We go through the whole bedtime ritual every night but Charlie will not stay in his bed. An hour and a half or two hours later, we're still escorting him back to his bed. We gave in, in the beginning, because I was concerned about him getting enough sleep but I soon realized that's what he's wanting. We've tried everything we can think of...no success. We are at a loss. Any suggestions?
I did catch a cute picture though on one of the nights we gave in...
2 comments:
Hey! Getting caught up on your blog, I rarely update mine and I forget to check other's. Anyway, we went through the bedtime drama with the girls. They have a gate at their door and it works wonders even when they sometimes fall asleep next to it begging to get out. They're at the age where they will seek out what they can take control of. Don't let it become bedtime. If he gets up once, he's warned. Twice, he's in trouble, whatever result you use. And if he's like our girls and gets up even after his little bottom is popped, well, that's when they simply fuss themselves to sleep. This all went on for several months, especially with Kate. They need a drink, a toy, a doll, etc. Kate would even take off her jammies AND pullup and stand there stark naked fussing at the gate knowing we would have to come to her because she didn't have clothes on. We would dress her, put her back to bed, all the while not saying a word or drawing attention to what she did. It's VERY frustrating because sometimes we'd find her naked a second time, but again they're trying everything to find something to control. Just be consistent and put him back to bed every time. He'll get the hint that the only place to be is his bed. Don't worry that he's too tired. Get him up just as early next morning and eventually he'll want to sleep once in bed. You'll just have to deal with a fussy, tired kiddo for a couple days. The girls are very good with bedtime and naptime. Sometimes they'll pull a stunt but its straight back to bed with no attention paid to their dramatic requests. We do have a routine too, jammies, teeth, cup of water, kisses goodnight, get favorite toy to sleep with. They know its bed time after that. Hope this helps, sorry I wrote so much! By the way, good luck with potty training! We're currently at a stand still, they refuse to use it regularly. I'm using a potty chart I made with construction paper. If they potty they get a sticker, at the end of the week they pick out a new toy or book as a reward. It works, just not the past week. I hate potty training!
Good advice from Susan. After having three children I can honestly say that they handled this stage differently. I do think with consistancy and a lack of drama/reward for this trick you will eventually have success.
Later when they are mostly through this stage and only come to your room after a bad dream (or similar) I suggest having a crib mattress under your bed that you can just pull out in the middle of the night. This allows you to have them near you, but not in your bed. (Because sometimes they will get into the habit of climbing into bed with you and wrecking havoc with your sleep.)
Hang in there. This transition time is so physically and mentally intense.
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