Putting toddler to bed with a newborn???

Mustang Sally · March 2011

I'm thinking ahead to when my mom goes home (she's staying with us through this week) and I can't figure out how I'm going to put DS1 to bed when I'm home alone with both him and DS2. If DS2 is sleeping then okay, it could work if he's in his crib or harnessed in the Rock n Play, but it takes almost half an hour to bathe and get DS1 to bed and I can't imagine leaving DS2 alone unsupervised that long. I also can't imagine that DS1 would like me to be wearing DS2 while putting him to bed - it's our time to snuggle, you know? Hmmm... I wish DH got home from work earlier but 99% of the time he's not home in time and it sucks. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Brewtowngrl · March 2011

DH works 2nd shift. When DS2 was that little I would get him to sleep and put him in the swing in our living room and do bedtime with DS1. Now I plunk DS2 on the floor in DS1's room and do bedtime with him and then put DS2 to bed. Once in awhile DS2 is ready to go to sleep before DS1. In that case DS1 gets to watch blues clues and I put DS2 to bed. Soon enough you can bath them together and that fixes a lot of the time issues. It is doable and you get into a routine. I also shortened DS1's bedtime routine to about 10 min. If I need to he takes a shower in the morning. This way he plays in there while I put make up on and get dressed.

Jen&Len · March 2011

DH works overnights. I usually wash DS first, while I have DD playing in the dry, empty baby tub next to me (in the beginning, I had her in the bouncer on the floor next to me). Then I bring both into DS's room while I get him dressed. All 3 of us sit on DS's bed while I read a book or two and say good night. Then I do DD.

I tried doing DD first since she actually should be going to bed earlier, but the first time I tried, DS trashed our second floor, even with the TV on, and the 2nd time I tried it, DD woke up 10 minutes later and screamed the entire time I was bathing and getting DS to bed. I ended up having to get her out of bed and continue with our normal routine.

DD is old enough now that I can try bathing them both at the same time. When DH is home, we do bathe them together. Our bathroom is tiny though, so there isn't much room to maneuver in there.

LoveEeyore · March 2011

DH travels a lot- usually 7-10 days a month. I always found as newborns they are pretty flexible. I didn't do bath as bedtime routine until I could bathe all 3 together. But at bedtime (one of my twins went to bed every night at 6:15 and if she didn't she let us have it! The other was a night owl. So I did wear him. I'd bring his pjs in and had her nighttime routine include helping me get his PJs on and then I'd boob him or lay him on the bed between us, or secure him in the moby so I could move around. Almost daily, in the beginning I would put them in their cribs so I could keep our naptime ritual sacred. SOmetimes they cried, sometimes they didn't. I have never done CIO with any of my kids but it was very important to me that DD had that consistency so allowing them to cry 5-10 minutes was worth it.

Ilumine · March 2011

How about putting the baby down? Look, I totally and completely understand Baby Wearing and am jealous of people who get to, since my DD refused every type of wrap I or anyone else used.

However, your baby won't feel neglected if you put him in a bouncy seat or swing IN the bathroom while you bath DS1. Nor will he feel abandoned if he has to sit in the bouncy seat in the bedroom while you are reading to and snuggling DS1 to sleep.

I truely am not trying to sound snarky. But your boys will adapt.

mlf625 · March 2011

This was the suckiest part of 2u2 for me. DH was still at his old job (never home before 8pm) and it was a nightly struggle. I really just winged it night by night. If DD was awake, I'd usually drag her bouncy seat into the bathroom while I bathed DS, then move her into his room while I got him ready for bed. If she was sleeping, I'd put her in her swing and peek in on her as I could. If she was super fussy, I did sometimes wear her in the Moby while I got DS into bed.

It sucked, but it got easier by about 5 months when DD started going to bed around the same time as DS.

InLovewSB · March 2011

You situation is just different from mine. We don't bathe before bed and we don't snuggle. When I put G to bed, I give him kisses, tuck him in, tell him that I love him, and I sing him a few songs with the lights off. The whole time I hold E and either sit by his bedside rocking or walk circles in the darkened room near his bed. It works for us. He calms, and I leave the room while he's drowsy. He stays in bed and falls asleep without a word.

abergale · March 2011

I have no experience but maybe put DS 2 in the Rock n Play in the bathroom where you can interact with both of them while you do the bath. Possible move some snuggle time to the living room or couch so the very end of bedtime is in the bedroom and you only walk away from baby for a few minutes. Please let us know what works!!! I will definitely need help with this.

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