Photo courtesy of Eleni McMullin
Keep your evening activities relatively consistent
We established this routine when Harlow was a baby and have since implemented it with Arrow as well. We always eat dinner together as a family and shortly after have playtime where the kids run around together, either in their rooms or their playroom. Arrow absolutely loves playing with anything and everything of Harlow?s, and there are always some words of encouragement about the importance of sharing, but overall it has been so fun getting to watch them interact with one another.
I prepare them before their baths with a five-minute countdown, so that when it is time, they (particularly Harlow) are prepared for the transition to the tub. Once the kids are in the bath, I love to have music playing and the diffuser going so we can just spend time together as a family, singing, playing and just being together. Once bath time is over, we always do a massage with a lavender lotion, and then get into our pyjamas.  Harlow is very consistent with applying her essential oils (lavender with fractionated coconut oil) to the bottoms of her feet and on her wrists, and then snuggles in for a book and a song. Arrow, on the other hand, likes to crawl away and choose 12 books of his own (to throw everywhere, of course).
After reading, Arrow gets into his sleep sack and Harlow climbs into her bed, the VTech sound machines go on and I do not see them until the morning (other than when I check the monitors?mo...