Okay, so heres a rough update on our family. A couple weeks ago, our perfect little sleeper Seth, out of the yackity old blue decided one day to boycott the crib. Thinking it was a faze he'd grow out of or cry himself to sleep out of for a few days, I tolerated it. But soon The great Battle of Bedtime left him hoarse from screaming and then eventually two loud bonks to the floor. In other words the kid would get so mad he'd climb right out of the cage we call a crib and somehow manage not to break his neck on the way down. So I decided we would make THE SWITCH. We got a toddler bed and decked it all out with some totally awesome lightning McQueen sheets and pillowcase which he loved....during the day (see pics). And then night came and suddenly his sheets are not so cool when he cant see them in the dark, and then his wee little head figures out he can easily escape this new bed and nothing will stop him from frolicking in and out of his room at his own pleasuring delight. One night we drop him in his crib and without a sound he's asleep, the next night we spend 2 hours taking him back to his bed, telling him to lie down, and thinking if I see that little head pop around that corner again Im going to reasemble that crib myself, turn it upside down, stick him in it and show him what a cage really looks like (I kid, I kid). Once he finally does fall asleep (which by the way doesnt happen unless we are within arms reach of him now) then every 2-3 hours, until 4:00am, at which point the time increases to every hour, he wakes up, grabs his blankets and heads for our bedroom.
Now I know what you moms out there are thinking..."I remember those days" or "yes, we all go through this", or maybe your just laughing at my misfortune like my loving sister did. Okay, thats fine and all, I have come to a realization that this is one of those things about parent-hood that no one tells you about that makes you want to bang your head against a wall. But do they ever stay in their bed? Will we ever put him down again not to see him till morning? If so...HOW DID YOU DO IT? All comments and suggestions will be thoroughly sifted through and taken into high consideration. Thanks!
8 comments:
You may not like this but we finally got Brenon to stay in his bed when we put his brother in the room with him!! But things that helped before that was a night light, reading a couple books and sometimes me sleeping on the floor next to him. Good luck!! (Also may want to cut back on the naps too that helped)
Good luck with this. Myka is now
4 1/2 and still gets out of bed everynight. I used to take her back to her bed as well, but nowadays, she'll climb in on Shaun's side and sleep. Sometimes I won't even know she is there until I wake up. So, for me, it looks like this will go on until she moves out. Kassidi on the other hand is still in a crib and I hope to keep it that way for some time.
I am dreading the day when Maia decides she doesn't want to sleep in her crib anymore!! She is a pretty stubborn little thing, so when she decides something, there is no changing her mind....for instance the high chair--she absolutely REFUSED to sit in it anymore, so I finally bought her a booster seat and now she is fine because she can sit at the table like a big girl. Crazy kid. So I know that none of this helps your situation, but let me know how it goes....I'm afraid that I will be going through the same thing soon and I'll be needing your advice!!
Morgan struggled going to bed when she was younger-she hated her crib. She crawled out of the crib several times when she was 9 months old. Still boggles my mind. We then bought one of those crib tents (they hook onto the crib and you have to unzip it to get the kid out.) It worked great-other than the fact she hated it. But we couldn't get her a toddler bed until she was a little bit older. Once we did get the toddler bed, she still would cry and throw a major tantrum. We would put her in bed, then quickly get out and shut the door. She fell asleep many times on the floor from crying. Cameron then finally figured it out-she wanted the door open. She hated being enclosed (I am sure the crib tent thing didn't help!) and since then she goes straight to bed and falls asleep-even when we are doing things in here. She doesn't get out of her bed either. Anyways-good luck with it! I have heard that you don't say anything to him at night, lie him back down and leave. Continue to do this until he stops. Let me know what works for future references!
Now, this is just what has worked for us so you can take it with a grain of salt. We have always had a door that locks from the outside. The first few nights they may scream at the fact that they can't get out of the room but before long they just stay in bed and go to sleep because they know that mom and dad aren't coming for them. As long as they're fed and safe, letting them cry isn't going to hurt him at all. We have done this with all our boys and now I don't even have to lock the door because they just stay in their beds. Do you think I am the worst parent in the world now?! Hope not! Dr. Phil is the one I got the idea from and its worked for us.
Let me also clarify. We just made it so he couldn't get out of the room. You don't need a special door or lock. You can even get those magic doorknob covers and put one on the inside knob in his room. Just a suggestion.
I really have no idea, but I have been reading peoples comments and I am having a tough life because I can't do the cry it out method. I have seen where people put a gate in front of the kids door instead of shutting it. Let me know what works. (besides crying it out.)
Hey guys, haven't been on your blog forever! Sorry to hear about this hard time. We put Braylei in a bed right after her first birthday and she actually loved it.Sometimes she would beg us to go to bed. She still to this day has never gotten down from her bed until we have gone in and gotten her. I'm not exactly sure why but we do sing songs, read stories and then turn on church music for her to listen to. The music seems to have really helped her. Good luck with everything! We love and miss you guys tons!!!!
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