Evening Routine with Multiple Children

Evening routines with multiple children can be stressful, especially if they have multiple activities and different bedtimes! The best tips I can share are be organized and stay consistent with your routine — children THRIVE on routines. 

First off, streamline where you can! When appropriate, have your children have the same bedtime. This will allow you to have them have the same schedule and routine. Dinner, bath and bedtime all the same!

If your child has NO afternoon activities, bath time does not have to be part of your bedtime routine. If it is too difficult to bathe them all before bedtime, bathe them anytime in the evening! 

Be organized! Prep dinner when you can, lay out pajamas and anything to help make your evening run smoothly. 

Have a routine and follow your routine! This will allow the expectations to be clear and your children will know what is expected of them! Have your children part of the evening routine, you can create a visual schedule for them or a visual list of chores. We have by our door a visual for Liam on the things he needs for each activity (baseball: bat, glove, cleats). This is also the first step to him being responsible and held accountable. 

Evenings When We Have Activities: 

Currently, Liam has an evening activity most days. On days when Liam is at school, he does not nap, when he comes home from school I encourage some sort of quiet time (TV, books, or quiet play) and give him a snack. During this time, I am organizing their backpacks and dinner. If Liam has any activity AFTER 530pm, we eat dinner BEFORE the activity. If he has an activity before 5:00pm, we eat dinner after the activity. 

Most of the time, my husband works late and Aiden is with us. Therefore, I keep a special backpack in the car with activities for Aiden to do (toy trucks, puzzles, books, coloring, blocks). 

After Liam’s activity, we get the boys home and they either have dinner or an after dinner snack. Depending on the time, we bathe, play and start our bedtime routine! Use this blog to help with bedtime routines,

If you’re struggling with fitting everything in. your day, reach out for a basic chat!