How long does it take you to get two kids off to bed???

[FuegosArtificiales]

It takes me almost an hour. 57 minutes tonight. I timed it.

At 7 on the dot every night I start hustling them both upstairs, then lassoo them to the ground and put on their pjs, chase around after them while they try to go back downstairs, I yell at them a bit, threaten them a bit, supervise teeth-brushing.

Then one story for the eldest and another different story for the youngest (different sexes and 2 years apart). Then I have to lie beside each of them for a minute, which turns into about five minutes. When I try to go they grab me by the neck and won't let go.. Then one needs a tissue, or a wee, or a cuddle, or a toy which is downstairs.. Finally, finally, finally I get downstairs and look at the clock and see that the process has taken an hour. There just seems to be no way around it. An hour to get two children into bed. And they're not bad kids. But as I'm on my own, that's every single night...

I'm going to pour myself a large glass of vino now.

It takes an hour to get my 2 into bed every night and there's 2 of us. All sounds normal

About ten/fifteen minutes from telling them it's time for bed and need to get pj's on now.

how old are they?

6 and 4. does it get better?!

Truthisinthewine, you must run a tight ship. Reeeeeeespek.

4 and 3
20 to 30 mins depending on length of storys (two each for each) and bf for youngest

Mine are 3 & 1.

If it's bath night it takes about 90 mins, if not then 45 mins.

It is a deeply unpleasant experience TBH, just lots of orders and raised voices from me and running away and grizzling from the dc's.

HOW do people get it done in 15 minutes!?

maybe they start drinking after 15 mins and it just blanks out all the mayhem .

I'm not a lone parent but on weekdays DH is usually home after bedtime.
Can be anything between 30 mins and an hour but usually close to an hour.
I think it is the two stories thing. I also have one of each sex two years apart. Plus they both like to read me a story and then for me to read them a story at bedtime. So that means four stories, two of which are read pretty slowly.

mine are 9 and 8 and No, it's no better. I think you just learn to go downstairs and pour the first glass of wine earlier

rofl meglet. OP, from when to when? I have 3 under 5 and if not a bathnight I would say 20 mins; that's teeth, face, hands, shortish story (no, not that one, not that one, yes that one's fine!), two songs prayer and kisses.

If bathnight 45 mins.

actually what I find is that you forget as they get older. They go to bed later, you start watching a film, it hits 9.30/10 and you think SHIT, the kids are still up (because they have learned to be v quiet if you haven't told them to go to bed) and then they go to bed far quicker as they know they've pulled a fast one

About 20 mins.ages 5 and 6.
Brush teeth, send them up to get PJs on, short story some nights, CD on, light off, i leave the room!
Tend to do bath/shower while tea is cooking otherwise it gets too late.

Older 2 (12 and 10) normally take themselves to bed now when i tell them to.

I timed it just so I#m being honest

3 year old up the stairs first
clothes in hamper or drawers, toilet
teeth
two books read to her (long books are not a choice at bedtime)
bf
cuddles
nightlight on
downstairs
4 year old comes up
clothes in hamper or drawers
toilet
teeth
two stories (in my bed as 3 yr old falling asleep and they share a room)
cuddles
nightlight on

one call of I forgot my dog (4yr old)
dog taken up to her

26 mins

there are 2 of us and it takes at LEAST 90 mins
i won't say how long it usually takes atm as it would be embarrassing

Chasing, yelling, threatening..don't sound like an nice way to go to bed, no wonder they hang on to your neck! Don't get me wrong, I've been there with my 3dc sometimes, especially when I'm coping badly with all the bad sides of being alone (poverty, lonliness, trouble with ex etc)but again and again, I've learnt that only when I start to ENJOY putting them (or at least one of them) to bed e.g new funny book, extra cuddles, jokes) do they lay off the stress and it goes more like clockwork and quicker. Also helped trem when I divided up when each goes, stagger it so the bigger ones feel slightly bigger and important..and hopefully go quicker and happier to bed. Still, in Germanyx I have it easier, the wine is cheaper!

Chasing, yelling, threatening..don't sound like an nice way to go to bed, no wonder they hang on to your neck! Don't get me wrong, I've been there with my 3dc sometimes, especially when I'm coping badly with all the bad sides of being alone (poverty, lonliness, trouble with ex etc)but again and again, I've learnt that only when I start to ENJOY putting them (or at least one of them) to bed e.g new funny book, extra cuddles, jokes) do they lay off the stress and it goes more like clockwork and quicker. Also helped trem when I divided up when each goes, stagger it so the bigger ones feel slightly bigger and important..and hopefully go quicker and happier to bed. Still, in Germanyx I have it easier, the wine is cheaper!

Good point. DCs always seem to draw it out for longer on the days when I feel like getting it over and done with quickly for whatever reason.

Having my glass of wine before I start the process helps me see the funny side when they are clowning around at that time of day.

I have 6 and 2 yo, if its a bath night about 45 minutes, otherwise 10-15 minutes for younger one and 10 minutes for older one, i have to do bedtime twice as younger one goes to bed an hour before older one x

One of my best mates has 3 under 6 - she gets them into bed within 15 minutes in the evening by virtue of being scary (as her eldest describes it). Takes 30 minutes to wrangle my youngest into bed, over an hour for the eldest (1 and nearly 4)... am fully expecting to be at the same place as OP in a couple of years time...

I always had a strict bedtime routine -DC always had nice warm bath ( add lavender type bathstuff to help them sleep) teeth and then clean pjs and then stories -I always got them to choose 2 stories and put on bed ready-"lets go upstairs and choose your stories" rather than lets go to bed -no kids ever want to go to bed !!

nice fun bathtime -get some simple toys -DC liked filling bottles/cups etc they dont need to be expensive - used water bottles /rinsed out yoghurt pots etc-mine would pretend to make tea etc !

Then in bed pj s on and stories /kisses/cuddles/ Dc would choose a soft toy to snuggle and look after -LOL
Then lights out etc.

Took about 45 mins -if I ever tried to rush it they became unsettled and it didnt work.
Hard if you are on your own -would usually do it 50/50 with Dp-its hard at the beginnig and they usually muck about but once they get used to and anticipate what happens its reassuring for them and they accept it.

Whatever you do it will get easier and when they are teenagers they will sleep/stay in bed as long as they can

shit my house must seem like boot camp.....

My boys are 6 and 3. At 6:45pm i go upstairs and start the process of running their bath, whilst telling them to start tidying up the bedroom.

Blinds and curtains closed, night lights on. Jammies on the radiator to warm up. Bath time fun from 7pm - 7:30pm inlcuding teeth brushing.

Into the bedroom wrapped in fluffy towels. Big rub down, jammies on, DS1 in top bunk DS2 in bottom bunk. big kisses all round, quick story (now read by DS1 who thinks he is chocolate) and i am back down staris on the sofa with my coffee for 7:45pm - 8pm.

have 3 DS's,

DS3 is nearly 3 and goes up at 8pm
DS1 and 2 are 9 and 6 and go up at 8.30

I give DS3 his milk and get him changed for bed at around 7.45 and take him up and leave him (hurray - finally sorted that again) - don't usually get another peep out of him until later in the night when he wakes and I put him back in (for 6 months I had to lie down in the room until he fell asleep again)

DS1 and 2 I tell them to get changed around 8.20, they get their PJ's on, go and brush their teeth and are in bed by 8.30

Bath night is pretty much the same except I run the bath at 7 and pop DS2 and 3 in to play for a while

So time taken about 10/15 minutes in total.