Bedtime routine tips please

[TinyTeacher]

Hello wise multiple mums!

I have 13month twins and a 5yo DD. Bedtimes aren't exactly a disaster, but not are they going quite how id like, so I'd love some tips!

Before the twins were mobile, things worked very well - all 3 kids in the bath, then I'd take the boys out while DH stayed to play with DD for a bit (she loves a long bath) and then she'd bag some quiet pls with herdolls and a story from DH. I'dget the boys dressed, breastfeed them together, read a story and then settle them for sleep. I'd give one a board book to play with while the other had his dummy and shush/pat, then I'd settle the other and is have time to read a story to DD and DH and I would sing a couple of lullabies to her and say goodnight.

This is NOT working now the boys are mobile, vocal and opinionated! I can't feed them both at the same time - they get distracted and staer wrestling so they take very little milk. Then while I'm trying to settle one the other will keep popping up to play peekaboo over the cot bars. It's lovely and there's lots of giggling and joy, but it's impossible to get either to sleep!

What I and up doing is leaving DD and one twin in the bath with DH to supervise. I then battle one twin into pjs and feed him to sleep. If I try a bit earlier, there's no battle, but they take top long to go tosleep and the other twin gets cold and upset in the bath. Anything other than feeding ti sleep takes too long - same problem. If we get both out and DH supervises baby + DD I pjs it goes awfully wrong - DD doesn't get her relaxing time and the baby gets all worked up and excited and then won't go to sleep and we spiral into overtired......

So how did you do it? I really want all 3 kids to get a calming bedtime, preferably with stories and lullabies (LOVED this time with my eldest, but my boys get neither!).

Oh dear. I hope the lack of response is because all the other twin mummies are far too busy eniying an active social life once their kids are in bed... and not because there isn't a solution!

Hi there I also have a 5 year old and 1 year old twins! Have you thought they are maybe not getting enough milk now that they are 13 months and you are still breastfeeding? Mine will each have 210ml of formulae for bed time - they will get cross/upset/won't settle if it's less than that, they are definitely the type that needs filling up before a good sleep. They definitely distract each other so I don't feed them at the same time and also because they are different personalities when it comes to bedtime - one twin prefers a bottle and cuddles and prefers to fall asleep on me and then will go in the cot and self settle. Other twin was a really good self settler but the last month has been horrendous and he just fights it at every turn and get himself worked up so I tend to do him second and get him calmed down enough by rocking etc to go in the cot. Eldest bedtime generally sorted by DH and I'll go in and say good night inbetween twins - i usually start bedtime at 6pm for the twins and eldest is 7pm - they don't have a bath every night.

It's not perfect and eldest does have an iPad often in bed but you have to do what you have to do just to get the job done - I work full time so then to spend 2-3 hours getting kids to sleep would be difficult to cope with. Especially as one twin is waking in the night for hours at the moment 😬

I don't think it's a lack of milk. When I'm only doing one-at-a-time bedtime they have a nice long, lazy feed. I'm quite fortunate that I have a good supply (have expressed for DD when she was little, and for the twins, so I know I happen to produce quite a lot). It's only feeding them at the same time that's a problem because they spend the whole time poking each other!

I suspect that getting them to settle themselves a bit better in the cot is going to be a bit part of it... not having much luck so far! It takes so long to settle them any other way than feeding them now they are mobile. Twins are SOOOO much more complicated than singletons!

I couldn't do bedtime that early on my working days, we aim for 7pm bath, with the boys down by 8pm and my eldest down by 8.15. I just wish it was nice cuddly bonding time like it was with my eldest, rather than such a bloody battle every night. Do you manage to squeeze in stories and lullabys? I just can't seem to get them in