Anonymous wrote:I would put the 2 year old down before the 4 year old. That gives you time to connect/snuggle/big kid time with the 4 yo and the 2 year old can get enough sleep.

Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there is an option for a separate room, why would you do this to yourself?

He has his own room when he is ready for it. For now we've embraced co-sleeping and the bond it has built. I absolutely love waking up to his smile. This stage will be a memory before we know it.

Now it sounds like it is a problem. No need to run everyone's night if you don't have to.

It's the OP who has her kids in their own room and is the one complaining not the person who's posting about co-sleeping. Her evening isn't ruined her child is asleep by 7:45 with minimal fuss and they all seem to enjoy it per the PP. DCUM finds every and any opportunity even if it doesn't make sense to put down on co sleeping

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 5 year old son's evening routine:

Dinner around 5pm.

Play time till 630pm then time allowed to put away toys and get ready for bath. He also gets a melatonin gummy before his bath time.

Bath time starts around 645pm and lasts about 20 minutes. Time includes play time with bath toys.

After his bath I brush his teeth, hair, clean ears, and check nails for trimming. He gets his diaper on and night time lotion applied.

In the bedroom I have the blinds and curtains closed. A/C is lowered and the ceiling fan on. Lights are dimmed and tv is set for cartoons lowest volume setting. We co-sleep with our son so he sleeps in our king size bed. Before being tucked in he says his prayers, we read a short story, hugs and kisses. By this time melatonin has kicked in and he's out for the night. I keep a sippy cup of water on the nightstand for him just incase. He's usually a sleep by 745pm. We're free to enjoy the evening. On occasion if he's awake a little longer he will lay quietly until he's ready to sleep. He's not whiny and does not require us to lay with him. Some people may disagree with this routine and that's fine it works for us. He usually wakes up around 7am and will lay quietly if we're sleeping.

You give him melatonin just because?

Melatonin is all natural and has minimal side effects. My son has had zero issues taking it. I can change him before I go to sleep and he doesn't even flinch. I read up on it and asked his Pediatrician before starting him on it.

Melatonin is a powerful hormone and its effects on children are not well understood. Per: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know

Is melatonin safe for children?

In addition to issues mentioned above, there are some things to consider regarding melatonin’s safety in children.

Melatonin supplements appear to be safe for most children for short-term use, but there aren’t many studies on children and melatonin. Also, there’s little information on the long-term effects of melatonin use in children. Because melatonin is a hormone, it’s possible that melatonin supplements could affect hormonal development, including puberty, menstrual cycles, and overproduction of the hormone prolactin, but we don’t know for sure.

Possible melatonin supplement side effects reported in children have usually been mild and have included:

Drowsiness
Increased bedwetting or urination in the evening
Headache
Dizziness
Agitation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 5 year old son's evening routine:

Dinner around 5pm.

Play time till 630pm then time allowed to put away toys and get ready for bath. He also gets a melatonin gummy before his bath time.

Bath time starts around 645pm and lasts about 20 minutes. Time includes play time with bath toys.

After his bath I brush his teeth, hair, clean ears, and check nails for trimming. He gets his diaper on and night time lotion applied.

In the bedroom I have the blinds and curtains closed. A/C is lowered and the ceiling fan on. Lights are dimmed and tv is set for cartoons lowest volume setting. We co-sleep with our son so he sleeps in our king size bed. Before being tucked in he says his prayers, we read a short story, hugs and kisses. By this time melatonin has kicked in and he's out for the night. I keep a sippy cup of water on the nightstand for him just incase. He's usually a sleep by 745pm. We're free to enjoy the evening. On occasion if he's awake a little longer he will lay quietly until he's ready to sleep. He's not whiny and does not require us to lay with him. Some people may disagree with this routine and that's fine it works for us. He usually wakes up around 7am and will lay quietly if we're sleeping.

You give him melatonin just because?

Melatonin is all natural and has minimal side effects. My son has had zero issues taking it. I can change him before I go to sleep and he doesn't even flinch. I read up on it and asked his Pediatrician before starting him on it.

Is melatonin safe for children?

In addition to issues mentioned above, there are some things to consider regarding melatonin’s safety in children.

Melatonin supplements appear to be safe for most children for short-term use, but there aren’t many studies on children and melatonin. Also, there’s little information on the long-term effects of melatonin use in children. Because melatonin is a hormone, it’s possible that melatonin supplements could affect hormonal development, including puberty, menstrual cycles, and overproduction of the hormone prolactin, but we don’t know for sure.

Possible melatonin supplement side effects reported in children have usually been mild and have included:

Drowsiness
Increased bedwetting or urination in the evening
Headache
Dizziness
Agitation.

Anonymous wrote:I'd eliminate the "dad stays a while" from the bedtime routine. And, as others have said, move bedtime earlier.

Also, we had good results with making our child's bedroom a more "sleepy" place to be - that is, removing toys, electronics, TV, and most books and relocating them to living areas.

Anonymous wrote:I have a 2 and 4 year old who share a room. We have tried to set up their room so they can’t destroy much. Shelves up high that have their toys with a lot of pieces (puzzles) and most other toys in the closet with a child safety knob. We do our bedtime routine and are out of their room by 7:30. Before we leave the room they choose a toy or two from the closet. We also get a new rotation of books from the library every couple of weeks that they have access too.

We don’t care if they fall asleep. Only rule is they can’t leave the room. If they do we walk them back upstairs without really talking or making eye contact and leave them in the room. It’s not always easy but expectations are premeditated resentments, so I just don’t expect they fall asleep by a certain time.

Anonymous wrote:Lights out at 8pm is too late. The two year old needs to be going to bed no later than 7pm, the 4 yr old at 7:30. Shorten the bedtime routine. The process can't be too long.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there is an option for a separate room, why would you do this to yourself?

He has his own room when he is ready for it. For now we've embraced co-sleeping and the bond it has built. I absolutely love waking up to his smile. This stage will be a memory before we know it.

Now it sounds like it is a problem. No need to run everyone's night if you don't have to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there is an option for a separate room, why would you do this to yourself?

He has his own room when he is ready for it. For now we've embraced co-sleeping and the bond it has built. I absolutely love waking up to his smile. This stage will be a memory before we know it.