tell me about your bedtime routine with a 4/5/6 mth old and toddler

[Piccalilli2]

I'm probably being really dim and missing something obvious (I blame the sleep deprivation) but I just can't seem to make bathtime/bedtime work in a calm and non-stressful way for my 21 wk old dd2 and nearly 3 dd1. Dd2 doesn't nap well (at all) during the day and is generally ready for bath/bed at around 6 - which is too early for dd2. However, once I start bedtime routine with dd2 it can take anything up to 3 hours to finally settle her to sleep - so when do I deal with dd1? Dh often doesn't get home until after 7 so I'm usually doing it all on my own.

Would be grateful if you can tell me how you do it in your house, I really need some new ideas.

HI I had to reply to you cause no one else has! I bath mine both together at 6pm then downstairs for milk and cbeebies. DD2 goes to bed when she has had her milk about 6.30 to6.45. DD1 goes when cbeebies go to bed. She has a storyin bed and then either looks at books herself or goes straight to sleep. DD2 now goes straight off to sleep but when she was tiny I would let her cry for 5 mins while I read to DD1 then go back and sort her out.
I hope this helps. Mine are now 3.7 and 15 months and it does get easier.

Thanks for your reply! It's always been a bit of a rule in our house that they don't go downstairs again after bath but what you've said has me thinking - maybe a dvd on the tv in our room for dd1 while I bath and feed dd2 early so I can keep an eye on her, then put dd2 down and see if she'll settle while I bath dd2, if not she can get up and listen to stories with dd1. That might be worth a try.

Another suggestion. I have similar age children, 2.9 yo and 6 month old. What seems to work when I am on my own is to get both in bath. Then I get dd2 out and dress while dd1 plays a little bit longer in bath, then I dress dd1. Milk in toddler's bed for all. Then I take baby to cot in our room and leave to settle by herself, which she seems to be getting better at but is she doesn't I go every few minutes to re-settle while I am reading books with dd1. I have tried letting dd1 watch dvds while I deal with dd2 but it doesn't work for me although it may do for others.

HTH