Two months ago this is what an average bedtime went like at the Howells' household.
Snack, brushing teeth, stories, prayer, Seth in his crib and Jaedon in his bed, both made "snug as a bug in a rug", told our "I love you"s, closed the doors and that was that. Jaedon did get out of bed now and then but overall after we said "Goodnight. I love you" that was the last we heard from them until 8 the next morning.
Sounds nice huh?
Well, enter bunkbeds and the necessity of getting Seth into a "big boy bed" and our bedtime- altho strangely familiar to the above- does NOT end with the closing of the door any longer. I know that there will be the typical giggles and talking - but for 2 HOURS?!!! I'm frustrated! They get less sleep and we have to keep going into their room - ya know- threatening the cancellation of all major holidays and seriously considering duct taping....something....or someONE!
We never really slept WITH our kids and tried to get them to fall asleep on their own from when they were little- all well and good except now they don't know HOW to sleep with someone else!
So- I need some suggestions (again!). Any ideas?
4 comments:
I remember those days.
I'll have to do them again in about a year & a half, which I'm not looking forward to. I literally took a book/magazine & sat in the doorway of their bedroom & read for however long it took. What ended up happening was they knew I was there & would get upset if I heard them talking or making noises. They would get so bored from waiting for me to go away, that they fell asleep. Eventually the time that sleep fell upon them came quickly. They eventually got the picture.
I remember.....
The younger child always had to go to bed first, like 30 min even, and usually was asleep by the time the older one got to bed. (sorry Jen) I would read Becky her story out on the couch and explain she was older so she got to stay up a little longer. When she went to bed and if she made any noises, then she would have to go to bed first the next night. Pretty soon, they both were learning how to sleep with someone else in the room!
two words- GLOW STICKS! My kiddos are fascinated by these, and we use this method both at home, as well as camping, grandma's house, etc. I buy packs of them from the dollar store or michaels. Each night, the kids each get to pick a glow stick to have with them to sleep. I activate them last thing before turning out the light. If Jeff or I have to go back in the room, they get one warning. The 2nd time we go in, we get to confiscate the glow stick of the offending child. Somehow, this has worked extremely well for us for over a year! Might be worth a try :-)
different perspecitive...I have great memories of the years my sis and i shared a room, bed, stories, giggles, monsters etc. I was shocked when I got married and my husband just went to sleep at bed time with no chatting etc. We were great pals.
As for our kids ... cd/tape stories work great...also sitting and rubbing one back in the dark while telling a story until they are groggy ...with our busy days this gives a little snuggle time and is a fun way to share Bible stories.
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