Bedtime routine for 3 year old and 7 week old

[quertas]

Desperate for advice here and really at the end of my tether. DS, 7 weeks, cannot self settle for sleep- reasonably enough. DD, 3 years, has a bedtime routine of tea, play, bath, story, bed. Or did have. Now it's chaos of trying to be heard over DS's exhausted sobbing as he needs to be rocked, held, fed to sleep, in a quietish darkish space at exactly the time DD goes to bed. He can't maintain a latch without help so I can't feed him in a sling. There's no o e else to help and poor DD is getting the bums rush into bed every night so I can go and try to get DS to sleep in another room. Neither child is a good enough sleeper for me to try o get them down in the same room yet. Dd will often sty awake talking happily to her dolls for an hour or more after her bedtime and DS is only 7 weeks so sleep quality is all over shop. Anyone got any ideas?

If your DD tends to stay awake longer can you sort DS out first and do her later? Or switch her routine around so it's bath, play, bed? Then you can sort DS while she's playing on her own. Would that work?

My 2 have similar age gap, 3 and 7m. In the beginning if the smallest was happy chilling out in her Moses basket I'd go off and put DD1 to bed. Sometimes I'd have her with us, if she wouldn't settle, other times I'd let DD1 have a bit of extra bedtime tv while I settled DD2. When I started a regular bedtime for DD2 I put her down before DD1 (about half 6) and get back downstairs for DD2. That's roughly my plan still. It'd be nice to put them to bed at the same ish time but I know I probably couldn't cope as well.
So in summary I just juggled for a bit and had to tailer the routine to what suited each night. I think it all seemed to get easier at around 3 months.

Hi poppanicolino,

That's a good idea and its definitely one for the future. At the moment DD doesn't play on her own at all, which is probably bad isn't it? Maybe that'd be the line of attack though, getting her plying on her own and moving her bedtime later...hummm thinks.....

*tailor

Cross post summer! Thanks! Ultimately I want to get them in the same room but like you say it's too early. At the moment I'm sat Iin the basement tv room with DS in a Moses basket typing one handed with my thumb in his mouth and this is actually progress for having my boob I his mouth. Aargh!!

Similar situation here but DD is 6. I sort out DS first then feed him while DD is in the bath and put him to bed. If DS won't sleep and cries (luckily quite rare) then he comes out of the cot and sits in bed with me and DD for her stories. He then seems to settle to sleep. DD usually stays awake for a while reading but I just leave her to it as she still gets up fine in the morning.

Lol, I feel your pain! It's agonisingly slow to get them both tucked up sometimes. I remember skipping a few baths and doing them in the morning in the early days, it was just the easiest option some nights. In fact I still do that if time creeps up on us, or if DD1 is overtired, as she was tonight. Bladdy kids! Time for a

Ok, I tried a new routine tonight based on your suggestions and......it worked!!! Put DS down in his cot in a Moses basket with the mobile on and read stories with DD while DS sucked my finger until he went to sleep, then got DD into beds, then took the Moses basket away with DS asleep when DD was in bed. I'm pretty sure he'll wake up any minute but that was the first bedtime in weeks that hasn't ended in tears. THANK YOU!!!!

Hooray! Really glad it went well for you all. Hope you are enjoying some well earned time to yourself. It's nice when bedtime doesn't equal tension! Here's to sleeping through -one day!!

What time do they go to bed? Can you give dd1 her bath earlier and into PJs, then get her snuggled on the sofa with a blanket and teddy and cbeebies bedtime while you put ds2 down, with promise of a story and cuddles before bed? I used to have that problem with regard trying to get them both to bed as dh worked too late to be home to help with bedtime, and found the easiest way was to do it like that. Having said that, I can't remember what time we settled into that routine. Dd2 used to go to bed at 10 or 10.30pm after her last milk feed until a few months old, so until she started with an earlier bedtime I used to put her in her chair and try to ignore any screams while I put ds1 to bed. It was hard not rushing him into bed and snapping at him for taking too long to brush his teeth etc as I was stressed over her crying. Just have to grit teeth and attempt to maintain an outward veneer of calm! x