How does this . . .
. . . turn into this?
(I couldn't get this photo centered. Sorry!)
We have been trying to train our youngest to sleep in a "big boy bed" for many months now. I got the great idea to train him now since we will be needing the crib in a few months for our new little sweetheart. However, this turns out to be one of the worst ideas that I have had in a while. In the beginning it was hard to get him to stay in his bed at all so he usually ended up back in the crib anyway. We have finally moved up to only having to get him back in his bed a couple times before he stays there. It is so sweet to listen to this little boy put himself to sleep. He sings, he imagines little conversations with his cars or animals he is sleeping with, he even said a blessing on the food perfectly the other night (something he refuses to do without help at meal times!), and just generally talks to himself. Don't let that sweetness fool you! We are now facing the problem of getting him to stay in his own bed all night long. He is in love with his mommy right now and every time he wakes up in the night he comes to "sleep wis mommy." Being pregnant, very large and extremely exhausted I usually allow him to stay because it is so hard for me to carry him back to his bed (though I sometimes do--I am not a terrible parent) and Paul is either too tired to wake up enough or ignores the situation if it isn't directly affecting him (which is easier now that we have a kings size bed.) So we often get up in the morning feeling like we have been tortured on the rack with no energy for the day. I have sometimes laid down with him in his own bed and tried to get him to go back to sleep there but that is no better for me in the torture department (but Paul likes it because it spares him some agony--not that he ever makes me sleep in there : )!) Therefore, we are still at square one because to save our sanity we make him sleep in the crib for a few days after a few days of torture. We don't know when this will all be worth it. We have never struggled this much for this long to make any of the other kids stay in their beds. I hope that I survive. I have an even foggier brain than my normal prego brain and have absolutely zero motivation due to this small tikes antics. Of course he never seems to feel it. He wakes up bright and cheerful, smiling and talking and laughing and even singing! Do any of you have tips for me? Help!!!!!
How can such a sweet face be the cause of so much trouble and agony?!(Those of you who know him probably aren't surprised, huh?)
2 comments:
That's such a tough situation. My kids are pretty decent at staying in bed at night. It's naptime that drives me crazy. I tell them if I hear any noise coming from their room or if they're not in bed when I check on them I'll take away a toy (usually one of their favorites). When Tyler was learning to sleep in his big boy bed, we put a gate across his bedroom door to keep him in his room since he gets too scared with the door closed.
My advice is that if he can't get of his crib keep him in it and put the new babe in the playpen.
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