My dh works second shift so I'm on my own when it comes to bedtime. I've tried routines ala "Heaven on Earth" which was fine when there were two. It's not working now that there are three of them. Ds is 5, dd1 is 2, and dd2 is 6mo.
Ds typically is pretty easy to get to bed. He won't always go to sleep right away, but he will often remain quietly in his room until he falls asleep. I've considered a book on tape or something similar for him in his room that he could listen to while I tended to the other two. If he fell asleep that'd be just fine, but if he didn't I could then perhaps tend to his needs later.
Dd1 needs help to get to sleep. I've had some success in going through our whole routine, tucking her into bed, and asking her to lie in bed quietly so I can take care of dd2- telling her that once dd2 is asleep, if she's still awake I'll come back and tuck her in. She more often than not falls asleep before I get the chance to do that, but not always. She's also not typically down for the night. She'll get up several times a night to seek me or if it's late enough dh out. It can be a little bit tiring because dd2 is often just about asleep when she comes in crying.
Dd2 is really difficult to get to sleep. She's on the cusp of crawling on her hands and knees vs the army crawling thing. Could it be that? She's incredibly high needs and just about only wants me even if someone else is there. It's a long process of nursing her to sleep and otherwise rocking with her while she cries. She'll rub her eyes - you can see it in her face that sleep is what she really needs, but she absolutely will not let go enough for sleep to come. She's also very sensitive so if I try to put her in the pack-n-play or get up from the bed to tend to my dd1 or ds she'll often wake up.
I've been trying to hold on...but what I'd really like is to get all three children to sleep so that I can have just an hour or so of peace and quiet at night...on my own. To write or sew or otherwise have both arms free. Suggestions?
Ds typically is pretty easy to get to bed. He won't always go to sleep right away, but he will often remain quietly in his room until he falls asleep. I've considered a book on tape or something similar for him in his room that he could listen to while I tended to the other two. If he fell asleep that'd be just fine, but if he didn't I could then perhaps tend to his needs later.
Dd1 needs help to get to sleep. I've had some success in going through our whole routine, tucking her into bed, and asking her to lie in bed quietly so I can take care of dd2- telling her that once dd2 is asleep, if she's still awake I'll come back and tuck her in. She more often than not falls asleep before I get the chance to do that, but not always. She's also not typically down for the night. She'll get up several times a night to seek me or if it's late enough dh out. It can be a little bit tiring because dd2 is often just about asleep when she comes in crying.
Dd2 is really difficult to get to sleep. She's on the cusp of crawling on her hands and knees vs the army crawling thing. Could it be that? She's incredibly high needs and just about only wants me even if someone else is there. It's a long process of nursing her to sleep and otherwise rocking with her while she cries. She'll rub her eyes - you can see it in her face that sleep is what she really needs, but she absolutely will not let go enough for sleep to come. She's also very sensitive so if I try to put her in the pack-n-play or get up from the bed to tend to my dd1 or ds she'll often wake up.
I've been trying to hold on...but what I'd really like is to get all three children to sleep so that I can have just an hour or so of peace and quiet at night...on my own. To write or sew or otherwise have both arms free. Suggestions?
