How Long is Your Bed Time Routine?

[lisi's mum]

Claire, I don't really think it's so bad having such a short nap routine, just sometimes it's accompanied by my relief that it's nap time. Maybe that's why I blush 

[sandraorion]

Thanks everyone.

Well, the are two reasons for our routine being this long:
- I enjoy the quiet time with Adrian (when the routine is actually quiet and doesn't involve him using the bed as a trampline while I try to read)
- He really needs that long time to wind down (more on this later)

What I don't like is the repetitiveness of it (there is only so many times you can sing London Bridge is Falling Down) and sometimes I'd like to get it over soon and get on with my life or I get annoyed by the above mentioned jumping.

I'm not that concerned about the evening routine being long with the baby coming. There are two of us and each one of us can take care of one of the kids. It's the naps that I am worried about.

When Adrian was a baby, the naps were killing me. It always took him about 20-30 minutes of the wind down to go down for a nap (and then he'd sleep 30-45 minutes). It seemed like I was constantly putting him down for the nap. I don't want to go down the same route with the new baby, if I can help it.

Btw, he still needs a long wind down, that's why the book reading is that long. We tried with different times, and unless is way past his bed time, we need more than one book for him to relax.

So, the main reason I posted here is to see if the shorter routine are possible with BW kids, especially spirited ones. I know for sure that the neighbor lets her kid CIO and that's why he is not even trying anymore.  And I suspect the other kids were Feberized.

[Pixie1]

For Charlie, naps are simple. Just into his bed with the right soft toys and a fresh muslin, close the blackout blind and that's it - he's off straight away for 2 hours!

Bedtime takes 30 minutes if there's two of us, and a bit longer if it's just me (just because of the logistics of bath-running, undressing etc etc whereas if there's two of us things can happen simultaneously!). But his routine is always the same: upstairs for a bath (with Dada if he's home), then teeth brushing and pjs, into his grobag, last drink of milk on Mama's lap in his darkened room while I talk to him about his day and sing him 'Morningtown Ride', then into his bed, I arrange all his soft toys and give him his two favourites, then I sit on the floor next to his bed and read him some AA Milne poems (he loves the musicality of the poetry), always ending with the same one that he adores, then on goes his 'stars on the ceiling' projector, last kiss, and I'm out the door. He'll normally be asleep within 5 minutes.

We are lucky, I know it. That's why I'm trying my best to cope with the 5.30 am wake-ups, because I know it could be so much worse!

April

[sandraorion]

Stacey, thanks a lot. Both ideas are great!

[swiper]

Mine is anything between 15 to 30 mins and thats both of my children.

[Lana]

Our bedtime routine takes about 1 hour.  We have a snack then a bath, brush teeth, pjs and then stories (2-4).