Sleep Is Its Own Reward...For SOME Of Us
If you have an infant, or child under the age of three--do not read on.
You so don't want to know that those sleepless nights may not end. And, you really don't want to know that it took until age 4.5 and my son STILL doesn't sleep through the night.
Yep, I said "still."
Since he came home from the hospital, Thomas has been up at least once a night nearly every night for 56 months.
When he was 14 months he slept through the night for the first time ever. I was so happy, I cried. I cried and cried, because 14 months without a single full night of sleep is torture. Torture!
I thought that was it. He was good now. He would sleep like Gracie sleeps.
Pipe dream people, pipe dream!
Clearly my body has gotten used to being awoke at some point through the night, and clearly he has had a night or two every few months where I can sleep all 8 hours, but enough is a enough.
I don't do bribery.
I want SLEEP! A WHOLE night of it people!!
You would think that the toddler bed would have helped. Nope.
Oh, but he got a big boy bed. NOPE!
Every night he comes in to our room at least once.
If I am lucid enough I send him back to his room, but he has woken me up, so my sleep is still broken. If I am out of it, I either instinctively pick him up and put him in bed, or he pushes me over and crawls in himself. This adds kicking and dead arms to the mix increasing the number of times I wake up at night, including carrying him back to his bed.
Garren's consistent solution is "close the door!" I can't do that. I wouldn't sleep for fear I couldn't hear my kids if they really needed me. Plus, he could fall down the stairs in the dark after he bounces off the now closed door.
Of course the wake ups don't usually affect daddy, because it is not just with infants that the dad doesn't wake up with "babies" cry or call or whimper, or moan, or sleepy "mama, I scared."
Back to the solution.
Bribery.
"Thomas you will get a sticker for every night you stay in your bed all night. When you get 5 stickers you get a treat."
3 of the 5 nights he came in the room, but I sent him back with a kiss and he did not get in the bed. I considered this a win.
Today he picked out his treat. I figured $5 was a good amount, and leave
it to Thomas to pick out 5 cars!
He gets cars, I get a continuous night of sleep. We all win!
***Update 10/23/13: since the reward chart Thomas isn't even coming in the room at all any more! It worked, it worked! Now, don't jinx it!! ***
You so don't want to know that those sleepless nights may not end. And, you really don't want to know that it took until age 4.5 and my son STILL doesn't sleep through the night.
Yep, I said "still."
Since he came home from the hospital, Thomas has been up at least once a night nearly every night for 56 months.
When he was 14 months he slept through the night for the first time ever. I was so happy, I cried. I cried and cried, because 14 months without a single full night of sleep is torture. Torture!
I thought that was it. He was good now. He would sleep like Gracie sleeps.
Pipe dream people, pipe dream!
Clearly my body has gotten used to being awoke at some point through the night, and clearly he has had a night or two every few months where I can sleep all 8 hours, but enough is a enough.
I don't do bribery.
I want SLEEP! A WHOLE night of it people!!
You would think that the toddler bed would have helped. Nope.
Oh, but he got a big boy bed. NOPE!
Every night he comes in to our room at least once.
If I am lucid enough I send him back to his room, but he has woken me up, so my sleep is still broken. If I am out of it, I either instinctively pick him up and put him in bed, or he pushes me over and crawls in himself. This adds kicking and dead arms to the mix increasing the number of times I wake up at night, including carrying him back to his bed.
Garren's consistent solution is "close the door!" I can't do that. I wouldn't sleep for fear I couldn't hear my kids if they really needed me. Plus, he could fall down the stairs in the dark after he bounces off the now closed door.
Of course the wake ups don't usually affect daddy, because it is not just with infants that the dad doesn't wake up with "babies" cry or call or whimper, or moan, or sleepy "mama, I scared."
Back to the solution.
Bribery."Thomas you will get a sticker for every night you stay in your bed all night. When you get 5 stickers you get a treat."
3 of the 5 nights he came in the room, but I sent him back with a kiss and he did not get in the bed. I considered this a win.
Today he picked out his treat. I figured $5 was a good amount, and leave
it to Thomas to pick out 5 cars!
He gets cars, I get a continuous night of sleep. We all win!
***Update 10/23/13: since the reward chart Thomas isn't even coming in the room at all any more! It worked, it worked! Now, don't jinx it!! ***
I feel your pain! Of course, I just let J sleep in my bed with me, and I get the sleep I need. Elliott sleeps across the hall while J sleeps with me in our king size bed. I must have sleep!
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