Solo bedtime with three kids is basically a full-contact sport. There’s the “just one more story” marathon, the 17 trips to the bathroom, and the “I’m thirsty!” chorus that could make angels cry. But fear not—you can survive, thrive, and maybe even sneak a sip of wine while you tuck them in. My spouse travels a lot for work, so these lessons were ones I learned quickly and the hard way mostly. Here are 5 hacks for surviving solo bedtime with three tiny humans.
1. Establish a Routine… and Pretend You’re Strict
Turns out, that kids actually like knowing what comes next. Bath, teeth, pajamas, story, lights out. Repeat until brain melts. Stick to it like a drill sergeant, even if you secretly want to nap in their closet. I was surprised that this chore chart helped them remember what needed to happen and made bedtime and morning routines a little less draining.
Mom Hack — try a chore chart like this for repetitive routines because a visual chart makes your tiny dictators feel like they have control.
2. Give Them a “One-Time Pass”
Let’s be real: some requests are unavoidable. Enter the “one-time pass.” Once per month (or whatever makes sense for you) let them have a special sleepover. This could be with a sibling, or on a nap mat or fort in your room. We use this as an incentive to get to bed faster during the weeknights with their usual routine.
Mom Hack – these nap mats are great for tucking under your bed for their cheat day, and can double as daycare nap mats the rest of the month.
3. Bed Placement Is a Strategic Move
For all three kids, we started with the baby in the room with us, then progressively moved them to their own room once we broke everything by putting them in a toddler bed (eek) so they didn’t wake up their siblings. Then once they were old enough to navigate stairs and most likely not come down in the middle of the night, we put the two oldest (3 and 6 years old) in the same room. That was a game changer – one bedtime war zone, one place to collect endless laundry and cups from, and one bath area to cut the bedtime routine in half by doubling up. Usually, when I’m flying solo, the baby is in her bouncer out of splashing range, very overstimulated by her siblings by the time bedtime comes. I put the two oldest to bed while bouncing the bouncer with my foot and enlisting the help of older siblings to put the paci back in. Eventually, we switched the baby’s bedtime to be first but during the newborn phase, she was our passenger princess for the big kids’ nightly routine.
Mom Hack – this bouncer is a lifesaver for multi-tasking and soothing an infant, while keeping them out of firing range of their siblings. Just be prepared to remind your toddler that it is not, in fact, a catapult. For colicky nights (and days) and if you ever want to use your hands, this structured carrier and this soft carrier are my favorites.
4. Bribe Them With Calming Tools
White noise, soft music, or a weighted blanket = bedtime cheat codes. They signal “chill the heck out,” which is especially handy when you’ve already collapsed on the floor pretending to read. Our oldest still use white noise every night to wind down, and reading at least one book signals to them that the routine is coming to a close, though they will most definitely ask for two more. For the baby, a calming tool might be you – wearing the baby for particularly fussy nights is one way to get through bathtime, but not my favorite.
Mom Hack – use a smart speaker like this one in their room for easy on / off white noise (e.g. “hey Google, play white noise”) and you’ll also have a speaker for impromptu dance parties when everyone is losing it.
5. Reward Yourself
Bedtime is a victory—for them and for you, especially when you’re flying solo. Once everyone is asleep, the lunches are packed, even the dog is taken care of, I like to watch a show that my spouse definitely wouldn’t want to watch with me, put on my full-back heating pad, and have a cup of tea while giving myself an imaginary pat on the back for surviving another day as the managing director of our chaos.
Mom Hack – This is the best heating pad I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many). It does wonders on upper back tension from schlepping around a baby carrier all day. This massager is also a winner for the most stubborn of shoulder knots. And if, like me, you forgot to use any healthcare FSA benefits until December 29th, these are FSA eligible! Merry Christmas to you.
Mom of 3 Hacks 