Tips for bedtime with 2 under 3 :)

[onthecroft]

First of all, I know that I’m very fortunate to have great support so this is the first time I’ve had to do this all on my lonesome - please be kind and don’t scoff 😂
ok so I’ve got two little boys, a high energy 2.5 year old (is there any other kind?) and a 10 month old who has just discovered the joys of crawling everywhere and never wants to stop ever.
Right now DH looks after the toddler while I give our little one his bath, then I take him upstairs, put his pyjamas on, feed him and put him to sleep. While I’m doing this DH spends some quality time with toddler and normally gives him his bath, I then come down and do the toddler’s bedtime, basically books in bed then sleepy time . (sometimes dh does it but normally it’s me.)
it all normally works like clockwork (though toddler can take a while to go down) and though I know I’d like to start working towards bedtime together the baby just needs to go to bed earlier than toddler atm who has never been a good sleeper though he’s slowly improving.
Sooo anyway as you might expect DH now needs to go away for a few days and I’ll be bedtiming it on my own. I know this will be 2nd nature to most of you but how do you run bedtimes with two at once when one is used to going to bed later!? I am thinking I will bathe them together, then probably dim lights and lie with them both in our big bed and try to put baby to sleep while toddler quietly looks at books jumps about causing merry havoc!? They are also finding each other really fun right now which is lovely but I know bedtime is gonna be mega messy!
Without being too precious I’d rather not just park toddler in front of tv (if for no other reason it’s downstairs!) and I don’t usually let him watch stuff on my phone (and baby finds the phone really distracting anyway) … I’ve made a rod for my back, yes, any tips? Thank you!

I had three under 4 and used to do it all in the same room, I didn't expect the eldest to fall asleep straight away so just had a quiet audiobook on for her. Once the other 2 were asleep she got a bonus story with me before she went to sleep.

I used to do bath together, get the little one out for and changed into pjs on bathroom floor whilst oldest still in bath. Then sort oldest, little one usually happy to sit in bouncy chair and watch.

then I would give youngest a bottle (if still having). Read a bedtime story to both then put youngest to sleep.

then I would take oldest to bed with more stories as he could point, say words etc then bedtime for eldest.

my youngest was sometimes overtired and cried at bedtime, but I would try and settle the eldest before seeing to him if possible.

this then worked well for them sharing a room as the youngest got older as already used to joint stories etc.

i have a 2.5 yr age gap (youngest currently 10mo) and fit me having the toddler in the room whilst trying to get the baby to sleep didn’t work at all. I had to get him to stay in his room while I put the baby to sleep and paw patrol on my phone as the only way to reliably do it! Like you I’m fortunate that it’s only occasionally I do bedtime alone. The nights are sometimes ok but I’m basically always on the edge of disaster because if they both wake up upset at the same time I can’t get either of them back to sleep because the other one is screaming too much. Once we all had to get up 4am because I couldn’t get them back to sleep on my own 😂

I have an almost 3 yr old and a 8 week old. I did bedtimes alone for most of it. Newborn still needs a cluster feeding session from 8-9 stocks up fir the night. So I feed. Quickly do bath and prep for bed with DS1 and then all in the bed ( we co-sleep) and then nurse DS2 while reading 3 story books, we do a wind down as he is a Tazmanian devil. Took me months to teach him quiet time and staying calma dn whiapering before bed and naps. So once lights out and still cluater feeding I sit quietly and remind DS1 it is bedtime and time to sleep. He thrashes about for 15mins sometimes 30mins. But once he is knocked out DS2 is fast asleep to i trasnfer baby to moses basket and then qait 10mins then free to escape.
DS2 sleeps 6/7 hpurs then wakes for a feed once only. Then wakes again around 6am for a feed. Do want disturb DS1. And DS1 sleeps all night he may wake up just to check we are still there but goes straight back to sleep.

Despite DH best efforts DS1 doesn't take bef time seriously and really makes a mockery of it. What ends up happening is 1 hour of messing about and then I come in and in 10 mins he is fast asleep.

Thank you everyone! It was so helpful reading these replies and knowing others have these issues! Bedtimes are getting better now, I have started putting down the little one drowsy but awake and he is really good at putting himself to sleep for the first part of the night now so that means I can generally do the older one uninterrupted. Bit similar to a previous poster the issue is when they both wake up at 4am which they’re going through a bad stage of doing!
thank goodness I have support, my respect for single parents is just doubled since having 2. Anyway just thought I’d say thanks and update and here’s hoping we all - you, me and the little dynamos in our lives have a restful night….