Bedtime routines with twin babies & an older toddler

My girls don't really have a bedtime routine as of yet, but I am hoping to start one in a few weeks when I start to see a better pattern develop with their sleep.

I have a 2.5 yr old and he gets a bath & PJs from 6:30 - 7pm. I wear both girls napping in a sling during this...they are super fussy from 5-9pm otherwise. Then snack and teeth brushed for my ds. My husband gets home around 7:20 and does a book then a story and snuggle with my ds while I nurse the girls and the girls are sleeping around 8:30-9pm. My ds is asleep between 7:45 and 8 pm. But it takes both of us to get them all asleep. Any ideas on how I can do it by myself if need be? I have nursed both girls in his bed while telling him his story a few times when my husband was not able to be home for bedtime. BTW, my ds needs one of us to lay with him until he falls asleep which I do not mind (it is nice time for him to have us just to himself and my dh and I both enjoy it for now), but am willing to work on changing this in a few months.

I think the girls will fall into a 3 nap and 7-8 pm bedtime soon. I am hoping to get them all in the bath at once... what age do you think that can happen? I was wondering what some of you do for a bedtime routine with babies and a toddler. Any suggestions would be great!

 

I have managed to somehow get the babies on a 3 nap, 9:00 bedtime schedule. The twins take a morning nap, all three kids go down for an afternoon nap between 1 and 2pm, and then the twins take a late afternoon nap. We start the bedtime routine around 7:30-8:00...they get baths, we read stories, and everyone just calms down. The twins get their last bottle right before bed. My older DS get's put in bed first, and he usually goes right to sleep. Then we (or just myself if DH isn't there) work on the twins, they are usually awake and we lay them down together. They usually fuss and wiggle around, but most times they then fall alseep on their own. If they are having a hard time I pat their bottoms for a little bit.

I didn't rush the routine, I waited until the twins started taking the three naps on their own (a little before they turned 3 months), and then I tweaked the naps/bedtime to work for me and fit in with older DS's schedule. It doesn't always work and sometimes they are way off but it is so nice when it all goes the right way!

The key with me is making sure all three kids go to sleep on their own, because it really just makes life alot easier. I think it might be hard for you to get all three kids down by yourself unless they learn to go to sleep on their own, without you being there with them.

 

QUOTE(Lynner405 @ Mar 29 2008, 10:42 AM) [snapback]693794[/snapback]
We start the bedtime routine around 7:30-8:00...they get baths, we read stories, and everyone just calms down.


Do they all take a bath together?

 

I put the twins down for the night around 6-6:30. We don't really have a routine yet. Just usually involves putting on pj's, getting swaddled and then nursing. I let my DS watch a video while this happens. After nursing the twins, I just lay them down and they go to sleep.

Then around 6:45 I start the bedtime routine with my son and get him in bed by 7:30 or so.

The key to all this for me has been teaching the twins to go to sleep on their own, without all the rocking I used to have to do.

 

I asked a similar ? not long ago.
My DS is 3 - so I have been letting him watch a short video while I read to eat baby, nurse and then put them down (awake).

Then I do bath etc with him. Occ. I will bring a swing in to the bathroom, bathe one baby with DS at a time. Otherwise they get baths during the morning - just easier that way.
It is really hard until the babies are going down earlier than the toddler.

Good luck

 

Thanks!

I was thinking a earlier bedtime for the girls with a movie for my ds would work, just no where near a 6:30 bedtime yet.

The good thing is that after my girls nurse before bedtime, they go to sleep after only 30 sec to 3 min of fussing or just squirming. Something my ds never did!

Probably closer to a year before all can take a tub together?

 

I actually give all three a bath at the same time, but only with someone else's help. I have done it alone a few times and it is really exhausting. Our older DS just stays in the tub the whole time, while my DH holds one baby in the tub and bathes it while I get the other one undressed. Then we switch babies....he always washes them and I dress them. Then I take both babies downstairs and he gets older DS out of the tub. I have tried every way to bath the babies, by themselves, in the morning, ect, and I have found it is easier for us just to give them all bath all at once at night.