share your bedtime routines for your toddler - 18mo+

[soppypreggyloon]

ds is 19mo and still has the same routine as when he was tiddly. bath. cuddle +/- story depending on how sleepy and bottle of milk.

he's going into a new room, and new big bed after christmas so he's settled by the time dc2 arrives in april.

i think his bedtime routine will need to change as bigger kids don't do bottles for a start but i'm not sure what people do!

please share! :)

DS is 22mo and DD 3.7. Shared bedroom, both in proper beds. They have tea then a bit of a play or watch Humf, then they have a bath together.

After bath clean their teeth, and they get 2 stories, then I try to settle them to sleep. Some days DD falls asleep while I am still nursing DS, and they both go to sleep fine. I would give a cup of milk before going upstairs for the bath if you want to drop the bottle.

Other days they start playing/jumping/getting out of bed. Repeat as needed til everyone snoring.

If tea was very early I sometimes bring them back down after their bath for a bit of supper - breadsticks with philly, toast, muffin then back up to clean teeth and have stories etc.

My DD is 19 months. She has dinner between 5 and 5.30 pm and then plays for a bit, usually with the TV on so if she's very tired she can just veg out a bit. She goes in the bath about 6.15pm which she enjoys so usually a good 15mins of splashing etc.

When she comes out she watches what's left of ITNG and drinks a beaker of milk on my lap (she still takes about 8oz). Then it's through to her room, teeth brushed, put on nappy & PJs, then she gets two stories. She's in her cot by 7pm.

We managed to swap the bottle for a beaker without any fuss by moving the timing around - she used to have the bottle of milk last thing when she now has stories. We'd tried offering her a cup at that point and she refused, but she's happy to take it right after her bath now.

Not always a good idea to change to big bed too early, for a lot of people its too early and then they have a battle stopping them getting out of bed. I didnt move DS1 until nearly 3 and it worked successfully. If you need the cot then possibly get one second hand.

I dont see any need to drop the milk feed until they want to. As for evening bath time that doesnt happen anymore, far too busy to bath them every night and really is it necessary? (cant be good for skin either) -I bath twice a week.

They usually play and have cuddle time, milk. DS1 nearly 5 so around 7.30 max and DS2 19 months 7pm. Never really done the bedtime reading either, we read in day.