At Bedtime He Turns Into a Wild Child
I’ve had trouble getting my youngest to go to bed lately. Either I lie with him or deal with him jumping in and out of bed. My solution sometimes, because it’s the fastest, is to just let him crash out on the couch. He will actually calm down and go to sleep this way which may be the easy way out for mom, but I don’t think it’s the best for him in learning to get himself to sleep in his own bed.
According to some research I did online, Practical Parenting, just one of the website stops I made, says I should do the things like
1. Take him right back to his bed.
2. Use a reward chart.
3. Remain consistent.
Not bad ideas. I’ve done the reward chart and put him right back to bed, but you know my little boy will just keep on fighting. I probably could use to stick with my guns more, but for goodness sakes, I hate battling with my child until 10 o’ clock at night.
Then I keep reading and see that I shouldn’t do things like this and I had a good chuckle. (Scroll down to the section that lists the “Keeps Getting Up” problem.)
I don’t know. Until the Super Nanny comes to my house and fixes this problem (my 5 year old goes to sleep like a little angel, so I’m not totally dysfunctional!), what’s a mama to do?
In all seriousness though…How do those of you with riley youngsters get them to go to bed and stay there?
According to some research I did online, Practical Parenting, just one of the website stops I made, says I should do the things like
1. Take him right back to his bed.
2. Use a reward chart.
3. Remain consistent.
Not bad ideas. I’ve done the reward chart and put him right back to bed, but you know my little boy will just keep on fighting. I probably could use to stick with my guns more, but for goodness sakes, I hate battling with my child until 10 o’ clock at night.
Then I keep reading and see that I shouldn’t do things like this and I had a good chuckle. (Scroll down to the section that lists the “Keeps Getting Up” problem.)
I don’t know. Until the Super Nanny comes to my house and fixes this problem (my 5 year old goes to sleep like a little angel, so I’m not totally dysfunctional!), what’s a mama to do?
In all seriousness though…How do those of you with riley youngsters get them to go to bed and stay there?
posted by Alice at 8:37 AM
NEW! 
6 Comments:
Alice I interviewed Elizabeth Pantley on my show once, she wrote The No Cry Sleep Solution. She suggested giving the child a "get out of bed free" ticket or two. Once those are used up, that's it.
Or you could let them cash in one ticket for a goodie in the morning.
There's also a "bedtime fairy" creature who drops little presents every morning in front of the rooms of children who stay in bed.
Her book might be worth checking into. I could also send you the link to the interview if you want to listen.
:)
oops my son was logged into google checking his email. This is Carrie Lauth :)
I figured it was you. Thanks for the tips. We're working on it, surely but surely.
On the surface, the "fairy" thing put me off because I hate the bribes and they don't usually work. But I think there is some mystery and excitement in a fairy...maybe something to try.
The ticket sounds like a good idea. I'm not keen on the fairy thing either since I think they should go to bed and not necessarily be rewarded for it.
My 4 year old is doing this too. Tonight he seems okay... his sister usually reads in bed so after I read to him I said he could choose a special big boy book to read all by himself.
That seemed to work... so far so good.
I'm not big on rewards for an ongoing behavior issue... like for instance using manners at the table. But I think they can be helpful for a very short term thing that will get a child off a "hump". Then once the behavior improves, you stop the reward. And I think she's talking like teensy little gifts like a quarter or a dollar store trinket, nothing huge.
We had the WORST time with our daughter -getting her to sleep, stay asleep, stay in her own bed. We made the "mistake" of letting her sleep with us. But, then when we moved to our house, suddenly she has her big girl bed (same bed, new room) and everything was fine.
Then our son, started sleeping like a champ -we hardly ever had to fight with him to get him to sleep, but we did have our moments lol.
We were recently given a trundle bed for the kids (we also have a set of bunk beds in what was to be our daughter's room, but she doesn't want to sleep downstairs -she'd rather share with her brother for now -at 6 and 2 1/2, it's not a big deal). They LOVE having the "secret bed".
But, lately he's had this thing about wanting to sleep on the living room floor lol. I think it's because it's cooler downstairs. He's been falling asleep earlier than he used to, and sleeps through the night. Before he started sleeping through the night, there were a couple mornings I woke up to find him asleep in the hallway outside our room.
I just pick him up and put him back in bed... and he's fine.
I think, for the most part, consistency, like most parenting issues, is the key. I never could do the "cry it out" method with either of them, but they are now doing fine, well adjusted kids :)
Now, if I can just sleep through the night myself, we'll have it all taken care of...
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