Make bedtime with your baby and toddler easier when single

Caring for two children can be demanding at the best of times. Caring for a baby and a toddler – while flying solo – can be even more demanding, especially at bedtime!

Here are some strategies that may help you cope:

Invest in a baby bouncy chair or baby carrier

If your baby isn’t overtired you can drag a bouncy chair into the bathroom and let him watch you as you bath his elder sibling and get him ready for bedtime. Alternatively, you can put your baby in a baby wrap or carrier as you go about sorting your toddler. With you baby in a carrier you’ll have your baby close to you, but your hands free.

Be flexible about screen time

If you need to deal with the baby but want to be sure your toddler is safe and occupied, we’re not judging if you lean on the TV nanny and let him watch some TV, or a movie, for 30 minutes. If you’re in another room, you can even set up your phone or a laptop near you with a programme so that you can still keep an eye on him.

Try sleep training methods

The thing about second babies is that getting them to sleep on their own happens much quicker if you start some kind of sleep training from early on. I know I trained my son to fall asleep in his cot when he started getting drowsy, instead of staying with him until he fell asleep, from early on. We started by putting him down and not picking him up when he cried – just reassuring him by rubbing his tummy and his head, before retreating from the room. There was just no way I could rock and shush him to sleep while I had his elder sister clinging to me and demanding attention. I needed him to go down on his own, in a safe place. And somehow, he got used to the idea that it was night time when I closed the curtains and put on the night lamp.

Tell them stories

When your hands are full with a newborn, picking up a book to read to your toddler may not be realistic, especially if you’re alone. Instead, why not tell one. You can make up a story about almost anything, even about the time when he was a baby, just like his new sibling. Toddlers love hearing stories about what they did as babies. You could even narrate what you are doing with the baby and compare it with what you did when they were small.

Don’t be too proud to ask for help

Sometimes, admitting you need help is tough but it’s also important when you’re juggling a baby and a toddler at the same time. Say yes if a neighbour or family friend offers to watch your toddler while you bath the baby. Or, have a sitter watch the baby, while you spend some quality time with your toddler. Having opportunities where you can spend one-on-one time together is so important.