Help needed to devise bed time routine for 2 under 2 that can be done single handedly!

[Thankyouandgoodnight]

DD is 21 months, usually bath at 6:30pm and in bed by 7pm ish.

DS is 7 weeks (breast fed), knackered by 6 / 6:15pm and if there's any delay on that, he gets over tired and needs hours of rocking and holding to settle and keep him asleep. It's also touch and go whether he'll settle at 6:15pm so can be a bit demanding in terms of hands required!

Go for it!

When my DS was 7 weeks old he always slept in his moses basket in the livingroom until we went to bed.

Is there any way you could put your LO down in a moses basket/pram whilst you put older child to bed etc?

Yes there is but I would also like to give him a quick slosh in the bath every couple of days or so. That would mean bath time being at 6 at the latest so that would leave a half hour gap between bath and milk/bed for DD...could read books I suppose!

How about getting DD to 'help' bath and get DS ready for bed? Obviously passing you things or giving him a quick wipe over putting lotion on etc keep her involved then put him down and bath her maybe?

I know I shouldnt say it but >>whispers

I know I shouldnt say it but >>whispers

What do I do if he starts screaming when she's in the bath though? Is she safe to leave at that age while I whizz and get him and bring him back in to the bathroom?

NO. She isn't safe to leave.

Could you bring the baby up in the moses basket and leave near the bathroom so that you could quickly get your dd out of the bath and wrapped?
Get them both bathed at 6pm one after the other? Into pyjamas and settle them down.

Do the both need a bath every night?
Could you do them on alternate nights?

I usually found that once the baby was bathed, swaddled and fed and settled then they wouldn't wake for a while. Plenty of time to bath a toddler.

Try not to worry too much. It's not the end of the world if one of them isn't bathed.

And NEVER leave a 21mo alone in the bath.

No, I wouldnt leave her in the bath on her own, she might slip and fall and it only takes a second for somehting serious to happen..TBH I used to leave DD2 to cry if I had to, whilst DD1 was in the bath/climbing on something she shouldnt etc..or whilst I was in the shower or whatever..as long as he's not starving hungry/in danger (which at that age he shouldnt be as he cant get around very much) then all he's doing is making a noise which wont hurt him (but may annoy you )
Actually becuase I was forced to do this with DD2 at times I think it has made her now a far less demanding child.DD1 was a pfb and I picked her up whenever she made a whimper and as a consequence she is much more high maintenance.

Obviously dont leave him for hours on end crying of course

how about a sling for DS? that way he is on you all the time during the bath and therefore unlikely to cry. may even go to sleep!

must say am very interested in how this is done as am due with number 2 in Jan when DD will be 20 months...

TheGreatScootini -
"Actually becuase I was forced to do this with DD2 at times I think it has made her now a far less demanding child"

I thought the same way. Dc1 very demanding. Obviously, thinks I, because I attended to his every demand. Dc2 not demanding because he had to wait. I think I've got the parenting thing sorted.....then dc3 arrived....very demanding, so much so that dc2 had to wait again a lot of the time otherwise she'd scream the place down (think horrible high pitched cry).

Possibly you are right in your judgement of your dc, but I just thought I'd warn you just in case it was a similar situation to mine

I feel your pain. Ds is 2.4 and dd coming up to 6 months. If dh wasn't around up till a few weeks ago bedtime was my worst nightmare. Now my dd is quite similar to your lo in that by 6 she's tired. Now I feed her at 6/630 then straight to bed for her by 7 unless it's a really bad day she's asleep so then ds can b put to bed ds watches simpsons while I sit next to him and feed dd and I'm only gone a minute while I put dd down. Bathtime is before 6.

And thats why there wont be a DC3 in the Scoot house I dont think my nerves would take it..DD1 takes 80% of my time, dd2 the other 20%.If I had a third I would have to put it in its Moses basket and there it would stay until it was 12

waves to flf

"And thats why there wont be a DC3 "

Famous last words

when ds2 as that age (coming up 6 motnhs now) i used to put him in the moses basket inthe hallway without the light on, by the bthroom so it wasn't so bright as the bathroom and he would be able to settle himself a bit.

now he's older ds1 helps me in the bath with ds2, then helps while i dress and settle ds2 with some milk and then i bathe and put ds1 into bed. he's so tired with helping and waiting while i settle ds2 that he goes to bed very easily some nights!

Right, this is what I did with a small age gap. Bath 6pm, (sounds like you could do 5:45)both in bath at same time, for me the only way!!! I used one of those bath support thingies for dd2, and DD1 loved being in the bath with her. Then, quick slosh for DD2 whilst DD1 plays, DD2 out and dressed in bathroom, then in bouncy chair whilst dd2 gets dressed. Then to dd1's bedroom, bf dd2 whilst reading dd1 had milk and story. Then dd2 in bed, more stories with dd2.
My advice would be to do bath for both together every night so until you've sorted your routine, then be as flexible as you like, it will be a lo0t less stressful when you've got a system. One thing which really6 helped me was having pyjama bags ready from the morning with pj's and nappies.
Good luck.
p.s. very impressed with your system with a 7 wk old, I used to do the bed and bath thing then bring dd2 downstairs with me after dd1 in bed for what seemed like forever.

hello Scoot! about time I popped in for a visit methings

Juuule..I know.I said after DD1 that we would wait till she was 5 before we even thought about another.A night in a bring- your- own- bottle Thai restauraunt put pay to that idea