his sister up at night.

He won't go to bed, he switches the light on and off, shouts, bangs the wall until I come to him. He is 2.5 and his sister is 7. They share a room.

I’ve always put my younger kid to bed first, by a couple of hours. Then they’re asleep before the big kid heads up to bed. If the younger one plays up you can afford to under react because they aren’t really affecting anyone which makes it less satisfying for them, and they settle quicker.

On the odd occasion the younger kid was still being a pest by the older kids bedtime I’d let her go to bed a bit later, or start her night in my bed before transferring her when it was quiet.