Settling more than one little one to sleep at bedtime can be tricky, especially if you’re new to the multiple kids at bedtime game.
But don’t panic. Often the thought of doing it can be worse than the reality (unfortunately the reality can sometimes be just as bad!).
You may have invested a lot of time in your first borns bedtime routine and feel a bit gutted that it might all go out the window.
But rest assured, if you’ve had a nice routine in place previously, you’re better to accept you might have to be a bit breezy about everything when your newborn arrives, in the knowledge that you’ll be able to get back on track when you’re ready.
Take any help you can
If you’ve got a co-parent who can help at bedtime try and divide and conquer to make your life easier in whatever way this works for you. Or if you have some other support you can lean into at bedtime who can help for the first few weeks or months definitely take it, you won’t regret it! I know not everyone does, I did bedtime with a toddler and a newborn for 8 months while my husband worked away in the week, so I know it can be hard.
Accept you’ll probably need more time than you usually do, not allowing yourself enough time just puts pressure on the whole situation and your little ones will likely pick up on this.
Some top tips
Do what works best for you, you might prefer to put the one who’s easiest down first, or you might prefer to focus on the harder one first. This can be a bit of trial and error and could change on a nightly basis.
If you’re putting the baby down first, it can work well to have some super calm bedtime toys that come out just for the occasion for your older one which might give you a little bit of extra time.
If you're not putting the newborn down first, make sure they've had a feed if needed before you start the routine and if you’ve not been baby wearing, now is maybe a good time to invest in a sling, they give you your hands free to deal with the older one.
Lastly, if you do nothing else, never go into a bedtime with two or more low on energy, always snack up before you get going!
If you’d like some support with your little ones sleep, please do check out my sleep support packages, or hop on your free 15 minute introductory call. Or in the meantime, head over to my Instagram page for all my latest free help and tips.
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