Getting a Toddler to Sleep
It seems really cute when someone puts a comment on a new baby post that says, "here come the sleepless nights". But then, the sleepless nights really do come. And what they don't tell you, is that they don't ever stop! I only have two kids, so I can't imagine people that have more than that ever get any sleep.
Why am I not sleeping? Well, the first is just the random factor. Odds are, at least once or twice a week, each child will be up in the early am (5am or so) and not be able to get back to sleep. Or they will have a nightmare or hear a noise and come snuggle with mom and dad. This part I don't mind as much.
Why else am I not sleeping? Because my toddler is trying to drive me insane with sleep deprivation! When we first moved to our new house, I was so proud of how well he slept, because he's always been a bit of a difficult sleeper. Well, that was a mistake - the pride. Somehow, he's gotten it in his head that bedtime is now 11:00pm. Nothing we do or say helps.
We've tried continuously putting him to bed starting at 9:30pm, but we usually give up after an hour and a half (at which point he would have been asleep anyway using our current method of "nothing"). We've tried bribery, we've tried nightlights that turn colors when it's okay to get up. I even purchased a book that's essentially trying to hypnotize children into bed (of course, my good sleeper fell in love with the book and asks for it every night, go figure).
It seemed so easy with my oldest child. He would actually ask to take a nap when he was 2 or 3. Although he is giving up his naps now, which makes it even harder because I can't catch up on my sleep with a nap when the toddler naps.
Oh, I didn't mention that the toddler has absolutely no problem napping (usually, crossing fingers)? It's just between the hours of 9-11pm that he refuses to sleep...
So, we finally ordered some melatonin. Hopefully, a little drug therapy and some desperate prayers will eventually solve this situation. Because Mommy need sleep!
Oh, and just FYI, if I look like a zombie right now, that's because I feel like one. And I've been having some really weird dreams, like a place that sells honey butter chicken and biscuits called Bah Bar Shop. Don't ask me where my brain comes up with these things. I'm pretty sure I'll just be hallucinating constantly in a couple weeks.
Why am I not sleeping? Well, the first is just the random factor. Odds are, at least once or twice a week, each child will be up in the early am (5am or so) and not be able to get back to sleep. Or they will have a nightmare or hear a noise and come snuggle with mom and dad. This part I don't mind as much.
Why else am I not sleeping? Because my toddler is trying to drive me insane with sleep deprivation! When we first moved to our new house, I was so proud of how well he slept, because he's always been a bit of a difficult sleeper. Well, that was a mistake - the pride. Somehow, he's gotten it in his head that bedtime is now 11:00pm. Nothing we do or say helps.
We've tried continuously putting him to bed starting at 9:30pm, but we usually give up after an hour and a half (at which point he would have been asleep anyway using our current method of "nothing"). We've tried bribery, we've tried nightlights that turn colors when it's okay to get up. I even purchased a book that's essentially trying to hypnotize children into bed (of course, my good sleeper fell in love with the book and asks for it every night, go figure).
It seemed so easy with my oldest child. He would actually ask to take a nap when he was 2 or 3. Although he is giving up his naps now, which makes it even harder because I can't catch up on my sleep with a nap when the toddler naps.
Oh, I didn't mention that the toddler has absolutely no problem napping (usually, crossing fingers)? It's just between the hours of 9-11pm that he refuses to sleep...
So, we finally ordered some melatonin. Hopefully, a little drug therapy and some desperate prayers will eventually solve this situation. Because Mommy need sleep!
Oh, and just FYI, if I look like a zombie right now, that's because I feel like one. And I've been having some really weird dreams, like a place that sells honey butter chicken and biscuits called Bah Bar Shop. Don't ask me where my brain comes up with these things. I'm pretty sure I'll just be hallucinating constantly in a couple weeks.
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