Families with 2 or more children how does bedtime work in your house?

[OFSTEDoutstanding]

Hi I have recently given birth to DD (4 weeks ago) and I also have DS (aged just 3). I was wondering those of you that have 2 or more little ones what time do you start and end you bedtime routine? At the moment DD goes up for a bath and bottle at 6.15. She then stays in her cot and we go up and settle her if neccessary to get her off to sleep which she is fast asleep by 7 then DS goes up has bath, story and is in bed asleep by 7.30 where they both stay until 7 the next day. I was just wondering as all my friends sound really surprised that by 7.30 I have an evening to myself is this normal? Have I been really Unreasonable to put them to bed so early to get an evening or does taking an hour and 1/4 to get them both to bed seem a ridiculously long time? Am unsure as to why my friends always sound so surprised and was looking for some insight TIA.

doesnt! dd1 is 3.5 and dd2 is 2, they have v different sleep habits and share a room and we are still trying to iron out the best strategy for getting them both to bed. they both sleep 11-12 hrs at night and need to be up by 730am to make it to school on time...

I have three ds (7) ds (4) and dd (17 months) Youngest two go to bed by 7 and eldest has 15 minutes reading time and is in bed by 7.15. To be honest having them in bed by 7.15 keeps me sane!!! They sleep until 7ish in the morning. I think your friends may be a little !!!!!

Forgot to say mine are often in PJ's and watching telly by 6.00!!!!!! If it works why change it!!?

there is currently a 6 and a 3 year old sitting watching hello kitty in mine and dps bed while im on here, tonight its just not happened!

though when i had ds recently i would feed him last bottle while sat on dd's bed reading her a story then put ds down in cot and go back give dd a cuddle then go back and check on ds. itll probably take months to find your way, just go with the flow!

I have 5 children and apart from the 13 year old Mine are all in bed by 7.30pm every night.

Dd4 age 5 goes to bed at 7pm
The twins age 9 go at 7.30
Ds1 is almost 2 and shares with dd4 so goes at 7.30-7.45pm
Dd1 is 13 and has her own room so goes up at 8-9pm.
I need my evenings for my sanity

dd2 goes for bath at 6.15 bed for 6.30-6.45 dd1 and ds both in bath at 6.30 bed for 7-7.30 or i would be a mad woman!
ds 6 dd1 3 dd2 9mth!

mine are now 21 months and just 4 but have always had same routine (dd1 was 2.4 when dd2 arrived) dinner at 4.30-5, bath done by 5.30 then cbeebies for dd1 and dd2, back downstairs for bedtime drinks and either dd2 snuggles up on sofa for a book with her bedtime milk or watched beebies, she goes up at 6.15 story in bed and out of her room by 6.25. Back downstairs and snuggle with dd1 till 6.45 then bed and story and out of her room by 7pm.

Then I cook dinner for dh and I and we eat in peace (most nights) they do tend to wake by 6.30 but they do that whether they go to bed as normal or late and I rather like my evenings without them

When mine were small the older 2 were in bed and fast asleep by 6pm and the routine for the 3 together took an hour or less. The baby would have it's last feed at 6pm and then go down until midnight age 4 wks, but at 6wks he went 6pm-6am.
Your friends are probably jealous!

Not unreasonable more.... lucky so most of your friends are probably .

Does your DD really sleep through 12 hours?

I have Ds (3) and DD (8mths) Tea is between 4.30 to 5pm. DD's bath is 5.30pm then she goes to room has bottle and bum hits mattress at 6pm ish. Then Ds has bath etc and is in bed by 7pm.

I loooove 7pm

I then have dinner in peace (Dh too but most of the time he does not finish work till 10pm)

Bath both of them together at 6pm, both in their PJ's for 6:15pm, dd2 in bed by 6:45pm, dd1 normally in bed by 7-7:15pm.

I have to have my evenings free for my sanity, even if, as others have said, I have to get up slightly earlier than I would like.

i have two. dd3.5, ds13m, and deal bedtime on my own most of the time as dh works abroad. when he is around he deal with dd and have stories together and etc..
when im on my own we go upstairs 6.30 and get changed into pyjamas, get little play all 3of us. then settle dd in bed, read short story, and leave her with her books. then take ds his bedroom, sleeping bag, milk, cuddel and put him down, 95% he will just go sleep as soon as have milk. run back to dd have another story, lie down with her and little mummy and daughter time.
leave her around 7.15-7.30 in the hope she will go sleep. most of the times she will go sleep with no trouble but we have times im not tired mummy i want more story etc...
and come down stairs straight into dish washing cleaning, tidying etc..
sound mad

i have two. dd3.5, ds13m, and deal bedtime on my own most of the time as dh works abroad. when he is around he deal with dd and have stories together and etc..
when im on my own we go upstairs 6.30 and get changed into pyjamas, get little play all 3of us. then settle dd in bed, read short story, and leave her with her books. then take ds his bedroom, sleeping bag, milk, cuddel and put him down, 95% he will just go sleep as soon as have milk. run back to dd have another story, lie down with her and little mummy and daughter time.
leave her around 7.15-7.30 in the hope she will go sleep. most of the times she will go sleep with no trouble but we have times im not tired mummy i want more story etc...
and come down stairs straight into dish washing cleaning, tidying etc..
sound mad

all 3 of mine now go to bath and bed together. they are 5, 4 and nearly 3. did baby separately when there was one.

Mine are 4, 2 & 7 months.

Dd2 (baby) is first up just before 7pm - nappy change, sleepsuit, quick feed, cot.

Dd1 (2) then comes up - nappy, PJs, teeth.

Ds (4) is last - & he's the one who might play up, ie. tonight we had half an hour's tantrum about getting himself undressed. PJs, teeth.

Story for ds & dd1.

Usually all done by 7.30-8.

They have baths in the morning though - dh is in charge as I've left for work by then - & he finds the bath a useful place to 'corral' ds & dd1 whilst he gets himself & dd2 dressed!

18 months and 3:
bath at about 7, 7:30, then ds2 has bf and ds1 has milk and stories.
ds1 goes off to bed about 8:30 and chats/sings himself to sleep by 9-9:30.
ds2 plays till about 9, has supper and goes to bed 9:30-10pm, usually sings/giggles himself off by 10-10:30. He stays up later than ds1 because he has an afternoon nap (1-2 hours most but sadly not every day)
They get up about 7.
They have never needed much sleep, although not as bad(?) as my friend's (absolutely delightful) dd, who has only slept 8 hours since age 1.
I would love an evening, but then, I work and I couldn't bear to not see them.

I have dd who is 4 and ds who is 2.

They have a bath between 7-7.30pm, then some supper, then i read a story downstairs to them both and then they both go to bed between 8 and 8.30pm, i get them into bed, say goodnight and well... thats it. They go to sleep by themselves.

It has actually been quite easy to get them into this routine, as i learnt a lesson from before ds was born, i used to sit in the room with dd until she was asleep and i vowed i wouldn't do this with ds.

organised chaos.
baths in order of age, youngest first / two younger ones together
ds1 nearly 8yo sorts himself out - call it 'privacy'
two smaller ones (age 2&5) go to bed and have stories, ds1 stays up a little bit longer to watch something on television if 'coast' or similar on, otherwise reading, just so he isn't treated like the lo's iyswim
he goes to bed by 8.
Peace {hopefully}

There's "looking for insight" and there's out and out bragging.

Fine line in this case!

For both DC (2yrs and 7 mths)routine is same (though do not have baths every night):

6.00pm to 7.00pm ;

bath together
Cbeebies or similar whilst getting P Js on and supper/bottle

Both in bed by 7pm. Both uaually awake by 7am (but think 11.5 to 12 hrs is good!)

Simpson - love 7pm too . Too old and too knackered to party on down with them any later!

lol @ bragging.

Tisn't me then.
(re-reads thread to see who SAID their dc sleep for 16 hours all in one go)

Sounds pretty normal to me except that I always bath mine together (now aged 3.8 and 20 months, but even from when DD2 was a few weeks old). Bath at 6.00ish, stories, milk etc and bed by 7pm / 7.15 ish. When DD2 was a tiny baby I'd bath them together then put DD2 in bouncy chair while I read stories and settled DD1 by 7pm, then bf DD2 and settle her by 7.30.

DD2 now just moved into a bed so we tend to get a fair bit of running around and driving me potty before she actually goes to sleep which is a pain, but no doubt will wear off soon!

we never did baths every night. Usually once a week. When they were under 5 (I had 3) all of them went to bed together about 8pm. Read a story and then lights out. The baby was kept downstairs until about 18 months as they always had a feed about 10.30

Nice work achieving that by week 4! Mine are 22 months and 13 weeks and both are in bed by 6.30-7pm. DS 22months is sometimes in bed until 7.45am if I am so exhausted that I don't hear him but he loves bed so I don't feel too guilty as he just plays til I get there. DS is afraid of the bath at the moment so DD baths alone and I spounge DS down (and shower him in the morning).