https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:49:10 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/logistics-of-quiet-play-before-bedtime#post-2771175 Fri, 01 Sep 2017 11:51:58 +0000 meadow 2771175@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: Yay twins in livingrooms! haha....Neat idea about the bucket of small toys. Good luck with your sleep transition/phase. Can you convert their crib just changing one wall to a toddler bed panel? That would still fit without changing your current footprint! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/logistics-of-quiet-play-before-bedtime#post-2771168 Fri, 01 Sep 2017 11:37:27 +0000 BSB 2771168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our playroom is in the living room. We live in a split level home so most of our living in on the main floor. The twin's nursery only has stuffed animals, some bedtime books and a small bucket of toys. The bucket is one of those sand/beach buckets. Holds some toys. If the babies are still up after we close the door, we'll go in there and let them choose 1-2 toys from the bucket. </p> <p>They are still in cribs. We are considering toddler bed or twin beds soon. Don't talk me about sleep because the twins have started cosleeping with us this week. DD is starting to get very clingy and hating bedtime and her crib. Trying to figure out if this is a phase or if we need to convert her crib. :meh: I know two cribs can fit in their room but wondering if we can even fit two twin beds in there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/logistics-of-quiet-play-before-bedtime#post-2771164 Fri, 01 Sep 2017 11:28:18 +0000 meadow 2771164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks! It is great to hear real examples! It is also good to hear that pre-bed quiet time doesn't have to be super long. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/logistics-of-quiet-play-before-bedtime#post-2771131 Fri, 01 Sep 2017 10:04:43 +0000 sauerkraut 2771131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have books and some stuffed animals/loveys in the bedroom, and we have a twin bed on the floor with a bunch of pillows on it. Wind down time happens after bath/diaper/jammies, and usually involves reading in the glider or on the floor bed with dim lights and the white noise machine on. DD often walks around carrying books or loveys, and sometimes crawls around on the bed a bit, but also spends time snuggling and reading. After a maximum of four books, we say bye-bye to the books and put them away, then rock and sing and go in the crib awake, where she will roll around and jabber about who-knows-what for a few minutes before settling down. I still sit in the room with her till she falls asleep, or is at least nearly asleep, but we're gradually moving away from that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/logistics-of-quiet-play-before-bedtime#post-2771093 Fri, 01 Sep 2017 06:18:34 +0000 looch 2771093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a SONOS music system and we start to play "relax" music at around 7 pm. We also dim the lights and make sure we're not doing any activities like prepping for the next day. We've been doing this since my son was 2 and it's worked really well as a signal for him and he looks forward to listening to the music and talking about the instruments that he hears.</p> <p>One thing I learned is that reading stimulates him, so we had to stop reading in his bed and moved the activity to the living room, where we keep a bunch of books. On some nights, we skip the reading, especially if I notice he is very wound up. My view is that it's better to listen to their cues on a nightly basis as opposed to reading every night so that you can say you did it. They're exposed to literacy just by you talking, you know? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/logistics-of-quiet-play-before-bedtime#post-2771059 Thu, 31 Aug 2017 21:23:56 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2771059@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our set up is a bit different in that the majority of LO's toys and half of his books are in his room. When we move upstairs to his room after dinner and a little playtime in the family room we continue the fun upstairs for a little bit longer. </p> <p>I immediately change his diaper and put PJs on (and now brush his teeth b/c he's a big boy!), so that's the first indication bedtime is near. While he plays I ready the room. I close the blinds and turn off the overhead light and turn on his lamp and he helps turn on his nightlight. I keep talking to a minimum. </p> <p>When I am ready to begin bedtime routine, which is books, prayers, &amp; sometimes singing, I turn off the lamp and get off the floor with LO and sit in the glider. Within minutes he's handing me a book and crawling on my lap. There's still enough light through the blinds to read the book.</p> <p>Basically the room is darker and quieter than the space we left. By the time it's "loud" again LO is very close to me on the glider that even talking is quiet and calming. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/logistics-of-quiet-play-before-bedtime#post-2771046 Thu, 31 Aug 2017 20:11:23 +0000 meadow 2771046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have our toys setup and general playspace as the livingroom &amp; dining room (connected with a wide doorway). We live in a ranch, so the bedrooms are on the same floor.</p> <p>We don't keep any toys in the twins' room and we technically could have another playroom/den space but it is the furthest room from their bedroom so we don't really play there.</p> <p>Right now we could stand to improve our wind down routine and I always read about people doing more quiet activities right before bed. Any tips on logistics of doing so in the same space as your normal playtime? </p> <p>TIA! </p>