Bedtime duty for more than one child
Do you need to do bedtime duty for more than one child by yourself?
Read my top tips which will help.
Becoming a parent of two can have new challenges, such as when you are on bedtime duty for two children. I became a mother of two children a few months ago, so I know the challenges all too well.
Here are my top tips that have helped me and many families I have worked with.
If you need to do bath times, aim to do the baths earlier in the evening if possible. For example, if you have a baby and a toddler it can be easier to bath your toddler when baby is having their last nap and then get your toddler to “help” when you give your baby a brief bath.
Story time can be a great addition to a bedtime routine, and when you are on solo bedtime duty, I recommend doing a shared bedtime story for both children.
If your children have similar bedtimes, I recommend putting the youngest to bed first.
If your oldest child is not old enough to be left unsupervised briefly, I recommend getting them again to “help” you bring baby to bed. If bedtime for baby can take some time, your older child may sit with a toy/book inside/outside your baby’s room / in their cot.
If you need to do your oldest child’s bedtime first and your youngest child is a baby, an option is baby wearing your smallest child depending on their age or placing them on a playmat/bouncer inside/outside your older child’s bedroom.
If bottle/breast feeding is required for either/both children, I recommend this again is done in a room such as your living room, this will assist with avoiding a feeding to sleep association and will assist in the bedtime for either child being brief.
If one or neither of your children can fall asleep independently in the room by themselves, this is often a time parents decide to sleep train and seek help from a Child Sleep Consultant like myself, as it often not possible to sit in one child’s bedroom for a prolonged period when you have more than one child.
I hope these tips help,
Colette McCann
Child Sleep Consultant