I must have been pregnant with Ethan and was visiting a friend who was putting her baby to bed. Her baby was a 4th child. He got 1 song, a kiss and went to bed. It was then I realized if we were having more kids, my bedtime routine with Brielle might not be sustainable. Our bed time routines have evolved and changed, so I wanted to document our current life as it is now.
When Preston is tired, he just wants to go to bed, so his routine has been easy to keep short. He has no desire for stories at nap or bedtime. After his quick shower I brush his teeth, get his pjs on. He then nurses, gets a short song, kisses and goes to bed.
For the big kids, after dinner they go through this routine (with supervision, because for some reason bed time=silly time) after dinner. This chart is new for this school year since Ethan is now also in school, but the routine is the same they've been doing for a long time. We do quick rinses every night and wash hair on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
When they finish we have family scriptures and prayer. If they have gotten ready quickly enough they have time to read before bed. When James is home he reads to the kids (they are currently working on Harry Potter.) 'Lights Out' time for Ethan is 7:15 and Brielle at 7:30. When I go in I sing their song and give kisses (each child as a short made-up song and kind of kisses). I then ask them their 1 down and 1 up for the day. Then they get to ask me 1 question about anything. I love hearing about their day and whats on their mind. Ethan always falls asleep immediately. Brielle always takes a long time.
