If you have a toddler - bedtime question (Timing!)

kgail11

If you have a toddler that goes to bed around 7-8 pm, I need your advice! (*I say that time specifically, bc it pertains to OUR toddler's bedtime, I know plenty of toddlers have differing bedtimes - I know one as early as 6 and one as late as 11pm!)

We tried staggering DS and DD's bedtimes last night, just to see.. and DD had a rough night and we're wondering if it had anything to do with it. She HAS been having some awesome nights for a week or so, up until last night, when her normal bathtime was pushed back 45 min. I think she might have been just overstimulated too late in the evening...

We HAD been doing them sort of simultaneously - we both bathe her, then when she's done, I nurse her and put her down while DH is giving our son his bath in the other end of the house. Then I usually rush over to do his bedtime book. It's a little harried, esp if DD is not going down easily.. I feel guilty for missing our son's book-time. 

OY! So, if you have another child to deal with at the same time as your yawning-like-crazy baby, what do you do????  

fluffybuns

My toddler goes to bed between 7 and 8 as well. Usually I'm by myself, so I do things at the same time for them, and it's worked out really well for us.

I get DD#1 in the tub, get her washed and let her play while I either give DD#2 a bath or get her dressed in her jammies. We do bath time at 6. It works well for DD#2 because it seems to wake her up a little bit and then she has a nice long stretch of awake time before settling in for the night (or for a few hours!) 

Stephcara

ahhh, my anxiety kicks in everyday around 5. My older goes to bed betweem 7-8 as well.  every night the baby's routine is different.  I am alone for a lot of it too, mh works late.  last night the babu fell asleep at 5, so it was easy to do bath, book, tuck in fpr my dd.  the night before I nursed him while giving my dd a bath and had him crying while helping her, then she cried. It was awful:(  I am trying to get them both into a routine together b/c my dd had a great one. 

Lisa Frank

She eats around 6:30 and then gets a bath.  DS gets his bath at 7, and at that point, I bring her into her room and turn on some quiet music where do massage and jammies.  I sort of rock her and wind her down, sometimes I top her off with some milk and then I put her down no later than 7:30. At that point, my DS is out of the tub, in his room (on the other side of the upstairs) and I can help DH get him settled. We then do books, songs etc as a family.  I have to say, it's worked out really well. The few days that DD eats later than 6:30 (ie; then her bedtime is later because we do EASY) it always messes her up. She gets way overstimulated!!

BabyBebe1

We do things a little different because it makes it less hectic, even though it takes longer altogether.

We do our normal toddler routine of bath-milk-book between 6 and 7 and then put him down. Then we take the little one back to our room for the next hour and hang out with him. He's really awake during this time and so we enjoy our time with just him. I nurse him at about 8, and then we swaddle and put him to bed around 8:30. Eventually this will have to change but for now I like it because I feel like we can really "be there" for both of them separately at night. I don't bathe the little one daily yet, so I actually do his every couple day bath during the day rather than at night.

GL! I think it's hard at night no matter what at this point with 2. 

amahrey

eh- i am amazed by all of your systems.  the best we can get together is that ds has his normal routine (bath at 7:30 into bed at 8) and then we deal with dd after that.  but, that normally means that we spend time hanging out with just her for the first time all day even if that's just snuggling with her on the sofa or being in the same room is she's happy to snooze in the pack n play.  i switch her into pj's and nurse her around 9 or more nursing later if she's cluster feeding and then she goes into the bedroom with me around 11 (either asleep into her crib or awake to nurse and then go to sleep).  i'm probably making the worst habits and all your kids will sttn next week lol.  maybe we'll all luck out

 

ironmommy

My anxiety goes up around 6 every night, too, because this is when my super mellow newborn turns into a high-strung, very-awake baby -- he cries, he sucks like a madman, and he just generally gets himself pretty worked up.

So we have found that the best thing is for DH to handle DD's bath and bedtime routine, and I handle DS. I do feel bad missing this time with DD (before DS, I was the only one who did her bedtime routine), but I figure it'll all change shortly anyway as the baby grows and his schedule changes. And the few times DS is mellow and I try to help with DD, it always turns into a mess with her demanding that only mommy put her to bed, then DS breaks into a scream, and the whole house turns into a nightmare!

For now, DS gets a bath at 7, then DD takes her bath right after and is in bed at 8. I get DS into his PJs and then deal with his fussing for the next 2+ hours until he decides to go to sleep around 9 or 9:30.