If you have two DCs, what is your bath/bedtime routine like?

[JoyceBarnaby]

I'm not a strict routine person, but DH and I have always found that having a regular bedtime and bath/milk/story routine helps to settle our DS (now 3) for the night. We go up for his bath about 6:30 and he's usually askeep by 7:30. He does still wake up in the night a few times a week but the start of the night is reasonably reliable.

DD is only 9 weeks old, so any kind of routine for any point of the day seems like a long way away at the moment, but we want to fit her in to the bedtime routine as soon as we can. However, everything seems a bit frantic at bedtime now with two of them to sort out so I was wondering what other MNers do.

DS was 3 when DD was born and also liked his bedtime routine. My DP occaisionally works away/late so I needed something I could do on my own. What I ended up with was: bathtime for DS and DD (her in the sink at first!), DS got extra playtime while I got DD dressed, then DS into pyjamas and bed. I fed DD while I read DS a story - best chance of getting some peace for the story! If DD fell asleep then DS got my full attention for longer.

I can't remember when DD began to have a bedtime, we also aren't too hot on strict routines, just let things fall into place as and when. When she did, we've developed this routine: DD into bath, then out and DS in. He gets a bit of playtime on his own in there (he's now very nearly 6) while DD gets dressed. Then he gets out and dried/dressed, both wash their teeth. Last step depends on who is around. If both of us, DP usually reads DS a story while I read to DD. If just one of us, DD gets read to first and into cot, then DS gets story.

If DS needs a much later bedtime than DD he gets to watch some TV downstairs while I settle DD.

I do look back with some nostalgia for the days when there was only one to wrestle into bed. Some nights recall the Benny Hill show with naked and semi naked children running riot. Most don't :o and they do finally go to sleep.

What I'm not sure about is wtf I do come september when DC3 arrives .....

I try to herd almost 3yo DD upstairs by 6:30 for a bath while 4.8yo DS watches Cbeebies.

With a bit of luck she's bathed, teeth cleaned and in pj's by 7pm so I can run DS's bath and read her story while DS starts his bath. Once her story is done she settles down so I go and wash DS's hair, do his teeth and hurry him into his pj's. I aim to have his story done and kiss him goodnight by 7:30.

That all sounds so simple , in reality there is a lot of shouting and bribery and running a bit late.

Thanks - these evenings sound like the sort of thing we're heading for. Organised chaos?!!

We have always done the bath/bedtime thing with DS1 and wanted it to continue when DS2 arrived. I used to bath them together (Ds2 on one of those bath seat things) as DS2 has always loved baths since he was a newborn and DS1 loved having him in the bath with him.

I would get DS2 out after a few minutes and lie him on the bathroom floor and dry him and get him dressed whilst DS1 splashed around. I would move DS2 into his cot whilst I got DS1 out of the bath, dried and Pj's on.

Both downstairs - sort out milk for both of them and leave DS1 to drink his whilst watching tv, I would give DS2 his bottle. DS1 would then go upstairs to bed whilst DS2 would lie on his playgym and drift off to sleep. Once DS2 got to about 4 months, I would put him to bed upstairs straight after his bottle and then Ds1 about 15 minutes later.

The age gap between my 2 was 2.4 and it seemed to work very well......nearly 3 years later and they still have a bath together

Pretty much the same as SSCat. Works well :)

Meglet - why don't you do them both at the same time??

justfive .. after a dreadful vomit / bug filled Winter 2009/2010 I decided to do separate baths and towels for the dc's. It is an extra faff doing them one at a time but we've had one vomit in 12 months so maybe it's helped keep the bugs at bay, or it might be luck.

TBH I like the few minutes of one-on-one time with them as I'm a LP and at work 3 days a week. And I do my eyebrows / nails while I supervise bath-time .

Meglet - Ah, thought there must be some reason for it - all that extra faffing :) Personally I think 'luck' - the way kids share germs I think bathtime is the least of your worries - but if it's working for you then who am I to say otherwise :)

Also very like what SScat describes with a very similar age difference. It works well as one of us deals with the bath and then we both 'do' one DC after that - although they are both going through a random 'we want mummy' phase so whichever one is getting DH moans! Nights when DH isn't there do tend to involve more TV for DD just so that I can get DS down, but she is now of the age where she likes listening to his story and reading a line or two so that has been working well when it's just me. I like being able to give her a bit of undivided attention before bed as a hangover from when we just had her!

dS2just slotted into DS1's routine at that age. It took both DH and I, but I did cope when DH was on call.

I must admit I'm pleased that DH will normally be around to share the load!!

Have lost count of times I've run up to our room to settle 6 week old and back down two flights to 2 year old sat watching Post Man Pat (Poor lonely first born with TV for a parent!) uch easier with other half around when I can try to settle baby in one session, problem is, they're not always around are they. Grrrr. Have totally forgotten how old DS was when he began to be able to settle him self. With this one (6 weeks old) it's rather hit and miss. I don't relish solo bed times I can tell you. Totally exhausting.

We have 2dc, 4 and 2 and bedtime is: about half 6 quat to 7, upstars. Start stripping off, much running round with bare bottoms diving in and out of each others bedrooms and chasing while I run bath. Teeth get brushed while dcs run round trying to avoid teeth brushed. In bath for swill / wash / general splish splash. Out off bath, both in youngest bedroom as less fiddly toys for youngest dc to destroy. Jim jams on (eldest dresses self, i help youngest) Play in bedroom while I warm some milk, both sit on bed with milk while I read story to them both. Eldest dc goes off to her bedroom and clambers into bed, i tuck youngest dc in and kiss nigh, then go to elder dc, check tucked in and kiss night, doors get shut and time fr

Got eldest dc in this routine at about 3 or 4 montrhs and stuck to it religiously, when dc2 was born he went in this routine as dh works late and I started to do it ion last bit of his paternity leave to check i could cope!

Both good sleepers, don't climb out of bed (yet!!) and i leave them in their beds awake so they don't need me to help them fall asleep

hth