how do you put 2 babies to sleep by yourself??

[apple_20]

It's not all great though as I'm still up every 2 hours with the baby! I wouldn't mention this to your reluctant partners !

Haha, I won't! That's frustrating. Our house (which we got while I was pregnant so we chose carefully) has a guest room and I'd really like DH and me to be in separate rooms while the new baby is waking up all the time so he can work the next day feeling rested. Just for a little while. I tell him we can still visit each other in the dead of night...

My OH ended up sleeping in the living room on the air bed when baby was younger so he would get sleep. I was breastfeeding so not much he could help with.

Then she moved into our room, now she's moved in with her brother and we finally have our room back it's great!

 

[cjwn]

My two are 8 months and 2y7m.

The big one hasn't napped during the day since he was about 18 months. When it's nap time for the little one, I basically bribe the big one to stay quiet. I lock the doors, give him a sweet / biscuit / fruit / yoghurt / anything edible PLUS a toy PLUS the iPad (on mute) PLUS his favourite TV show (currently UmiZoomi) then I leave him downstairs on his own while I give the baby milk and put him in his cot for a nap. This works really well most of the time.

Bedtime is harder to do by myself but not totally impossible. We do bath, milk, stories together then I have to persuade the big one to go to sleep first, otherwise he'll wake the little one up when he goes to bed (they share a room). I've only had to do it solo a few times and only once has this approach totally failed and resulted in two screaming children (and their crying mom).

We only decided to have a second child after the first one started sleeping like a boss - minimal effort needed, just a cuddle and a chat before he willingly climbs into his own bed and puts himself to sleep for 12 hours. If he'd continued to be the arsepain that he was previously (rocking and singing 12kg of baby to sleep) then nobody would have been able to convince me to have another one.

 

[Taurus8484]

Its hard at first but then you just fall into a routine and you don't remember what it was like with just 1 anymore.

 

[ChocolateC]

My two are 8 months and 2y7m.


We only decided to have a second child after the first one started sleeping like a boss - minimal effort needed, just a cuddle and a chat before he willingly climbs into his own bed and puts himself to sleep for 12 hours. If he'd continued to be the arsepain that he was previously (rocking and singing 12kg of baby to sleep) then nobody would have been able to convince me to have another one.

RMFAOL!
That would be the age difference I'd be dealing with if I got preggers now.
DD is somewhere between arsepain and angel. She wants me to sit by her crib as she goes to sleep and every 5 seconds she says "Mommy?" and kisses me through the slats. But this is just avoiding sleep. Now I pretend to sleep on a chair beside the crib so she knows I'm there but I'm not interacting with her. I'm thinking if LO #2 comes along I'll breastfeed while sitting next to DD's crib.

 

[Dolly84]

Ive got an 18 month gap between mine and I'm quite lucky because both of them love their sleep, my 22 mo th old loves going to bed, we take him upstairs give kisses and cuddles, give him his dummy and snuggle blankie and he's usually snoring within 5 mins, dd is 3 mo ths old now so will fall asleep on me and will be put down in her Moses basket when I go to bed. Naps are pretty easy as ds has just dropped his nap so he's awake all day now, and dd has been used to sleeping thru ds being loud so he doesn't even wake her 😬xxx

 

[Larkspur]

I do bath time together at 6pm. Get baby out first and into PJs in bathroom. Get DS out and into PJs in his (pre-warmed) room.

They both have a story together, then DS is tucked into bed with a book or an educational app on his iPad while I give baby her last BF in the dark in her room. I have the monitor for DS's room in with me just in case he calls out, but he almost never does.

Takes 10-15 mins to feed and put baby down (around 6.40/50pm). Then back to DS's room for another couple of books, cuddle and chat, lights out, back rub and off to sleep by about 7.10/15pm.

It's easy enough, but glad I don't have to do it every night (OH only works late twice a week).

 

[cjwn]

My two are 8 months and 2y7m.


We only decided to have a second child after the first one started sleeping like a boss - minimal effort needed, just a cuddle and a chat before he willingly climbs into his own bed and puts himself to sleep for 12 hours. If he'd continued to be the arsepain that he was previously (rocking and singing 12kg of baby to sleep) then nobody would have been able to convince me to have another one.

RMFAOL!
That would be the age difference I'd be dealing with if I got preggers now.
DD is somewhere between arsepain and angel. She wants me to sit by her crib as she goes to sleep and every 5 seconds she says "Mommy?" and kisses me through the slats. But this is just avoiding sleep. Now I pretend to sleep on a chair beside the crib so she knows I'm there but I'm not interacting with her. I'm thinking if LO #2 comes along I'll breastfeed while sitting next to DD's crib.

I don't remember exactly how we achieved independent sleeping success but it did involve some sleep training and confidence building but in the end I think he was just ready, and shattered from spending 10 hours a day at the childminder's.

Remember that it takes 9 months to grow a baby on top of however long it takes to conceive which gives you time to improve your toddler's sleep habits. I recall using this argument with my husband who didn't want to have a baby until X, Y or Z and I was all like "no big deal, they won't be here for 9+ months anyway". He forgot that it wasn't an overnight process.

 

[kealz]

Our ds1 is nearly 3 and ds2 is 4 months. When i'm on my own, nappy changes, teeth and pyjamas are all done downstairs, taking turns while the other plays. I take ds1 up to bed first and leave ds2 in his bouncer for 5 mins while iggle piggle entertains. Ds1 get into bed, quick story, lights out and falls asleep my himself. I go back for ds2, bottle in darkness in our room, cuddles and bed.

My advice to you op, would definitely be to sleep train your lo now. I did controlled crying when ds1 was 6 months and it worked for us although I know it's not for everyone. But yeah, sleep training is the way forward I think for an easier life for all and make your dh see that having another one is manageable - good luck! x

 

[londonangel]

I put baby to bed, hubby puts our older one to bed. When he had a work do a few weeks ago and was out I put the eldest to bed whilst simultaneously feeding baby then put baby to bed.

 

[JessyG]

This worries me alot. I would be doing bedtime 3 nights a week alone. My daughter needs a lot of help to go to bed and it has to be me. I'm sure ill get into the swing of it but it has been one of my worries about having a second.

 

[ParisJeTadore]

With great difficulty...lol! Granted, I don't have to put them both down for bed regularly but when DH was away on business it was the hardest part about the whole thing! I don't have any advice but will say this: having two is really not too different than having one. You have the advantage of having an older child who is, somewhat, independent in one way or another depending on their age.

My boys are exactly two years apart and I wouldn't change a thing! Not to mention, after feeling totally shell shocked the first time around having a baby I found everything so much easier and fun the second time around (if I want to be totally honest). A great thing to experience.