Up until about 6 months ago I would have said that Anna was a very good sleeper. From fairly early on we had no trouble getting her to go to bed. Naptimes were typically a breeze, and much needed. I remember days when she would say to me "time for a nap". We would simply tuck her in, say goodnight and she would play for maybe 15 mins and then go to sleep on her own.
My how things have changed! Naptime, bedtime and mornings are battle after battle after battle. Often at naps Anna will play in her room for an hour and a half - coming out several times or yelling several times, before finally going to sleep. Then, at bedtime every excuse in the book comes out as she parades out of her room again and again - often for nearly 2 hours. And while always an early riser, she has gone back to the days of pre-6am wakings (sometimes before 5:30am) which results in another battle to keep her in her room resting, or resting still in our room until at least 6:30. Let's just say it is not a pleasant way to start and end the day, and with yet another rough patch in the middle.
I can honestly say that we have tried nearly everything we can think of. We have offered rewards, we have issued consequences - some small, some big. We have taken away animals, or anything that is of interest to her that day. In desperate times, we have put a child lock on her door until she falls asleep. We have put together a very consistent bedtime routine. We have pushed her bedtime back, we have moved her bedtime earlier. We have left her door ajar. Nothing seems to make a difference.
At our wits end with the battles and the near non-existent alone time that Steve and I share, we have decided to try something new. Today we changed Anna's naptime to "quiet time". She was allowed to pick out some toys to bring into her room and her alarm clock was set. Her rules are that she may play quietly, read, or sleep if she wants - the choice is hers. When her alarm goes off, she can come out. Our hope is that by removing her naptime, her bedtime will not only go a little more smoothly - but perhaps her nighttime sleep will extend from a mere 9 hrs to the 11-13 that are recommended for her age.
We'll see. So far "quiet time" hasn't been so quiet. But if we can eliminate even 1 of the 3 battles I will consider this a success. :) Anyone else been through this? Have any other tricks you can offer up?
1 comment:
We had the exact same problems Christa. We ended up changing nap time to "rest time" and, it took awhile, but it's much better now. We also tell him we'll leave the door open only if he stays in bed. Once he's out it gets shut and that has seemed to help too. Now he still naps about 80% of the time and on nights where he doesn't nap he goes to bed very easily. I hope it works for you guys!!
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