How do you make bedtime a one person job?

Mrs.Kiltlifter

I know we did this to ourselves.  But we cannot seem to make bedtime a one person job.  DD is a refluxer and when she was younger she was a severe refluxer with colic.  So I literally rocked/walked/bounced her for 3 hours until she was asleep. I did this every single night while DH put DS down for the night.  And we have stayed in that rhythm ever since then.  We basically did what we could to survive that period of time.  They are approaching 10 months and finally DD is making strides where her reflux is not as much of an issue and I would love to transition the bedtime so that we can make it a one man job. 

Any tips?

flibberyjibbit

I don't have anything to offer, because our twinsies are 10 months old and also a 2 man op.  I would LOVE to hear what people say...i mean, come on.  it's got to be possible right???!! LOL 

 

Rangergal9

We have had a really good sleep routine since they were 2 months old.  We have always just changed them into jammies, fed them, and then off to bed they go with their white noise and twilight turtle. Most nights I put them in their boppys give them their bottles and then bring them upstairs one at a time once they are done and they just go to sleep.  I guess I don't really have any advice as this just worked for us.  Sometimes they "talk" or fuss for a couple min, but they generally go to sleep quickly.

dulcinea03

Bedtime is still ideally a 2 person job in our house, but we can swing it by ourselves if one of us can't be there for bedtime. The key for us having that flexibility has been having the girls go into their cribs "drowsy but awake" and finish going to sleep on their own.

Flying solo, my routine looks like this: jammies and overnight diapers for both girls (we schedule showers for nights that both of us are home). Get blankies and pacis out of cribs. Kit then plays quietly in the living room while I nurse Jules and read her Goodnight Moon. Jules goes in her crib. Then Kit gets nursed and read to, and she goes in her crib. They both go down awake and go to sleep on their own.

monkski

we've always put ours down drowsy but awake and they usually do fine on their own. Our routine is the same now as it was when they were the age of your LOs. If I'm on my own, then they sit in their high chairs (reclined) while I read them a book and they have a sippy of milk. Then I bring the both into the bedroom to get changed into jammies. One plays on the floor with their stuffed animals, while I get the first changed, then they go into their crib while I get the other ready. Give them their loveys and I'm outta there. Sometimes they will hang out and talk to each other for 15 minutes to an hour and other times they go right to sleep.

caitdana

I do bedtime alone out of necessity. DH works 2nd shift so we dont have to do daycare, so that means I get dinner, baths, and bed time alone every night during the week.   

 I  feed them food  at the same time.  I  clean them up with a rag and then let one play while I give the other a bath.  I put the 1st in the PJs, lotion up, and give her a bottle. My girls can hold their own bottles now so that saves me some time. I lay her in the crib and then grab the next one and repeat the process. By the time I am done bathing and getting ready for bed the 2nd one, the 1st is alseep.  I have one that could nap all day and LOVEs sleeping and the other not so much. So I do the easy sleeper first because I know I wont have many problems and then the one that needs a little help going to sleep I try to do the same process but it usually involves letting her CIO a little (10 minutes usually) and about once every other week letting her come cuddle with me for a little bit before trying to put her in her crib again.

MagPie08

We do bedtime alone all the time. I put up the baby gate & contain one with Baby Einstein on. The other baby gets a bath/changed. Bathtime is super quick. I swap babies, give the clean one a sippy of milk while I bathe & change the other. Baby #2 gets a sippy and they finish watching their DVD together. Then I just set each of them in their crib and they pass out.

It was not always so easy. At 7 mo we were still fighting/coddling/feeding DS to sleep every night too. Our pedi said enough is enough and that he needed to learn how to go down by himself.

We picked up the Ferber book, gave ourselves a pep talk, set a timer, put on some earphones so we weren't listening to him cry incessently and learned how to let him CIO, checking on him periodically. The first night he cried 1 hr. Next night 1/2 hr. Then only 10 mins. It sucked, but it worked. And I finally felt in control as the parent, as opposed to letting him dictate our evenings. 

Anyways, it worked for us. Good luck!

amanda31H

DH and I have each done bedtime alone since the girls were a couple months old.  Early on it was more difficult, but at 4 months we stopped rocking to sleep.

You need to put them down drowsy, but awake and let them learn to fall asleep without being rocked, held, etc.  The only way to get to that point is to do it!  That's what I did at 4 months.  I would put them down and if they would fuss, I would offer a paci, rub their back/head, etc. and shhhh them.  The girls got the hang of it really quickly- just a couple days.  We did this for naps too.

I never had to deal with reflux, so I can't help you there.  But if your daughter is better with it, I'd go for eliminating the rocking, etc.

My bedtime routine is NOT long or complex and hasn't changed much since they were little.  I don't bathe them every night as they have sensitive skin- more like every other.  Nights I don't bathe, they get a quick wipe down with a washcloth.  They get milk in a dim lit room (now they get to sit on the couch with it and watch Baby Einstein), changed into PJs and overnight diaper, then I would sit in my chair with them and do prayers, one song, then in bed with their pacifiers, and magic seahorses.  Lights out and bed.  It's literally a 15 minute process.

Now we've added teeth brushing, a book, and they each have a "buddy" (a small blankie that they cuddle with) - but that's it.  My girls are great at bedtime and it's helped so much that DH and I can each handle it alone quite easily- and baby sitters can too!