https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:47:48 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-routine-for-2#post-1936340 Sat, 08 Nov 2014 23:50:15 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 1936340@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LOs are 19 months apart and my husband works until 11 pm, so I am solo for bedtime. To be honest, in the early days, you won't have any semblance of a routine. It felt like it took at least a good 7 or 8 months until I was like "OK. I got this. This is predictable." Up until that point, it was a crap shoot. </p> <p>GENERALLY, I would put DD1 to bed first because she was the least flexible. So while I was putting her to bed, DD2 would be in her rock n play or the swing. When she got old enough, I would put her in the high chair and she would watch baby einstein (baby einstein saves lives!). Then, I would nurse her and put her down. Second babies are generally more flexible than first babies, and I was never too worried about her schedule because I knew that she would make up for lost sleep somewhere in her day (where as DD1 gets up at the same time no matter when she goes down, which is why I stuck to her bedtime).</p> <p>Now that DD2 is almost 1, she has kind of shown us on her own when she wants to go down, and that's generally around 7:00 or 7:30. So I feed the girls dinner, give them a bath together (only 3x a week or so), put DD2 down (DD1 reads books or watches Doc Mcstuffins while I do this), and then hang out with the oldest for a while until it's her bedtime.</p> <p>With breastfeeding, I found it impossible to do bedtime at the same time. After a year, I am still unable to nurse the youngest without the oldest distracting her or crawling all over me. It just doesn't work.</p> <p>There were so, so many nights that the aforementioned "strategy" didn't work. Sometimes bedtime between the two girls by myself took hours....and they wouldn't be sleeping until 10, 11. I remember nights when DD2 was crying and crying and I couldn't soothe her, but DD1 wouldn't go to bed until the crying stopped. It was hard.</p> <p>But, the good news is is that we made it through the hard part, and everything just gets so much easier with time! Before anything else, you've got to give yourself grace and know that nothing will be perfect, and you might not have a routine down at first. Bedtime with two by yourself is a tough gig, and sometimes you just might be surviving. But that's okay!</p> <p>(Oh, and I usually didn't attempt bath time before bed by myself until the girls were taking baths together (now it's super easy). But until then, I did baths in the morning or would have DD1 take her bath before bed while DD2 hung out in the bouncer/swing and then I would bathe DD2 at another time.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-routine-for-2#post-1936299 Sat, 08 Nov 2014 21:33:53 +0000 MamaChin 1936299@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just do them separately. Big bro goes first, quick bath and a couple of books while Lil Sis hangs out in the play area, sometimes she's in the jumperoo. They're 16 months apart. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-routine-for-2#post-1936205 Sat, 08 Nov 2014 19:18:24 +0000 Mamasig 1936205@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Here is what I do with my boys (6 months and 26 months). I usually bathe the baby 1st and have toys in the bathroom for big brother to play with. Then while I'm bathing big brother, I put the baby on a play mat right next to me. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's a mess. I also have to time so that the baby isn't super hungry and cranky. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-routine-for-2#post-1936193 Sat, 08 Nov 2014 18:58:13 +0000 Andrea 1936193@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mine are 2.5 years apart so my older DD was pretty helpful. She enjoyed helping me bathe baby sis. So we would bathe her first in the infant tub. Then she would just hang out while I bathed DD1. My DH gets home after bedtime, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-routine-for-2#post-1936184 Sat, 08 Nov 2014 18:35:47 +0000 mkp17 1936184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Trying to figure that out and LO#2 is 4 months old!! He for sure doesn't get a bath every night. If the schedule works and DH isn't home he'll get one either before or after LO #1 goes to bed.<br /> Honestly it's a work in progress, I used to drive myself crazy trying to figure it out but every day is so different I gave up. The good news is, he doesn't get that dirty and by the time he really needs to bathe every night, LO #1 will be older and able to entertain herself while I take care of him. </p> <p>Fyi, mine are 4 months and 19 months. </p> <p>Good luck!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-routine-for-2#post-1936089 Sat, 08 Nov 2014 16:25:12 +0000 knittylady 1936089@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How did you come up with a bedtime routine for LO2? How do you incorporate bath? I'm going to be solo parenting most nights and want to be safe...</p> <p>Bonus points if you have two under two (or one and a half!) what do you do when LO1 can't listen too well! </p>