Toddler bedtime without screen time

[Anonymous]

Maybe the answer is obvious but I need help.

We have a 3 almost 4 yo and a 1 almost 2 yo. We’re expecting a third. Our oldest hasn’t napped for a long time and generally goes to bed around 7. Our youngest keeps napping later and later and thus pushing his bedtime back, but we had been doing both kids at 7 for a while.

Generally our bedtime routine is that older kiddo gets to watch some TV while we do bath/books/bed with younger, but it’s now coming to where younger is staying up later than older because of nap times. We don’t do screen time yet for younger and I’d like to avoid it, but don’t know how to manage younger going to bed after older without something to keep him occupied? suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Everybody gets books before bed. No more screen time for any except when sick or traveling. Simple.

And get the younger kid up earlier and run them around a lot so they're tired for a nap right after lunch, then ready to sleep at 7pm with the older one.

[Anonymous]

Wake younger kid up from their nap earlier so they go to bed together. Yes waking them up will suck for a while but it will help in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Bedtime together and no screens. Maybe push everyone to 7:30.

[Anonymous]

Oldest can get into bed and draw or read book or play quietly with toys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bedtime together and no screens. Maybe push everyone to 7:30.

Yup, do it together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bedtime together and no screens. Maybe push everyone to 7:30.

Yup, do it together.

That’s what we do. Tough to adjust the schedule (it always is!) but it’s worth it in the long run. We have an almost 4, an almost 2, and a third on the way.

[Anonymous]

Depends on what time wake up is. If younger is waking up at 6:30 or earlier, I would not want to push bedtime earlier. Kids of those ages simply have very different sleep needs due to the nap. I think it’s really odd and not going to work to try to force them onto the same schedule.

OP where is the TV? Could older watch TV in your room while younger stays in living room? If not I’d just let the TV be on but have a parent trying to engage younger while it’s on. At that age mine had no interest in TV so it might be easy to just distract younger with it on in the background.

[Anonymous]

Or split one parent stays with the awake kid and the other parent puts a kid to bed. You keep saying “we” so someone else is there.

[Anonymous]

Kinda seems like your screen time rules for your 1 year old is pointless if they get everyday screen time by 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everybody gets books before bed. No more screen time for any except when sick or traveling. Simple.

And get the younger kid up earlier and run them around a lot so they're tired for a nap right after lunch, then ready to sleep at 7pm with the older one.

This is your correct answer.

[Anonymous]

I have 3 and when we had 2 that were close in age we did bedtime together. Once they can read it gets a lot easier too because the older ones like to get in bed and read before lights out. Also DH and I often divide and conquer.

[Anonymous]

The kids are all under 5 - you do their bedtime routine together: bath, books, bed. The older will go right to sleep. The younger two may need quiet play time in their rooms afterwards and that’s fine as long as they stay in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everybody gets books before bed. No more screen time for any except when sick or traveling. Simple.

And get the younger kid up earlier and run them around a lot so they're tired for a nap right after lunch, then ready to sleep at 7pm with the older one.

This is the solution OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kinda seems like your screen time rules for your 1 year old is pointless if they get everyday screen time by 3.

Huh?