Bathtime Routine 2.5 + Newborn

[flapjackaddict]

Hi

I would love to hear from other moms how they juggle bathtime with a toddler and a new born. Currently I am bathing my newborn around 8pm but it doesn't seem to be working. I wake him up from a deep sleep to bath and then he doesn't settle for a good couple of hours so I eat my dinner holding or breastfeeding him to sleep to only have him wake up the minute I put down. He is 2 weeks old.

My toddler goes to nursery for the afternoon until 6pm as I work. I get home around 6.30pm and generally start his bathtime routine then. I could I guess start my newborns routine at 6.30pm and delay todder. But am very interested other mums routines with perhaps similar times. As I work for myself I could start newborn routine before I pick up my toddler and just have him start his sleep in the car seat? Is this wise though? I don't want him to associate the car motion with falling asleep.

Any advice and / or recommendations greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

To be honest I wouldn't bath a newborn every night I didn't with mine. I would be happy for them to sleep while you get your toddler to bed then get your dinner then sort out your newborn. If your toddler is good in their routine Don't change it! I always found a good feed lights down and quiet time was enough to encourage a night routine bath isn't always needed

I bathe them both together every other evening. Put toddler in bath & wash hair etc, undress baby and put him in the bath baby seat & wash him, baby out and then toddler out. Toddler runs about like a maniac while I dry and dress baby then I put pyjamas on her and dry hair before taking both downstairs for milk and bed. It's a military operation but doing them both together is easier in the long run and they're both with you at all times so safe!

I have DS who will be 2 this weekend and DD who is 9 weeks old. In the last couple of weeks she has found a semi-routine herself where she mostly wakes up around 5:30pm ish. DS has had/is eating dinner then, so I feed her one side while he finishes then put them both in bath together at around 6. They both go down at 7 (theoretically. I spent half an hour running up and down stairs settling each of them tonight!). However, this routine has only just started to happen. Before that, I stuck with DS's usual routine and bathed DD 2-3 times a week during the day when he was at nursery...DD just fitted in around this, feeding and snoozing

Oh and the actual details of my routine are much like Batmam's - a bath seat is essential! After milk we head downstairs to toddler's room for stories while I feed baby in low light and with calming music, then the theory is that I put DS down and take DD upstairs with me to put her down. See prev message for how that often pans out...

Exactly as Baniance described with my 2.4yo and 9 week old. If I can be bothered to do both. If the toddler is playing up then the baby may forgo her bath!