I can’t access blogger – so I’m trying to blog by email.
To update on sleep – last night Alice squawked before 9pm and then again around 5am. I went in to check she was OK and try and calm her without words or taking her out of her cot, which worked until she realised that she wouldn’t be coming into my bed!
My biggest problem is that, despite being very tired, once woken it’s taking me hours to get back to sleep.
And tonight? 9.30 and all’s quiet (so far)! We had the conversation about sleeping, not crying and not coming into Mummy’s bed.
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1 comment:
Good luck with the sleep thing, Kate. I am learning that childhood patterns are defintely a bit of a roller coaster ride and they regularly shift - but nothing seems to last forever, so I am becoming a bit more relaxed about things like sleep patterns. It can be unnerving at first, though, because there's the worry that it could become 'the norm', but it sounds like you're handling it really well.
"A" hasn't ever been the best sleeper - processes her stuff at night; too busy living life in the daytime to deal with things. So she's just as active in her sleep as she is in the day.
We sometimes amend the rules about sleep. Lately she occasionally 'gets' to fall asleep in our bed as a bit of a 'treat' (at least that's what we call it and it seems to have the proper affect on her), and then we put her in her bed, and on transfer she is usually quite good about going straight back to sleep in her own bed!
We went through the exact phase you are experiencing now - having the 'speech' before bed, being firm --- and I think that works with kids like 'A' and Alice. Clear boundaries. But then, like all of us, they start to see the 'rut' and things shift for a while.
I bought one of those long pillows designed for back problems but I use it as a barrier between me and 'A' when it's important for her to sleep with us. It helps to keep her in place, rather than her making the bed a 'tumble dryer'! And it's the only way I can get some decent sleep with her - to have a bit of definition about sleep space. Otherwise, it's like being on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Disneyland)!
Might be something to think about on those occasions when Alice needs to be with you at night.
Looking forward to seeing you Saturday!
Ellen xxx
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