calling routine-loving mums, how do you do it with 2?

[Gemzooks]

I did the well known routine with DS 2.5, (not the stupid expressing thing but stuck to the timings) although he's slipped into a 8 am to 8 pm routine rather than 7 to 7. He's a champion sleeper, eater and we're very grateful.

Now have one week old DD! She is also a good eater and sleeper so far, (bf), and want to try and synchronise them a bit, and also get my head round caring for both when DH goes back to work next week.

Does anyone have any advice or tips? the bath/bed routine on my own is very hard to contemplate!

Congrats on your new arrival I have no tips but am watching with interest as I'd like some tips too! My DS will be 16 months when my DD arrives in June.

To be honest I have never worried about routines for babies and I now have 5 children. I found that a good routine for the older ones was what made looking after the baby much easier

The baby just fits into whatever you're doing with the elder one ime. Once your supply is established I mean.

Oh and my ds (the elder child) doesnt have a bath everyday - thats what makes it doable.

I used to feed DS while sitting on the loo seat, while DD (then 2) had VERY special baths, (mummy's bubble bath, special toys) that way both got their needs met and DD was supervised. I had to leave her briefly to put DS in moses basket, kept my ears open.

Get a second-hand tape player and some little storyteller tapes, then your eldest can operate own story and keep out from under your feet while you do putting to bed of baby, then they can get your full attention later.

Here's hoping your little one sucks a thumb now and again, that helps!

Hi i also have a 2.6 yr old DS and a 7 month old DD. My DS was in a good routine of sleeping eating etc.. When DD arrived she sort of fitted around DS and after about 6/8 weeks we got them into a routine together without even trying. I was also worried about keeping routines but i found that you just find a way of fitting it all in together. Now both of them go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time 8pm-6.30am. The only thing i find difficult with the two of them is bathing, so i do them together if my DH helps and if not then they have seperate baths one after the other. HTH a little I'm sure it'll all work out fine.

I did the routine I think you're referring to for my eldest. Decided against it for my 2nd. HOWEVER I did want to establish a bath bed routine to tie in with her sister. DD1 was 2years and 3 days when DD2 was born. DH doesn't get in until after bed time so it was always done alone here.

So From about 3 weeks this is how it was done in our house:

Between 4-5 pm tried to get DD2 to have some sleep so not overtired for bath/bed, whilst she was asleep cooked tea for DD1

5pm. Wake DD2 Tea for DD1 Whilst DD1 eating, give DD2 one side of her bed time milk feed ( I breast feed)

5.45 Both girls to bathroom, (DD2 in bouncy chair) DD1 into bath first, then undress DD2, quick bath for DD2 in with DD1, DD2 then dressed for bed. She's then usually happy to sit in bouncy chair.

6.00 DD1 either stays in bath whilst I give DD2 her 2nd side (I can see her from our bedroom where DD2 sleeps) OR DD1 reads books on the floor next to my chair wrapped in her towel.

6.15 DD2 in crib.

6.20 DD1 dressed for bed, stories and songs togsther until about 6.45 when into bed. All asleep by 6.50.

DH walks through the door at 7 pm - you'd think he'd planned it

WRT the rest of the day I didn't do the rest of the routine (maybe thats why DD2 still doesn't sleep through at 12 months )because I couldn't fit it in around DD1s activities. Plus it really stressed me out first time round and I wanted to enjoy DD2 more. (whic I have )

I just made sure that come 5 pm my routine was always the same.

Its adapted a little as DD2's got older.

HTH

I'd forgotten this is the answer to bathing both at the same time when you have to do it alone - Fantastic product from about 3 week to about 6 months

Hi, I did basic GF routine with DD1 (without the expressing) and it worked brilliantly. With DD2 it took me a bit longer to work out how to fit it all together with D1's schedule (she had just turned 2), but here's a summary of the early days if it helps..... All timings fairly approximate of course but based on the ideas behind GF routine, which worked for me and the girls.

My main aim was to try to fit feeds for DD2 in at times when DD1 was busy as she'd get bored and jealous if I was feeding too much. When I was feeding I'd always set up distractions for DD1, i.e. set her up with toys / lego / jigsaws, but have a snack and drink to hand so when she was bored I could give that to her and also have books to hand so she could sit next to me on the sofa and I'd read to her and CBeebies on standby in case all else failed!

7am: get DD2 up and bf her (usually in bed with me).

7.30: DD1 usually woke up around this time and came through and got into bed with me too and had a beaker of milk while I finished the feed.

9 / 9.30am DD2 would nap. If at home this would usually be in moses basket in her room, but might also be in buggy or sling if I was e.g. taking DD1 to playgroup or to a friend or something.

10.30 (pushed out to 11am when a bit older), bf DD2 - worst feed of the day as DD1 bored and wanting attention.

12pm DD2 into bed (in moses basket in her room).

12.15 ish give DD1 her lunch

12.45 ish DD1 into bed (I was lucky she was still napping).

2pm: get DD2 up and feed her.

2.30pm get DD1 up.

DD2 usually had a short nap (buggy / sling / or carry cot sometime in the afternoon, but I didn't really structure this nap as we were usually out and about doing something with DD1).

5.15 pm / 5.30pm give DD1 her tea and bf DD2 one side while sitting at the table with DD1.

6pm: bath them both together (DD2 in plastic bath support so I could have hands free). DD1 would get in first then I'd undress DD2 pop her in quickly and wash and take her out and have time to dress her etc while DD1 played in the bath.

6.30pm ish DD2 into bouncy chair while I read stories to DD1 (rocking bouncy chair vigourously with foot!).

7pm DD1 into bed

7pm final bf for DD2

7.30pm DD2 into bed.

Whatever happened re feeds in the night I always tried to get DD2 up at 7am and get the first bf done before DD1 woke up.

DC3 due shortly - help..........!!

I also did the well known routine with dd who was two when ds came along. To be honest it doesn't work at all with two (in fact that would be my principle criticism). I just invented my own routine which fitted in around what dd was doing. My bath bed routine was bath them both together then sit on the sofa with a quiet bedtime video - dd would have her milk while I fed ds. I would then settle ds in his cot (he was in our room to start with) and then put dd to bed. He would grizzle, but I would leave him until I had settled dd - teeth cleaning, short story and night night song (about 10 to 15 mins - her original bedtime routine). Ds would invariably have settled himself/dropped off by the time I had finished - occasionally he would still be grizzling so I would go back and give him a top up or whatever. It worked brilliantly - much better than the routine I had with dd when she was that age (who I would scarcely leave to grizzle for two minutes) - he was and still is a champion sleeper! Good luck to you - it is a bit daunting when you suddenly have two, but you will soon get the hang of it.

I found it was almost impossible to do bath and bed for 2 when dd was tiny. I used to bath ds while she watched in her bouncy chair, he sat and watched In the night garden in our bedroom while I fed her and put her to bed. Then did his stories and his bedtime. I was lucky though as dh had a month off for paternity. I think would have been difficult earlier than that. Dd had her bath in the morning for some time. I think she was about 3 months old before she had an evening bath.

I actually found the routine with DD2 easier, I think becasue I already knew what to expect and what part of the routine worked and this bits I didn;t do last time until later on that were really good - ie putting the baby down to nap whilst awake!

If I were you do the routine you have with your eldest and the baby will fit in around.

Oh and congratulations, whilst its hard work its grea fun!

Hi. I am a massive fan of routines, mostly for my own sanity tbh. Ds1's routine was very srict from day 1. It wasn't the GF routine, it was my routine and it worked very well IMO for both of us, we both knew what was going to happen and how and when. Ds1 is now 19 months old and ds2 is 7 weeks and it is bloody hard work!!!!! They both do have their set routines for bedtime. I take ds2 into the bedroom to dress him for bed at 6:15, feed him, read a story (the same one every day) and sit with him for a few mins, then at 7 I put ds1 in the bath and he goes to bed straight after which is how it's always been for him.
I'm starting to think that although the routine was fantastic in keeping some sort of order in mine and his day to day life, it now means that he is so used to things happening in a certain way that he gets quite distressed if things are different, just really to the point where he won't settle to bed if not bathed or if bath is done early, he gets a bit umpy if he doesn't have his snack and stories after his nap and so on, so am thinking now that the bedtime routine will be the only one we will do.
I'm starting to see that in order for the 3 of us to get to the end of the day reasonably happy is to hand over a certain amount of control to them and pretty much go with the flow.
Remember a routine is much easier to stick to once you hit the weaning stage when the feeding atarts to regulate more.

I'm not a routine follower, but on bathtimes I:
bathe DS2 first (DS1 helps, he loves this), dry and dress him while running bath for DS1
DS1 in bath, feed DS2 while sitting on loo seat and chatting to DS1
stick DS2 briefly in seat/moses basket while haul DS1 out of bath, teeth, DS1 in pjs
stories for DS1 while feeding DS2
DS1 into bed, DS2 into moses basket, leave!

I was about to post this very question. DS2 is 6 weeks and has yet to have a bedtime routine. We move house next week and once we're in ,I shall be printing this out and pinning it in the bathroom!

Only trouble is DS2 still won't settle to sleep and screams when I put him down. Finding screaming not in keeping with calming lullabies!

I do GF routine with my DD 2 yrs & DS now 6 mth & it works fine, though I'm sure it doesnt suit every Mum I am a routine girl & love it, though I think you do have to tweak it to suit sometimes, it goes like this at the moment:

7am - Up & DD dressed before going downstairs & DD has cereal @ dining table while I sit & feed DS next to her, once hes had his milk he has started solids so has a little porridge, I then let DD & DS (sat in his bouncer) watch a little TV while I clear away breakfast things.
9.30am DS has 45 min nap while I do some sort of activity with DD.
10.15am - DS up changed and dressed for day then we do something together be it in the house/garden or out.
11.45 - Ds now has solids (was weaned @5m so dropped his 11am milk - just!)
12.30 - DS has nap in car / buggy if out & in cot if home
12.45ish DD & myself get our lunch followed by what Im trying to make quiet time but doesnt always seem quiet lol!
2.30 - DS awake changed and milk feed
5pm tea for both DD & DS sat together normally at home
6.15 - upstairs for bath time & bath DS then feed whilst DD reads in her room or watches DVD in our room, once DS is settled in his cot with his mobile light thingy on (about 7pm)I bath DD & get her ready for bed, once weve had a story, usually its about 7.30 / 8pm.

I do feel GF has been a life saver for me but I also think that what ever you do routine or no routine it has to suit you and your family.

Hope that helps, sorry its so long!