Times change and with children, those changes can come quickly. Or, they can sneak up on you and suddenly you realized you're stuck in a pattern you would have never voluntarily entered into, but now that you're there, you're going to have to figure a way out. Right now for us, it's sleeping routines.
Way back, our children slept for twelve hours straight, plus a nap. And we found that nice. As they got older, they slept a little less and they napped a little less. Not too long ago, we moved bedtime from 7:30PM to 8:00PM because they were waking up too early.
Most recently, we decided to make an additional change as needed: the removal of naps. And no, we don't want to do this. That bit of time in the middle of the day where you, as a parent, get a break, is nice. Our children aren't old enough to play unattended for stretches of time yet so they need to be watched or supervised and for an adult, that ends up being tiring mentally or physically or possibly both.
Toddlers need to be re-focused and kept on track all the time. They need reminders of what they can and can't do and they need firm implementation of those expectations. And that can make an adult weary.
So losing the nap (for most days at least) wasn't our ideal solution. But we were running into another annoying problem at both bedtime and in the morning. When they would go to bed they would take longer to get settled. Sometimes, we'd need to sit in the room as an "enforcer" for a half-hour or longer until they fell asleep. It wasn't a hard job because they understand they have to stay in their beds while we're in the room. But it's not a good use of our time when we have lots of other things to do. And it's no fun.
Then, we developed a morning problem. They'd be going to sleep later, sometimes not falling asleep until nine o'clock even, but they'd be waking up at six o'clock, messing up their pants, possibly trying to clean themselves up and in the process, making an even bigger mess in the bathroom. Or they'd be awake and noisy and generally kept us from getting that hour of sleep we'd like to have before our morning starts at seven o'clock. So we made a change.
We thought, "fine, if you're not going to sleep at night, you can forget the nap so you'll be extra tired when it's bed time." Tonight was a test, and I have to thank my husband for wearing them out all day long. He is tired, I know he is because I've done that job before. I had school obligations from drop-off this morning until after six o'clock tonight so I was of little use. He kept them awake and wore them out all afternoon and evening.
At just before eight o'clock, my daughter got up, came over to me and wanted to be picked up. The television was on with a show they like so they could watch while I cleaned up. For her to get up and ask to go to bed when a show is on meant she was very tired. She went straight to sleep, not a sound, not a complaint, right away.
Then my son went up, just after eight o'clock and while he initially (for the first minute) said he didn't want to go to bed, he truly did. He lay down, closed his eyes and I walked out of the room. It's the first time in a long time that I remember where one of us didn't have to sit with them for a period of time.
I wonder if they'll sleep until our expected wake up time in the morning...
The Big Boy Update: We went to eat sushi the other night. My son and daughter got a kids meal that was more "tame" than sushi. But my son, unlike his normal self, wanted to try all sorts of things. He wanted to try sushi, raw fish, ginger, salad, soup and other things I can't remember. I was really pleased he wanted to try new things. I hope the trend continues.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Jump and dance. She likes to jump on the bed and dance when music is on. And giggle. She loves to giggle.
Fitness Update: Circuit work with up to five of us at once at the gym this morning. Our trainer was out to get us but because he laughs as he picks on us it makes it all fun, despite the pain.
No comments:
Post a Comment