Comments on: Adjusting bedtime routines

By: kat

kat — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:27:25 +0000

i have three year old twin girls and bedtime has become a nightmare. they go to bed about 9 everynight almost but it takes them until 11 30 to go to sleep and by 2 am they are awake and in the bed with me do not know what to do routines are not helping me i want them to go to bed and mommy not have to sit in there with them until they fall asleep any suggestions desperate mommy in need of help

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:17:25 +0000

I have a 3.5 year old daughter and am expecting twin boys in a few short months, so I am not a parenting expert by any means. However, my thoughts about transitioning out of the crib are this: skip the toddler bed and go right to a single. It cuts out a future transition, like the other women mentioned, and it gives them more room. If your girls are like mine, they are all over their cribs at night. It took my daughter a few months to understand her head stayed at one end, feet at the other, etc. and we only used the gate on the bed for about 2 months. Explaining the whole “big girl bed” concept has seemed to make her really want to be invested in it, which included picking out her new comforter, etc.

As for bedtime routine, we (knock on wood) have never had any issues with her leaving the room or getting out of bed. There is simply no negotiations at bedtime. Bath, teeth, book, songs, kisses. She usually ends up singing to herself or talking for 20 minutes before she falls asleep.
.-= Sara´s last blog ..Year In Review =-.

By: Judy

Judy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:34:28 +0000

I am also wondering what will happen when we transition to big/toddler beds. Thanks for the suggestions to just go straight to big beds. It’s something to think about, but I think their room will be too small for 2 big beds.

Our routine is pretty simple: last potty call, pajamas, brush teeth and then bed. If Daddy is there then he plays guitar for a little while, else its just lights out. We do our reading before bedtime as well. If they are very active, I read books as a way to calm them down.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:46:24 +0000

Had to laugh at the above comment that bedtime goes smoother when Mommy isn’t there! The same phenomenon happens in our house…Daddy is very efficient the 4-5 nights a week that I work– The nights Mommy is involved tend to get drawn out and OH the delay tactics! (Mine know Mommy is an easier target!)

We have a queen-size bed in our toddlers’ room, which is where we sit or lay with them for bed-time stories. When we do have to transition out of cribs, I suppose we will just put that mattress on the floor and let them sleep together–but wonder how much monkey-business that will invite!!

I am dreading the move from cribs. We are delaying that as looooonnnng as possible. I’m thinking 5 more years at least…lol

By: Merri Ann

Merri Ann — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:56:33 +0000

We skipped the toddler beds and went directly to big kid beds to skip that added expense. The transition went smoothly. We used an idea from my sister in law … she put the big bed in the room while her daughter was still in her crib and slowly introduced the big bed concept. Her daughter made the decision each night, for about 3 months, which bed to sleep in … this strategy worked for all three of ours.

Our bedtme routine has definitely changed often. Reading with 3 is a challenge … but we have discovered that having them in a confined area works better. One parent takes one child and the other takes two … we let the kids decide which parent they want to read with each night. They have a tendency to want to run around like wild monkeys before bed and, of course, we are trying to get them to sit still long enough to discover they are tired.

One day, about 6 months ago, the kids and I were all having a really bad day and I needed to come up with a way to calm everyone down and try to regroup. I had an idea to sit in a recliner downstairs and read … so I put one on my lap and one on each side of me and started to read books … within 10 minutes all three kids were asleep … and an idea was born. We moved our two recliners upstairs to the kids rooms and that is now where we read to them each night. They are large enough to hold everyone, the reclined position seems to relax them, and it’s not quite as easy to crawl out of on a whim … they seem to stay put.

An added bonus of the recliner came one night when I had to sit up with a sick child … I was able to sleep and hold her at the same time.

The constant changing of routines seems to be the norm in our house … I’m sure it will stabilize at some point … I just hope the reading and cuddling time is the thing that sticks.
.-= Merri Ann´s last blog ..Probing The Environment =-.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:55:06 +0000

I would recommend skipping the toddler bed and transitioning them right into a regular bed. When my daughter was 2 we put her in a toddler bed because we need the crib for the twins. At that time I thought she was too little for a big bed. However when one of my twin boys started climbing out of the crib at 2, I ended up putting him right into a regular bed (that was already in the room) and he did just fine. Ironically now both of my boys are in regular beds and my daughter is still in a toddler bed. Now at 4 1/2 I have to transition my daughter out of her toddler bed into a regular bed. I wish I had just done that in the first place.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:59:15 +0000

Our twins are 19 months – bedtime is thankfully simple and smooth – baths or change into pjs, bottles, diapers, up to bedroom and into cribs. I recite “Goodnight Moon” instead of read it and sing Twinkle Little Star and say a little good night prayer aloud (all with the lights out). Then I say good night and go out. So far, it works for us. We do all of our reading during the day or after dinner but before bedtime rituals. And at night it is just me putting the kids to bed so I need it simple for everyone.

With my older daughter (5) bedtime used to last HOURS and often ended with EVERYONE in tears because of frustration. that is why I keep it so simple with the little ones. And I know how BLESSED we are that they took to it and now I am afraid I jinxed it because I responded to this post.

By: jenna

jenna — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:36:34 +0000

Our girls are almost one, and we haven’t managed to introduce reading at bedtime. Right now the routine is Dad does bath on nights when they get a bath, I feed them and rock them while Dad gets big brother in pjs, fed his snack and read his stories. I’d like to be able to read to everyone but finding time, space and focus isn’t working right now. I usually try to read them all a story or two in the afternoon.

By: Mommy, Esq.

Mommy, Esq. — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:11:14 +0000

My husband and I both agree that the kids are staying in cribs until they learn to climb out (or potty training, whichever comes first). I laughed a little at the post because when we went on vacation with friends who have a singleton their bedtime routine was quite a sight and definitely required two parents. My husband does both kids alone every night and we’ll have to figure out how to incorporate a third this summer. One key with multiples is simplicity – bath, dress, book, bed. When I’m home I sing them “twinkle, twinkle”. In the winter we do have to moisturize them which adds to the hassle – especially since neither kid is willing to cooperate when we are trying to get them into diapers or clothing. Toddlers! My husband has said that it tends to go more smoothly when I am not home. I expect that is true!
.-= Mommy, Esq.´s last blog ..Gains From Trade =-.

By: Kate in MO

Kate in MO — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:21:33 +0000

I have 5 kids-3 singles and twin baby girls. My oldest is 8. I took him out of his crib before my daughter was born-big mistake! He was just under two years old. I had to lay with him until he fell asleep or he would be up all night!
With my daughter, I left her in her crib until she asked to be in a big girl bed which happened when she was around two and a half. Of course, she didn’t try to climb out so that worked. She is my best sleeper and easiest to put to bed to this day!
Don’t move them until they are ready!!!