Evenings with two under 2.5

[Dontfencemein]

I have 2.5 year old and a baby of three weeks. Baby cluster feeds on breast from about 5pm and so far I have managed to accommodate most of this by dealing with toddler one handed while more or less keeping to his supper, bath and bed time routine. I keep the baby "up" with me until I go to bed myself although will not be doing this forever.

However, it is getting to the point where I would like baby to have evening bath and I am conscious that I will not be able to hold him with one arm while dealing with toddler forever. One of them always seems to be unhappy about something! I am on my own most evenings as DH has long commute.

How do you manage two little ones in the evenings? Are there any magic tricks or should I just resign myself to the chaos and wailing?

I just did mine together.

Eldest was 15 months when youngest born. Bath time I would just run bath, baby in wrapped in towel on another folded towel , eldest in, then baby in and washed. Wrap baby and back in on towel whilst took eldest out. Then all to bedroom to change.

Our routine was later though. All had dinner together around 7.30pm. 1 year old bed around 9pm. Baby cluster fed 7.30-11pm. At 5pm would still be outside doing something.

Get a bath support for the baby. Bath the baby and toddler together in a shallow bath. Take everything you need into the bathroom, give baby a quick wash and get them out and dressed in the bathroom whilst toddler had a splash around. Get toddler out and dressed, read stories to toddler whilst you feed baby.

I was home alone with two every weekday evening, it is not fun but totally doable.

(2 under 2 here, soon to be three under three) - Firstly, unless you have the miracle children from heaven who never tantrum, cry or kick up any fuss, there WILL be times when both or one are crying. As long as they are safe and warm etc etc, you will be fine, they will be fine, you learn to prioritse :)
Gave them both the "same" bedtime of 7pm right from the get go. Got a simple bath support for baby. Ran the bath. I let the older one run around whilst I bathed youngest, got her out and dressed then plonked older one in the ready run bath. Bottle fed her her breast milk (couldnt breast feed directly as took too long, she'd take almost two long gruelling hours to feed, and toddler was a fucking nightmare) whilst he splashed a bit, burped her etc, then put her down in the bouncer next to me whilst I delt with cleaning him. Bounced her with one foot whilst my hands were occupied. Put her in sight in darkened corridor still in bouncer whilst I got him out and dressed, chucked him (not literally, obviously) in his cot then ran back to her and spent the God knows how many hours trying to settle her to sleep. It took a few weeks but eventually she settled better into this routine, would wait quietly for me in bouncer whilst I tended to her demon brother. It all worked out fine, was manic at first.

I did, and still do bath mine together, ds is 2.3 and dd is 7.5 months. The baby went in the bouncy chair whilst I ran the bath and got ds in then bathed dd, got her dry and dressed then back in the bouncy chair whilst I dried and dressed ds. Tbh there were lots of tears from dd in the early days in the evenings as she was ready to start cluster feeding at 6 and ds didn't go to bed until 7.30 is. I used to do my best with her in the sling but it was hard. It got easier after around 5 months when she finally stopped the cluster feedjng/cuddling all evening phase.