my twins are 13 months old.
currently we try to wind down, do a bottle in our bed and then we snuggle for a while with the kids.
Sydney then goes to her crib where she CIO for 5-10 min.
Ayden tosses and turns in our bed for a half hour until he exhausts himself and then we put him in his crib. we tried CIO with him but he gets SO upset.
this routine sucks.
but, if we put them both in their crib at the same time, they just cry hysterically and work themselves up.
I hear consistency is key, but sometimes my husband isn't home around bedtime and it will just be me. I need help.
Re: Need help with bedtime routine
Have you tried music things in their cribs or sound machines with projector on ceiling? Give them something to calm them and focus on while they relax. We love this one https://m.bedbathandbeyond.com/bedbathbeyond/product/detail.do?itemId=14643125
I was kinda anti-Ferber for a while, my kids seem to get more upset when I go in there and then leave.
I was thinking about getting one of those projector things a while ago, I will have o look into it again.
Good luck! The Sleep Lady book is good guidance if you haven't read that one.