DD is 3 and DS is 2 months. So far I've just been bathing him a couple times a week in the daytime. But I'd like to start a bedtime routine that includes bath. I just don't know how to fit it in with DD's bath and bedtime. I assume when he's a bit older I can bathe them at the same time, but for now while he's still too little to sit up he needs his own bath time. So if you have a baby and toddler, how do you handle nighttime routines??
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My guy is eight weeks and my big girl is 2.5 so we have the same logistical issues! When it comes to bathing I get both undressed then lift my big girl into the tub to play and then I put my wee guy into the bath and wash him first. Once he's done I lift him out and dry him then wrap him in his towel while I wash DD and then lift her out. DD usually runs around in the nude while I dress baby and then he hangs out on the floor while she gets ready for bed.
Unfortunately I'm not much help with the actual putting to bed process because DD goes down at 8 and little guy doesn't sleep till almost 10pm.
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At that age, I bathed them back to back. I would do baby first while big bro played with daddy. Then little bro would get a bottle or hang out with daddy while I did his brother.
Eventually they started taking baths together - maybe at 3-4 months. I put little brother in one of those reclining bath tub seats and bathed them both. I'd drain the water and big brother would stay in the tub while I took the little one to the bedroom. Then I'd get him out.
Logistically it got harder once baby bro grew out of the seat. Wrangling him while bathing both gets hard!
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Oh and at that age, big brother went to bed first. Now it's switched and little brother does. DS1 watches TV or hangs out with daddy while I'm getting him down.
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I had my older one (2.5) do water play in the big bath tub while I bathed the little one in her infant tub. Once I was done with the baby, I would put her in the bouncer and she would chill while I bathed big sis.
ETA - And for bedtime I had my older one watch 20 min of Daniel Tiger while I put the baby down. This only lasted for the first 5 weeks and then DD2 would go down by herself (drowsy, but awake) so then DD1 was in the room, too.
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So my husband is gone nights so I had to work out a routine that I could do solo.
When dd2 was too little to bathe with dd1, I'd bathe her first. I would wash her in the plastic tub at the kitchen sink while DD1 either helped me (she has a learning tower) or sat and watched a show/played a game on the tablet. Then, it was dd1's turn for a bath. I would take the bouncer or rock n play into the bathroom and dd1 would sit in there while I bathed dd1.
Then, as for bedtime, things kind of changed as dd2 got older. At first, she went to bed really late so I would put dd1 to bed first (and dd2 would hang out in the swing in the living room, usually crying unfortunately) while I put dd1 down. But as she grew, her bedtime got earlier, and now dd2 goes to bed first. I set dd1 up with an episode of Caillou of Berenstain Bears and put dd2 to bed at 8. (While I'm in the bedroom, dd2 eats a snack while she watches her show.) Then, it's the older one's bedtime and we brush teeth and read books once dd1 is asleep.
Now, it's a shorter process because they can bathe together. Everything else is the same (dd1 to bed first, dd2 gets show and snacks, then her turn) but they bathe together beforehand.
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@Andrea: I think I could do something similar. DD loves playing in the bath so maybe she could have her playtime while I give DS a bath in his little tub.
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