If you have 2(or more) under 3. What is your bedtime routine?

[DontlookatmeImshy]

Having trouble working out a routine for ds1(2.11) and ds2(7m). Whether to stagger bedtimes, put them to bed at same time, me doing ds2, dh doing ds1. So I was wondering what other people found works for them or do you just muddle through differently every night like we seem to do?

what's a routine?

Your age gap is similar to ours! Mine are older now, but at that stage, DH and I bathed the pair of them together, then one of us would give DD her bottle while the other read DS his stories (this all happened on the sofa downstairs). We'd then put them both to bed at 7pm. It was very strictly routined and wouldn't work for everyone, but it did work for us!

We have the age gap and did the same bedtime until recently (now 5 and 6) - mainly for sanity sake. Bath (joint - though your wee one is a bit wee for that!) cebeebies, then seperate stories (dh/me) and both into bed at same time.

1. have something that can be achieved by one person

2. Stagger - but in order rather than time ( so Ds1 after Ds2 - but don't make the interval too big)

3. Get more bang for your buck where-ever you can . Bathe together, stories together etc

DP puts DD (2.5) to bed, I put DS to bed as he's still bf (he's 11m). DS goes slightly earlier than DD.

They will be sharing a room soon though, so things will have to change.

If I'm on my own (rare) I muddle through and try to settle DS while DD is in the bath. If that doesn't work, he's in for the long haul right through to the end of the story. (Although I often forget to brush her teeth ).

I have DS (2.3) and DD (4 and a half months).

I take DD up at 6.15 for very quick dip in bath (every other night!)then BF her whilst DH baths DS.

DD in bed and drifting off by 7, then do stories/milk with DS till about 7.15-7.30 in his room.

It works quite well ...... mainly because DS likes to have a long bath/unsettling romp around house with his dad .....

Do feel lucky that DH is home in time, as have found it quite tricky on my own

Mine have 18 months gap and we used to, an still,take them up at around 6.30-7.00 and bath together. Take youngest one out first, dry and bottle in the bathroom, brush his teeth, and one of us would take him to his bedroom for story and bed by 7.30. Oldest one gets a bit longer bath and more stories, goes to sleep at around 7.45. Actually the time isn't fixed as it depends on how tired they are, but the actual sequence is the same every nihgt, except if one of them is ill then it's complicated.

If I am by myself, I take youngest out of the bath first and bottle in the bathrom, and take older one out and read their stories in the same bedroom. Then oldest goes in his bedroom for a little play or look at his books whilst I put the youngest one to sleep (which luckily takes only 5 minutes) an read a few more stories to the oldest, and bed by 7.45 ish.

Same age gap - when they were that age and I was on my own, I'd do milk (bf for ds, cup for dd) upstairs, then both would get naked for 10 mins, into bath together. Get ds out first, wrap him in a towel, get dd out - both into ds's room where pjs and nappies were laid out already and lights were turned down. Get dd dressed first, she'd often go and play in her room, get ds dressed and grobag-ed. Read him a v quick story, have a cuddle, into bed then into dd's room for stories and cuddles. Assumed ds went straight to sleep - didn't work most nights so spent a lot of time shuttling backwards and forwards between their rooms.

At the moment I am doing;
run bath about 5.40pm
put ds2(4.5mo) in bath
get ds1(22mo) undressed and in bath
get ds2 out of bath, dried and dressed
get ds1 out, dried and dressed
downstairs for cbeebies
ds2 has bottle of milk, then upstairs to bed about 6.45 and so exausted falls straight to sleep
ds1 up to bed for stories about 7, in bed by 7.10, all going well asleep by half 7

It took me ages to get into any kind of routine, esp since DH rarely makes it home in time to help at all

we have DS1 2.10 and DS2 10 months DH is usually (just) in for bath and bedtime and we do:
6pm bath - both in together, then we get one ready each, bottles in front of cbeebies, DS2 usually goes to bed between 6.30 and 7 depending on how tired he is and DS1 then has stories and is usually in bed and asleep between 7 and 7.15. They share a room so we like to make sure DS2 is asleep before we take DS1 up. If I'm on my own it's a lot more disorganised though!!

This is what we do:

DS1 is 2yrs 3mths, and DS2 is almost 11mths.

5pm - Tea
5.30 - Bath if they are having one. (Bathed together, put straight into PJs) Then downstairs to play quietly / watch TV
6pm - I take DS2 upstairs in his PJs to have a bottle and put him to bed
Around 6.30- 7pm DS1 goes to bed. We both have to take him or he gets upset.

It's not a rigid routine, but this is roughly it.

Mine is exactly the same as Kaybee's.

Perhaps that's because our babies are the same ages

Great to find a kindered spirit Jentlydoesit

Mine are a little older now, but the age gap is the same. At this age, I gave them both tea at 5pm. At 6pm I stuck elder child DD in front of cbeebies or a dvd in our bedroom - right next to the bathroom, whilst I bathed DS then gave him his milk and put him to bed. I then just topped up the bath and plonked DD in then into bed around 7pm. Would then get her a cup of milk to drink in bed whilst we did stories.

At weekends, we did, and still do, bath them together cos both DH and I are on hand and DS now able to sit on his own in the bath.

I tried doing it at the same time - it always ended in chas. DD always appreciates the fact that she gets to stay up later than her little DS.

am still trying to work this one out. main problem is that dd1 doesnt fall asleep by herself, she needs someone there right till the end. and am prob making a rod for my own back by bfig dd2 to sleep. so i really need dh to do dd1, otherwise i am in trouble!

Thanks for all your replies. I am dreaming of getting it sorted being able to get back downstairs before 8pm

Kaybee - I used to be Podglet and on the Nov '06 boards with you