2 kids needing different bedtimes

[AngelDog]

How do you juggle your kids needing different bedtimes?

The 5 y.o. ideally needs to be in bed at around 7.30-8pm. The nearly 3 y.o. is more like 8 - 8.30 as he still needs a nap (and no, he can't manage without one).

At the moment, DS1 just ends up going to bed at more like DS2's time, which can't be good for him. They share a bed and both wake up together in the mornings, so DS1 can't get any extra sleep then.

I have tried putting DS1 to bed earlier but it usually involves DS2 jumping on top of him and running in and out of the bedroom. DH isn't always around, and if he is, rarely has time to be wrestling DS2 out of the way. :)

Do they have to share a bed? That would be a major problem .... I would say 8pm is late for a five year old, mine goes at 7pm. If you put the older to bed at 7pm, then hopefully he would be asleep by the time the other one goes.

But the best thing would be for them to have separate beds...

Why do they share a bed?

What's the discipline when ds2 jumps all over his brother?

DS 4 goes to bed at 6.30, DD 8 goes to bed at 8. They have a DVD or time on kid's corner on my phone before bed. DS is usually asleep when DD goes in.

They have a mattress each on the floor next to each other. They just like being together - the ultimate sanction for DS1 is that he'll have to sleep somewhere away from DS2! :)

Discipline for DS2 is for me to sit and hold him still on my lap, but he struggles and yells, which stops DS1 going to sleep. He needs me to sit & sing him to sleep, so me taking out DS2 doesn't really help.

Put ds 2 down in your bed then transfer him when you go to bed, or once he's soundly asleep.

Or make DS2's nap earlier and shorter to facilitate an earlier bed time.

Id cut/shorten the nap and put the youngest down at like 6.30 til he gets used to it. Eldest to bed their normal time.

I was going to say the same as Bonzo

But when my two youngest were those ages they went to bed at the same time as each other. The little one napped because he needed more sleep.

Why don't they have beds though? A mattress on the floor doesn't seem very good unless for some reason you are on the bones of your arse and you are working your way out of it?

I would do a joint bedtime at DS1 bedtime, stories in bed etc. Then remove DS2 to let DS1 get to sleep.
Then put DS2 to sleep in my bed (or his own if that doesn't wake DS1) and transfer once asleep.
Mattresses on the floor are perfectly supportive.

Stories and pjs together, then leave eldest to sleep and take youngest into your bedroom for one more story and he settles to sleep there and you move him in later. Or you take him in at 8.30pm if he will go to sleep nicely without waking others

6.30pm is madness. We aren't even home then! And both children have to eat/ finish homework/ bath/ stories. Bedtime here is around 9pm. Children 4 and 5. They wake 8am