Bedtime with 2

[CorpusCallosum]

DD will be just 3 when no2 is born. We have a good routine which works for us but I'm feeling clueless about how to do it when there are 2 to get down.

How did you handle bedtime with a newborn and later with an older baby and toddler?

Upstairs at the same time, bath together, into PJs, then I breastfed baby to sleep while reading to DD, then he was asleep and I could tuck her in, then he usually came downstairs with me to sleep on me until I went up about 10ish?

It requires a little fidgeting and accounting for changes in routine and stages.

With a newborn, just carry on as you are but take the newborn along with you.

Once baby is bigger, bath them together, do stories together, but stagger actual bedtime by 15 mins (doing whichever child is easiest first).

This is useful and encouraging. It sounds like we could still have 1 parent doing bedtime while the other tidies up (like now) or sleeps 👍😴

Second one is much easier in that regard, just slots in with the first one!

As a newborn, DD just tagged along and variously slept, fed, cried as she saw fit. Once she got a bedtime too, they both get washed at the same time and then if we're both home, DH and I take one each to do bedtime (bottle, teeth and cuddle for DD, stories, cup of milk, teeth for DS). If there's only one of us DD has her milk while DS has stories and gets cuddled after DS has got into bed. He goes off independently which is a great help!

I have newborn twins and usually if we are both home one of us stays downstairs with the twins while the other puts DD (also 3) to bed depending on who she wants to do it.

Some days she is so knackered she just falls asleep on the sofa and we put her to bed.

If I’m by myself then I have a double bed in the twins room and she can fall asleep in there with us.

I wouldn’t worry. You’ll find a routine that works but you may find each day is a bit different when they are newborns.