what's your bedtime routine with 2 like?

marybeth1699

I am still trying to figure out a good way to do bedtime.  DS1 is 21 mos and DS2 is 5 mos.  DS1 has always had a 7 pm bedtime and 7 am wakeup (even if he gets up earlier we let him babble/play in his crib until 7).  Should I put DS2 to bed before DS1 or after?  DS2 has not yet been sleep trained so his night time routine takes a little while (bottle, burping, rocking etc) which is why I have been putting him down after DS1 but I feel like a 7:45-8 bedtime is late for him especially considering he is waking up around 630 everyday.  Just curious to see how others are handling it! 

Ruby_Soho

DH takes one and I take the other. They both go to bed at 7. Both have bath together or DS1 has a shower with DH. Then jammies and into bed for 3 stories.
DS2 has a hard time going to sleep, we're sleep training him right now but once he sleeps better they'll go into the same room and have story time together.
If DH or I are out we put DS2 to bed first, then read a second set of stories to DS1 and then go back and check on DS2 if he needs it.

kcisthebombdotcom

If his routine takes 30 minutes, I think it might be difficult to try to put him to bed at 630ish if he's used to going down around 8.

I think 8-630 is appropriate nighttime sleep for a 5 month old assuming he's taking a few naps during the day. I would keep doing what you're doing.

kagl08

Both kids go to bed at 8pm. DH puts DS down and I put DD down. If its a bath night they take a bath together and then its bed. I read my DD 3 books and my DH reads my DS 3 stories. One day I'd like to merge the story time before bed but for now its separate. 

When DH is away on business I put DS down 1st while my DD watches TV then I put my DD down. I read separate books with both of them.  

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

When DD2 was little, I would put her to bed after her big sister. Like you said, her bedtime routine took a bit longer, so it made things easier for me that way. There really is no right or wrong IMO. If you'r efine with the way things are now, I see no reason to change them.

Qmommy

Both go to bed around 6:30.  They started taking a bath together around 8-9 months and that made things much easier.  

DH usually helps with bath and getting dressed for bed but if I do it by myself it looks like this:

6:00- bath together

6:10ish - DD1 gets out of bath and dried with towel then DD2 gets out and dried.  (When she was younger DD2 got out first). They are dried on the floor next to the tub.  Before they bathed together I bathed Dd2 first then got her dressed.  She sat in the RnP or bouncer in the bathroom while I bathed DD1.  Some times I sat on the floor next to the tub and BF while DD1 played in the tub.

6:15ish - get DD2 in pjs while DD1 sits in the rocking chair wrapped in a towel.  Or she runs around naked.  ;-). Then DD1 gets dressed while DD2 reads a book on the floor.  I bring Dd1's clothes in the nursery before bath so we don't have to walk all over the house.  (If DH is helping he will get Dd1 dressed while I BF DD2).  Then we brush teeth and hair.

6:20ish- books on the couch. 

6:30ish - walk to DD1's room (DD2 will stay with DH if he's home to help).  Give kisses, tuck in, and say good night.  Then I take DD2 in her room, sing a song, kiss good night, tuck in crib.  (If I'm alone I BF before the song).  

Both are usually asleep by 7pm. 

Mamapoo

DD is only a month old, so I get her to sleep while DS plays, and put her in her swing/crib/whatever she'll actually sleep in, and then I do the same routine we've always done with DS.

 

I have no idea what we're going to do when DD gets a little older.

freeatlast2014

My kids are the same age and I've been doing the same thing. I have nighttime duty by myself 2 nights per week so I do what you do. When DH is home, he takes one and I take the other and we put them both to sleep around 7/7:30.

What's becoming difficult is DS1 likes to be rocked and he now knows the more he cries the more we'll rock him just to get him to sleep. So sometimes I have to put DS1 to sleep, do the routine with DS2 who will actually fall asleep, then go back in and continue to rock DS1. At this age, this is ridiculous but I feel that if he needs the extra attention now I'll give it. Plus, I don't want his screaming and crying to wake up DS2.

I also try not to bathe both kids when DH isn't home. I'll do one or the other. DS1 can play in his room while I quickly bathe DS2. I tried to do both the other night and it was a disaster! It was so much easier before!!!!

Naps?? Now that's another challenge in and of itself! 

KissyFishyLips

Since almost 2 months old, DD2 has had the same bedtime as DD1. We take the girls up around 7pm, and we split the bedtime routine duties: DH takes DD1 and I take DD2. We bathe them at the same time, then take them to their own rooms for lotion/jammies. Then I sit in the rocker with DD2 to feed her and DH and DD1 come over to read stories. We put DD2 down in the crib and then DH and I go back over to DD1's room for one last story and to tuck her in.  We have it down to a science now and it only takes like 25 min tops. 

It's what works for us!