bedtime

jen&gene

so..I know this has been asked before...and many of the replies are somehow you just do it and I know alot of you are doing it and I am jealous! lol

I am having a very hard time just doing it.... here is my bedtime situation...between 7 and 8 I get my 22 month old ready for bed...either a bath or just washing up and pjs, milk, books, and then he is rocked to sleep(this is my problem I think).  Now this can take up to an hour or so some nights and some nights he is asleep in minutes.  At the same time (usually) my 2 month old is looking for her bottle and the last 2 nights has gone to sleep for the night right after.

My husband is usually not home for bedtime and my mom and sister have been helping me,  but I cant depend on them forever and some nights they dont leave my house til 9 or 10...not fair to them.

So...my question is ...how do I do this?  I do plan on weening my 22 month old from rocking, probably this week or next.  The ironic thing is that at nap time he goes into the crib and falls asleep on his own.  If I try to do this at night...which I have...he throws a fit.  

Thanks in advance for all of your wonderful advice and  words of encouragement.  You ladies are always so helpful 

 

NavyPilotWife

A) Delay bedtime for your toddler.  Put in a movie and let him watch that, while you feed the baby and put her to bed.  Then put toddler to bed as usual.

Cut out the rocking for your toddler.  Endure a few nights of hell (we did this when we weaned DD1 from the pacifier), but then enjoy a faster bedtime routine with him.  You can put the baby in a bouncer, swing, or on a playmat, while getting your DS ready for bed.

In the early days, I put DD1 to bed first.  Now, the baby needs to be in bed by 7 or it's meltdown central around here.  Good luck finding what works best for you!