Learn how to manage your baby and toddler from dinner through bedtime. This Bedtime Routine is perfect for moms of a baby and toddler or an infant and toddler.
If you missed Part 1 of this series (morning through naptime daily routine) you can learn about our daily routine here.
Where we left off…
In Part 1: How to Manage a Baby & Toddler as a Stay-at-home-mom, we ended with both baby and toddler taking their afternoon naps.
Managing a baby and toddler from naptime wake-ups through bedtime is actually the new concept for Season 3 of Ultimate Beastmaster on Netflix 🙂
For real, though, when naptime actually happens, and both kids are able to sleep at the same time, it feels as though you can actually hear angels singing.
When naptime’s over though, the real fun begins.
For me, the bedtime routine really starts directly following afternoon naps.
Since there isn’t much time left until bed, the rest of the afternoon sets the tone for the end of the day.
The game plan is pretty simple:
- Tire out baby and toddler in fresh air
- Eat dinner
- Take a calming bath
- Read stories
- Go to bed
Below I’ll share the details for our bedtime routine (post-nap and on)
After Naptime
After my toddler wakes up from her nap there is generally a 30-minute-no-fly-zone-of-crankiness. Usually I just give her a snack and put on a show on PBS kids.
Once this toddler cranky-time passes, here’s what we’ll do:
- Take the dogs for a walk and put the girls in the double stroller
- Play outside after (sidewalk chalk, ride tricycle, do bubbles, play in playhouse, etc.) I’ll either wear my baby during this time or keep her moving in the stroller
- Or if the weather isn’t good we’ll just play inside (activity ideas, here)
Making Dinner
After outdoor playtime, I get the girls inside and make dinner!
Truth be told, babywearing while cooking is just not my favorite. Something about bouncing a baby while trying to chop veggies or deal with raw chicken is just not fun, you know?
- But if the baby is being fussy, I just put her in the Ergo and make it happen
- If she’s okay with playing on her own, I have foam padding on the floors that she can crawl around on and play with some soft toys
I recently started making busy bins for my toddler, and it’s been a game-changer for independent play. Of course, TV always works if needed.
More Screen-Free ways to entertain your toddler while you cook dinner:
- Put them in their high chair or booster seat to do playdough
- Favorite character (Daniel Tiger, Minnie Mouse, etc.) coloring/activity book that is kept hidden and only used for this sole purpose
- Refrigerator magnets (#oldschool)
- Set up a tea party with their favorite toys
- Prep busy bins for the week
Dinnertime Resources for Moms:
Bathtime with a Baby & Toddler
- Bathtime with an infant and toddler: put your infant in a portable bouncer seat you can bring into the bathroom with you while you bathe your toddler.
- Bathtime with a baby and toddler: I usually just bring both kids into our master bathroom and set up my toddler in the tub and just quickly bathe the baby while holding her. I’ve also just taken the baby in the shower with me! Whatever works!
- Sometimes the logistics feel tricky, and you can’t leave anyone unsupervised! My advice would be to bring everyone’s PJs into the bathroom with you, so you can change the baby while your toddler keeps playing in the tub.
- A pack-n-play in your bedroom can also go a long way in terms of having a safe place to set the baby down while you get your toddler out of the tub and dressed for bed.
Bedtime with a Baby & Toddler
- Spouse/Partner is Home: Everyone gets a kid! Mom does baby’s bedtime and dad does toddler’s. Easy.
- Flying Solo: I have tried (and failed) at many different versions of this. There is no perfect way to put a baby and toddler to bed at once. So give yourself some Grace with a capital G here. One child has obviously got to go to sleep first, and sometimes, there is no clear-cut answer as to who it should be.
Updating this post in 2026 and reflecting back (now many years later!)
My first toddler always needed a lot of one on one attention at bedtime and often made a fuss about her baby sister being present for her bedtime routine.
Looking back, I made it harder for myself by allowing there to be too many hoops to jump through.
Truthfully, the most helpful thing you can do is to decide on a routine and see it through.
If that means reading a bedtime story with your toddler while the baby sits on your lap, then that’s the routine. Normalize the baby being present for these transitions, as that’s often the reality.
After saying goodnight to my toddler, I would bring the monitor into the baby’s room while I nursed her for bedtime, so I could keep an eye on my toddler and make sure she stayed in bed.
That was a lot of advice, and I hope it was helpful to you! Feel free to DM me on Instagram anytime with questions!
What to Read Next:
- Top 10 Toddler Meal Prep Ideas
- My 3 Year Old’s Daily Routine
- What To Do With a Baby All Day
- My Stay at Home Mom Morning Routine
- Easy Toddler Breakfast Ideas
Follow Marla on Instagram for more everyday momlife
-
Spring Break Activity Guide$10.00 -
Morning Basket Startup Guide$10.00 -
The Preschool Playbook$55.00 -
Summer Survival Guide$10.00
The Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course
Learn exactly how to implement simple systems and routines to take your stay at home mom life from total chaos to calm, confident, and in control.
These tips are fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Maria! Hope you find them helpful! 🙂
It sounds like mine too. ? a 6 month old baby baby girl and a 4 year old Isaac. Getting Isaac ready for school and taking him to school along with the baby is more fun.
Oh man. I’ve been gearing myself up for preschool drop-off in the morning with baby & toddler. I think that’s an idea for a whole other post! Thanks so much for sharing!!
I am a single stay at home mom with a 2 year old daughter as well as a 3 month old daughter. My fiance got up picked up my immigration and is being detained so I jave zero help and I mean ZERO. No family to speak of and im also new to where I live so I dont know anyone really. I could really use some advice and thats why im writing this comment after reading multiple articles of yours and really related to them. So if this is ok will you please reach out to me?
Hey Justyne, thanks for commenting and reaching out. I’m sorry to hear about what you’re going through and I’m happy to help! Feel free to reply back with questions or you can always email me at becauseisaidsobaby@gmail.com
Thanks.. this is so helpful. I also have a 2 year old and 8 month old. My nanny who takes care of the for a couple of hours in the day is moving away, so it’ll be me flying solo all day. Not looking forward to it. Also, does anyone do any mommy and me classes with your toddlers? How do you occupy the baby while trying to do interactive classes with the toddler?
Hi Diana – glad to hear you found this post helpful! When I took my toddler to music class or storytime, I would always wear the baby in the Ergobaby wearer. She was content to stay in the wearer the whole time (and sometimes even fell asleep) and I could focus on my toddler. As my baby got a little older, I would rotate the wearer and wear her on my back so she could see over my shoulder. From the time my second baby could crawl to just before walking, I almost always had her in the Ergo when I was out with my toddler since it was just easier and safer for everyone. Hope this helps!
This is great if you have an independent toddler, but I cannot imagine my son playing on his own for so many different periods in the day. Currently he will throw a fit if I leave the room for a second and insists I am with him constantly! Did you feel this changed once the baby came? He will be 2 when baby is born (in a couple of weeks) and i am trying to wrap my brain around how this will actually work
Hi Ellie! My toddler also turned 2 right when her baby sister was born. If anything she became MORE clingy (understandably) after the baby was born. This routine took a lot of practice and, I’m not going to sugarcoat it, a lot of crying from everyone (me included) in general. But after a few weeks it eventually “stuck” and she began to look forward to that special quiet time, because she knew it would be just me and her reading books quietly together before bed. Some things that helped convince her to stay quietly in her room while I put the baby to bed: new quiet toys/books that she got to pick out on Amazon, HATCH Baby Rest Nightlight (can also find on Amazon) or linked in this post which you can program with certain colors, songs, and times. So for instance you could say “when the light is red you have to stay in your room, when it turns green you can come out” – etc.
I also used to have her “help” me put her baby sister to bed by reading stories, singing songs, zipping up her sleep sack, etc. and then she would take her baby doll and put her baby to bed in her room, so we were both putting our babies to bed at the same time. I had to get creative a lot, and sometimes had to adapt to whatever was working for her at the time. But I will tell you, as your son gets older it will get easier and he will get used to whatever routine you practice with him! I also highly recommend reading “Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings” by Dr. Laura Markham – life-changer for moms of two close in age!!