Bedtime routine for 4.5 year old and 18 month old

[Chloevalentine]

Not sure where to post this?....
At night we usually go up for baths around 645 both boys bathe together which is wild and messy but they love it and gets both baths done. Then I get the little one into his pjs and he sits with his dad with a cup of milk that he doesn’t really drink lately. Then the big one gets into pjs and we head downstairs for a snack and a little cuddle time on the sofa with a show for about 30 mins and up to bed around 8. Tonight they both got out together and it was mayhem running and laughing and having a blast but it was hard to get them into pjs and calmed down for bed. Any tips on how to do a bedtime routine for two that are 3 years apart. The little one is not interested in books so that idea is out.

[Haribo2012]

It’s badically the same inbthis house DS1 is 5.5 and DS2 is 2, they’ve both always bathed together and then gone don together watched a mini show and gone up separately for stories. DS2 not into stories as such but we read books with flaps to open and look at pics.

I think I’d you want less mayhem then they’d need to get bathed/dressed separately but sounds like they have fun so maybe bath earlier to allow more wind down.

[Chloevalentine]

It just works better with bath right before bed for the little one. And the big one enjoys some quiet time with my husband and I before his bedtime. When my older one dropped his nap at 2-2.5 he started going to bed even earlier around 7 for a couple years so I’m not even sure that the joined bedtime shenanigans will even work for a few more years yk. Just trying to figure out some kind of routine for them. They do have a lot of fun

[Chloevalentine]

Today lo slept on until 7:08! Although I heard him cry for a min or two at 6 so it wasn’t a typical start to the day. He has a bunnch of teeth cutting at the moment. He napped from 1220-230 and we went up a bit later at 645 for bath with his brother. We let them run around after for a bit then had to fight him to get pjs on. Not sure if this routine change is worth it. lol. He went into crib around 730 and is still awake at 8! He always takes a while to fall out and I know he slept late in morning and napped well so I guess 8 isn’t that late but his brother also goes up to bed at 8. It’s just not a smooth routine.

[Haribo2012]

With the age gap there are bound to be times it doesn’t work, we just do a child each and alternate x

[Chloevalentine]

Tonight we tried up at 630 ( kids were tired) they had their bath together we managed to get the little one out and into pjs which wasn’t easy as he was looking for his brother to get out too and run around with him. Then one of us got the bigger one into pjs and he wanted to read to god his little brother so they sat in the chair together lo had his cup of milk while big brother read and then Dad sat with lo while me and the big one went downstairs. It was less wild for sure but hard to get to lo calm and into pjs and then he was a little thrown off by the routine changed and fussed a bit with my husband before going into crib. He’s still up in crib settling at 745. This is tough!

[Haribo2012]

What about letting them run around up there before the bath!? Mine love the chase around with bare bottoms lol x

[Lindsay27]

My 2 are 3.5 years apart.  We do bath together at about 6:15pm and PJs right after.  DD (2yrs) goes to bed at 7ish and DS (5yrs) goes to bed at 7:30.  After PJs, DS gets some TV time before going upstairs at 7:30 to do stories, while DD is pretty well headed straight to bed after bath.  We basically just tag team it - DH takes ones and I take the other.  If it's a solo-parent night then we do DD first and DS second.

[Chloevalentine]

Yes we do the same here!! But after bath the lo gets out first and is no angry about it lol then his brother comes out and he wants to play and chase him and it’s impossible to get his pjs on. He gets himself so worked up and upset that the fun is over yk.