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Sleep

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Original poster

Bed time routine with 2.6 year old and newborn - will be doing bedtime on my own - what do you do ??

16 replies

herbgarden · 26/01/2009 19:49

I have just had no 2 - she is a little just under 6lber and I've had a c-section. I also have a very active DS. DS usually has tea around 5ish, a bath around 6.30 and then stories and bed at 7pm. If you've had as similar scenario what do you do with baby? Do you pop them down somewhere (ie rocking seat/cot/?) whilst you get toddler in bed and then see to them or do you try to do it at the same time or put baby down and then deal with toddler. Can't work out what works best tbh.

DH is off for 2 weeks but then I'm on my own as his job dictates that he won't be home much before 7.30. Any tips are greatly appreciated.....

OP posts:

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ICUP · 26/01/2009 19:51

Oh i had this. Shove both in bath at same time - helps bonding.
Then put the toddler in front of ITNG or similar while you feed baby.
shove baby in cot.
leave baby to wail for a bit( if it does)
do stories.
head for booze.

moneytree · 26/01/2009 19:52

Here Her ICUP. It worked for me too

StarlightMcKenzie · 26/01/2009 19:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LadyOfWaffle · 26/01/2009 20:02

I do my two by myself - DS1 has dinner while I have some and hold/feed DS2, dinner finished by 3.45 when 'Pippin' comes on , DS1 watches that while I run a bath of a few inches, bath DS2, dress DS2, then top up bath for DS1. As soon as Postman Pat finishes, DS1 in the bath , out then dried and dressed. Then they are both ready for bed and DS1 can unwind and play for an hour or so until either he is dropping off or 7pm. DS2 just stays on my lap feeding most of the rest of the evening until I go to bed.

mabel1973 · 26/01/2009 20:05

I have 4 yo, 2yo and a 7 week old.
DD (baby) has a bath at about 5.30 after the Ds's have had their tea at 5ish. Ds's watch Chuggington while she is the bath ()
I get her dried and dress her, then top up the bath for the dS's and get them in the bath, while she lies in her cot with her mobile on.
the boys are quite happy to amuse themselves in the bath for 20 minutes or so if DD needs feeding.
I get the Ds's out, dried and downstairs with cups of milk and feed DD (if not fed whilst in the bath), She is usually tired by about 6.30pm so I swaddle her and take her upstairs to bed, which gives me chance to get the Ds's in bed.
DD has only just started going upstairs to bed in the last 2 weeks though, before that she would sleep in her bouncy chair downstairs with us.
If your baby won't settle while you take DS up to bed, it may be that you either have to take the baby upstairs with you while you do stories, or put up with a bit of squawking whilst you are upstairs.

LadyOfWaffle · 26/01/2009 20:05

THe times I am bathing/dressing DS, baby is on play mat/swing etc. Most our house is on one level though so I am right there for both of them.

ICUP · 26/01/2009 20:06

Put them in the bath together - makes the older kid love the baby and fuss over them.
then you get the baby our and dress it while toddler pootling in bath.

Indith · 26/01/2009 20:14

I have a 2 year old and a 5 week old and dh sometimes works away. Ds is very particular about bedtime and we have just managed to get him happy about going to bed again so I was terrified about doing it myself! Bath 6.3o. Strip toddler who has great fun streaking around starkers while bath runs and you undress baby. Stick toddler in bath, get baby and stick baby in bath (a bath support thing is good to have hands free to stop enthusiastic "sharing" of toys accompanied by equally enthusiastic cries of "splosh"). Get baby out of bath when it starts to cry due to being "sploshed" during the above enthusiastic sharing of toys. Dry and dress baby and stick in cot with mobile on. Get toddler out and in pjs. Stick toddler in front of the end of the bedtime hour/recorded cbeebies/a dvd with milk and crumpet while feeding baby who no matter how much milk she consumes before the bath needs feeding right after it. Stick baby back in cot with mobile. Brush toddler's teeth and snuggle in bed reading a story (at high speed before baby starts crying and toddler starts going "oh dear" and wanting to see what is wrong and refusing to go to bed until little sister is happier and then the whole story process has to start again). Lights out for toddler. Rescue baby. Phone takeaway. Slob on sofa feeding baby and attempting to get it to sleep.

Original poster

herbgarden · 26/01/2009 20:21

You lot are making me feel better.....it's the case of doing what you can - I just can't bear to think of both of them winding each other up and neither going to sleep so have worked out that getting ds to sleep is my top priority and getting DD baby down whichever way after that is the next step !....Top Tips though from all of you so thank you...
Any more appreciated but I think I fancy trying to give DS a bit of time just me and him before sorting DD out so that he doesn't feel left out - it's all quite new to him.

OP posts:

KarlWrenbury · 26/01/2009 21:34

Yes he can do the "Big boy tv thing" with a cup of milk.

bubbleymummy · 26/01/2009 22:59

Not sure if you're bf or not but I would have thought - bath them together, get baby into jammies in bathroom while toddler splashes etc. Get toddler into jammies. All go to bed together and read story to toddler while bf baby to keep settled. I think it's nice to do things all together - might help with bonding too I guess! Also because I couldn't let a baby cry while I was trying to settle toddler!

cosmicangel · 27/01/2009 00:29

mine are 11 weeks and 2 years9 months, i bath them together then lay the youngest on the bed at storey time that way he gets to go through bed time rountine too, and my older girl feels they're equal. he seems to really like hearing the story and she loves having a bedtime cuddle,good luck.

cali · 27/01/2009 00:37

Dd1 was 2 when dd2 was born, was on my own from 5 weeks after dd2's arrival.

Still have the same routine now, nearly 1.5 years later, works well for us.

5-5:30pm teatime for dd's
6-6:30pm bath and get ready for bed
6:30-7pm dd1 watches cbeebies, whilst dd2 has a feed and is put into cot, quiet by 18:50.
18:50-19:00/19:15 dd1 story time then music on and off to sleep.

Original poster

herbgarden · 27/01/2009 12:19

I think I have to swap the tv watching and bath time round - DS would watch his tv after tea before and then we'd do bed and bath. This way round we can do bath together before DD gets too tired and then can give her her milk whilst DS has a stint of tv, put her in her cot whilst reading DS a story and having a bit of mummy/ds time.....

Don't know why I didn't think of that....

OP posts:

mumsiemandy · 28/02/2009 20:17

Reading all your posts have made me feel a whole lot better and made me laugh.

I have a 23 month old girl and a 5 week Boy (who I believe is suffering from Reflux (silent - getting him checked out on Monday) - had a c-section and husband works away during the week. Been pretty tough!

I have been racking my brain as to how to do wind-down and bedtime. Big problem is my newborn doesn't like laying down or being left for that matter so he's in the sling a lot.

Another huge problem is that my little girls bedroom is right next to ours and you have to walk through hers to get to ours. I have been trying to put my little boy to bed in my room before I put my little girl to bed but this doesn't seem to work. If I keep my little boy downstairs with me he is so sensitive I am virtually in the dark and TV has barely any sound (selfishly I got some great girlie DVD's I really want to watch)

I have been putting my little girl to bed at 7pm - is this too early? Maybe I should keep her up for an extra 30mins which will give me some time to get little boy to sleep - what do you think?

Also, not sure my little girl will sit quietly on her own while I put little boy to bed - she always comes to find us and then starts getting excited and winds little boy up. I have always sat with my little girl when she has her bottle and we've had cuddles - really don't want to stop that - stuck in the middle!

MrsMattie · 01/03/2009 17:16

I have a 4 yr old DS & a 14 wk old DD and things are only just starting to come together for us (in our own, imperfect little way ).

In the last couple of weeks, a sort of pattern has emerged out of the chaos. I have DD in her bouncer chair on the kitchen table while I make dinner for DS at around 5-5.30pm (DD is quite alert at around this time, and usually happy to 'watch me').

Then I feed DD and put her down. Then get DS washed, into PJs and into bed. DD doens't always go to sleep - usually she just lies and gurgles, ocasionally has a bit of whinge, in which case I stick her in a wrap sling while getting DS ready.
DS has a story and lights out at 7pm. Bedtime is a much shorter, sharper affair these days - needs must and all that.

At 8-9pm I feed DD again and put her down. She sleeps for about 8-9 hr stretch, so if I wait until 8-9pm to put her down, I get a proper night's sleep, rather than being woken up at 3am.

It works for us.

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