They are asleep! No talking or playing going on! I used a lot of your input and I got creative. My older ds wants to be a policeman for halloween. So, I told him that it is important for policemen to help enforce the rules. Then, we talked about our bedtime rules. He was pretty excited about it especially when I let him wear his patrol hat to bed.
I am still worried about what to do when they wake early in the morning and get the party started.
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Originally Posted by RachelEve14  Same issue here, lol.
I put them to bed a bit earlier and give them about 15 minutes of sister bonding time. I think them talking and playing together is one of the most beautiful things about room sharing, and I'd never want to take that from them.
After about 15 minutes (or if they get too wild / crazy) I go in and tell them to settle down. If they are having difficulty , I sit in the doorway for a few minutes and either crochet or read (but not pay attention to them). Once I am sitting there they are usually all 3 out in 5 minutes.
Good luck  |
I like the idea of giving them some time together, but once they get on a roll it is hard to get them to stop. So, I sat in their room tonight and it took them 5 minutes to quiet down and settle in.
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Originally Posted by Parker'smommy Could you vary their bedtimes by 15 minutes or so? Put one to bed at 8pm and let them settle down and go to sleep, and then have the other go to bed at 815 and go to sleep then?
For wake times, I have no idea! Sorry!
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In a couple months the baby is moving into the room, too. So, that is a great idea for when he moves in.
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Originally Posted by Cuddlebaby lie in between them while reading stories. end with the boring ones. get up and go to your bed.
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They are in bunks, so we sit next to their bed with books.
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Originally Posted by KoalaMommy This is actually a really serious issue because sleep is one of the keys to healthy brain development and learning. And lack of sleep perpetuates itself.
I'd look at several things and see where you can make adjustments.
1) naps - are they both still taking them? What time? If they are, maybe your oldest doesn't need one anymore. Maybe naptime needs to be earlier. I'm not for scheduling infants, but my children got to an age where schedule and routine became important (and they're about the same age as yours). If nap goes past 4 pm for my little one, she doesn't go to bed. My older one is done with naps most of the time unless she's sick.
2) routine - do you have a bedtime routine? Ours starts with dinner, moves into bath then stories then brushing teeth and then lying down with lights out. My girls share a room and we lie down with them until they are asleep (mostly because my youngest would simply get up and play if we didn't). If you need some help establishing the routine, add some warm chamomile tea after dinner. A company called "herbs for kids" makes a valerian root extract called "Super Calm" that is safe for use in kids 1 and older. Give it half an hour before bedtime for a few weeks to establish the routine (it tastes yucky so you'll need to add it to juice).
3) environment - if everything else seems to be in place, routine, naps etc. maybe you need to change the bedroom environment. You said you have a playroom, move ALL toys into the playroom. If that's not enough, the books follow. When the books move, story reading moves to the playroom along with them. If you have to, remove the lights. Take any bulbs out of wall-switch controlled lights and remove any removable lamps. If that's too drastic, you can get remote controlled ceiling light/fan combos that can't be turned on by the wall switch without the remote. Make the bedroom only about sleeping. Seriously, this is what they tell adult insomniacs. It makes perfect sense for kids too. When there's a lot of fun, tempting stuff to play with and a playmate, why sleep? If you need to, put some kind of lock on the playroom so it's off limits at night. Maybe you need peaceful music or white noise playing. Make nighttime relaxing, calm, quiet and dark.
Start off easy, but I wouldn't be afraid to look at some serious changes to the bedroom environment. They have to be gradual and you have to talk about them. But sleep is essential for you and for your kids. You're establishing the patterns they'll live with forever. I grew up an insomniac, so I know of what I speak.
Good luck!!
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Those are great questions. Sadly, we are already doing all of that with little to no success!
We have a consistent daily routine, which includes right after lunch a 1.5 - 2 hour nap for the younger one and down time (no nap unless he dozes off) for the older one.
We have had the same bedtime routine for three years. Bath, books for at least 30 minutes and bed. They pick out the books from the toy room and we return them after turning out the lights.
They sleep with a white noise machine. With the exception of the stuffed animals they sleep with, there are zero toys in their room. Just a dresser full of clothes and a lamp. They do sleep with a nightlight because they get scared otherwise. Since there are no toys, they turn their sheets and clothes (yes, they strip naked and throw their clothes back and forth like volley balls) into toys.
: Good ideas! I'll have to make DH do that, since I'm nursing the baby most of the time. 
Adding a fussy baby to the mix doesn't contribute to a peaceful environment.
for a couple of years. A couple of weeks ago my 8.5 year old had his annoyingly cool friend over who noticed there is no sheet on the top bunk and asked them where they each slept, when he found out they decided to share a bunk he was like "cool, sleepover every night!"
to say that I've had good luck with reading DD1 the riot act and promising to make her sleep in a playpen in the hallway if she is up or making noise when the babies are trying to sleep. I actually followed through, one night, and I guess it impressed her so things have settled down some.
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