I’ve written a lot about sleep training here at Mommy Monologues. You can read the evolution of sleep or the lack thereof here: Sleep Training.
When I first had Lboy, I was a firm believer in the kiddos being in bed with us. Then as he got older & I grew wiser, we knew it was time for a change. That’s when we discovered Kim West’s book, Good Night, Sleep Tight, got some tips from family, got our entire family on a pretty set, yet flexible schedule, & the rest is history. Lboy slept in our room until he was 14 months old & once we had him in his bed, he slept 12 hours just about every night (excluding teething, nightmares, sickness, etc).
When O came along, I was determined to let her sleep with us the same way her brother did. But by the time she was 8 months old, I knew Todd & I weren’t going to be able to hang on another 6 months. Into her own bed she went. And oh sweet heavenly bliss! The child slept a full 12 hours & has just about every night since (excluding teething, she sleeps pretty well when she’s sick & we haven’t had to deal with too many nightmares.)
BUT, O has figured out how to crawl out of her crib. I.lie.to.you.not. I’m pretty sure her brother unknowingly taught her this lovely, new trick & she just had to give it a whirl. Last night was the first night that she figured out that after I put her in her bed she didn’t have to stay there for long. So back & forth I went with her climbing out of her bed, running to the living room, putting her back to bed, & back to the living room she went.
Finally, she came into the living room, screaming her head off I might add, crawled straight into Todd’s lap & started crying, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” and she’s looking at me with this expression on her face of sheer loathing (oh 16 is going to be so much fun.) He picks her up, takes her to her room, puts her in her bed, & less than 5 minutes later comes out & she’s sound asleep.
Ugh…
Congratulations Todd, you are now in charge of her bedtime every.single.night from here on out. Mwahahaha….
Bedtime is going to be so much fun (please note the sarcasm)Â now that we have to teach her the concept of staying in bed because mommy & daddy told her she’s not allowed to get up. Having a Daddy’s girl is going to be even worse. I’m a Daddy’s girl, I know these things.
She is no longer sleeping in a crib & is now in a regular size bed. I was hoping she would make it to 2.5 without needing to make that transition, that is apparently not going to happen. That’s how this kid thing works I guess & you just have to go with the flow. Bedtime is still set for a certain time, but teaching her to stay there just got real interesting…..
How does your family handle bedtime?
Oh my gosh, say it isn’t so!!! 🙁 I feel your pain and am so sorry but I think good old fashion advice is best here: just keep putting her back in. 100 times a night, every night, until she gets it. At least that’s what Super Nanny says to do! 🙂
Nolan, 2yrs9mos is still in his crib and isn’t what I would call a “climber” so, for now, we aren’t dealing with this. My advice to you might change should he try one day…
Hang in there and #letsparty about it soon! hugs
NotYourMamasMartha! (@MrsShavers) Most Recent Post…3/29 thru 4/4 #mealplanning during #springbreak and keeping it #glutenfree as much as possible! #parenting #cooking #motherhood
Yup, that’s what we do! Over & over again. Last night she came toddling in at 1:30….. it was so much fun….. lol
Bedtime at our house is a nightmare. Our daughter doesn’t sleep well so it’s always a challenge.
Leighann Most Recent Post…Giveaway Bin
That sucks! So sorry! Last night was…interesting. She’s no longer in the crib, so it’s so hard!