getting your co-sleepers to have an earlier bedtime than you

[Kimmyc2]

ok, so my kids have a very late bedtime these days because they don't want to be in bed without us and take forever to fall asleep to the point where they won't start crying when we get up to leave. DS is almost 2 and DD is almost 4. My DH and/or I will take them up to read books and sing and lay in bed. It takes over an hour for my DD to fall asleep and by then my DH falls asleep so I barely see him and never without kids. If one of us is still downstairs working on something my almost 2 year old starts saying our name and signing "where" then comes down to find us and play.

It's really starting to wear on me. How do the co-sleeping families out there get their kids to fall asleep in their co-sleeping bed at an earlier bedtime than they have?

Thanks!

[PoetryLover]

I don't have any advice for you, but I have the very same question and am anxious to see the responses you get. My son is 14 months and we have another due in August. Right now he literally goes to bed the same time as us, between 9 & 10 every night. I know he needs an earlier bedtime, but don't know how to accomplish it.

[Artichokie]

we cosleep and I tandem nurse our 3 yr old and 2 mo old.  Right now the 3 yr old is asleep in bed and the 2 mo old is asleep in my arms.  Here is how it works for us:

9pm - i nurse 2 mo old in living room.  she usually falls asleep but sometimes not.  DH sits on the couch and reads to 3 yr old.

9:30pm - I hand 2 mo old to DH and take 3 yr old.  If 2 mo old is awake, DH changes her and/or walks around with her.  I nurse 3 yr old for a couple of minutes and then i just hold her. It takes her about 10 min to fall asleep.

10pm - DH hands me 2 mo old and carries sleeping 3 yr old up to bed. We have a video monitor so that we can keep track of her.

[hippymama23]

We are trying to transition from the bed to the crib with our ten and half month old.  We moved our mattress on the floor of his room and he does not want the crib.  He went to bed at 9:30 PM tonight. We have had some luck with my husband singing him to sleep at 8:30.  It's tough not having that time with my husband to snuggle.  I lvoe bed sharing and co-sleeping, but it really is tough with the bed times and my baby is waking me up in the middle of the night two to three times to night feed.  And I have heard that he should be sleeping through the night.  I don;t know. I am winging  it.

[To-Fu]

We've done so many different things in the last 10 months since my second son was born.  It takes two parents and two separate rooms for us in every scenario.  When my husband is out of town for work, we do things a little differently.  But basically we put one to sleep while the other is having a bath or reading stories and then we do the other one.  They both still nurse to sleep, so it can be tricky but it works. 

I wish I knew what to tell you about your husband falling asleep--both of us have had that problem.  We text and use our phones a lot.  It helps.

[Emelee]

I feel for you! I'm still trying to figure out how to get my 4 month DD to sleep/stay asleep before me. Sometimes I can get her to nurse down to sleep in the bed. If not she'll just be rocked contently in her bouncer while I surf until I'm tired enough to take us both to bed. Even if she does go down earlier than me she still wakes up 4-6 times a night anyway. I hope someone has some great advice!

[moonfirefaery]

I had to lay down with both of mine until they fell asleep, then get up afterwards, in order to put them down at an earlier bed time than myself. They don't need me to do that anymore, and sometimes it took a long time before I could get up. Often I'd take a little catnap with them until I was sure they were asleep. :)