Bedtime with an Infant and a Toddle?????

ok first of all you will survive what seems like a crazy whirlwind I promise you. I have a three and a half year old and a 10 month old who share a room.
My first question is if you let your older child help you during the day? Let her feel involved and be a "happy helper" Have your son help you put the baby to bed so he gets to understand what is going on. Its very important for him to be involved. That should help you a little make it part of his routine with you. Routnes are very important.

Now your newborn I am gathering she is in a bassinet for now.. They usually eat every two to three hours about 28 to 32 ounce a day. If you havent done so invest in a bouncey infant seat one that vibrates and a swing use them they help sooth the infant while she is up for those few hours she is probably gassy and very irritable...This usually resolves by thre months of age. Remember the infant needs your most attention right now to thrive so you need to incorporate your sons routine around hers you will get the hang of it.......

I used a bouncy seat in the toddler room when I had one under 2 and a newborn.

I'd get them both in pj's, then would put baby in the bouncy and bounce him with my foot while I read books, etc. for my older boy.

Sometimes baby would sleep, sometimes he was awake, but the bouncing kept him quiet most of the time.

Then, once the older boy was asleep, I'd bring baby back downstairs with me and hold him till he was really asleep. Only my first baby would fall asleep quickly at that age, my second and third required a lot of holding and snuggling. It was usually close to 10 before they were really down for a few hours of sleep. Then I'd head straight to bed myself. :)

You'll manage. Once you get to 3 months, it gets easier I think.

J.

Why not just hold the baby while you put your son to bed? You said he loves to help, so he might enjoy sharing his bedtime routine with his little sister. When my husband isn't home to help with bedtime, I just take the baby along with me while I ready my 3 year old stories and tuck her in. If you're listening to a screaming baby, the bedtime routine isn't relaxing for you or your son.
At 5 weeks old, the baby still needs to be fed on demand. Babies stomachs aren't big enough to hold enough formula or breastmilk to sustain them through the night. And no, cereal doesn't help. If she's gassy it could be due to a couple of different things. She could be taking in too much air while feeding, eating too fast, or she could have a sensitivity to dairy. If you haven't already, I highly recommend trying Mylicon drops. They were a life saver for us!
You are all making BIG adjustment right now, so give yourself a little slack. It will all fall into place eventually. Although it may seem like it never will!

When I had my second baby my first daughter was just 2 and my hubby was gone doing some military training so this is what I did. I timed it out so that I bathed my infant at 7:00 then nursed her for a good 20 to 30 minutes while rocking her to sleep. I would then put her in her swing. While she was asleep in her swing I would get my 2 year old to bed. It work out great and then my infant would sleep in the swing until around 12 or 1 am. It was great! I had the whole night to relax. the swing really saved me...if I tried to put her in her crib she did what yours does and would just wake up. But when that happened I put her in her bouncy chair and brought that into the bathroom and bedroom while I was getting my 2 year old to bed. I know it's hard juggling two but you will get the hang of it.