That's right, I'm thankful again! I feel guilty that I let Thursdays fall by the wayside. Today I am especially grateful for:
Dr. Weissbluth and his awesome book
Some of you may have lately noticed me complaining about Kate's newly initiated Anti-Sleep Movement, or wandering around in a zombie-like state with dark shadows under my eyes, or napping rather than blogging. That sort of thing. The past couple of months (yep months) my perfect sleeper suddenly mutinied and decided it would be cool to stay up as late as physically possible (even if she's the ONLY ONE awake in the house) and, even better, refuse to take a nap during the day. (This one's absolutely unacceptable. I need a break!) It all came out of nowhere and I was stumped. Then one night I found this book in my room and desperately read it until nearly 1 a.m. WHO KNEW they had a whole chapter devoted to TODDLERS? Apparently this late late late show thing is really common for a 2 1/2-year-old! (seasoned mothers: insert snickers and eye-rolling here)
But the big surprise: the answer was not what I thought it was. In fact, one of the suggestions in the book that I thought was most ridiculous ended up being my golden ticket. He suggested writing a list of rules for bedtime, posting them on the wall, and every night she follows them, she puts a sticker on her chart in the morning. So simple. I thought this would not at all appeal to a 2-year-old. But one night during our pre-bed pep rally (the part where I try to convince her that going to bed is in fact a good idea) I found my bag of tricks empty, so I whipped out the rules. I listed them off for her, and she ate them up! Even weirder: I did not bribe her at first. The kid just inexplicably loves "rules." I didn't even realize that was the solution until the next morning. The first words out of her mouth were, "I sleep with the rules!" I said, "What? You slept with a rose?" I could not figure it out until she started listing off some of the rules to me. I was like, "You're kidding! You REMEMBER those? And you followed them ON PURPOSE?" So I quickly made up an official list (which she loves) and a sticker chart (which I always thought were kinda cheesy. Not anymore!) Final report? For the past three days she has taken a nap right away without a problem, and bedtime... well it's not as smooth as naps but definitely improving. HALLELUJAH!!!
THE RULES:1. Stay in bed
2. Close your eyes
3. Stay quiet
4. Go to sleep
2. Close your eyes
3. Stay quiet
4. Go to sleep
THAT'S IT!!!
Now to catch up on my sleep...
OTHER ITEMS OF THANKFUL WORTHINESS:
Cereal - last night I had 3 bowls
American Idol - I need a little down time
Did I mention NAPS?
9 AM church!!!!! I never thought I would say that. I will gladly wake up at 6:30 for this.
Brooklyn's toes
Kate's saucy attitude
12 sweet nothings:
yes, I got a good laugh at the remaining Christmas header ...
glad to see you found relief for the sleep struggles ... good books on the subject are worth their weight in GOLD.
is it still freezing over there?
I will have to refer to that same book again I am sure. Maggie is FINALLY a good sleeper, but I'm sure she rebel at the same age...especially when we have this second one! I love the rules idea. I also had to comment that I LOVE baby toes too! Maggie's little feet are my favorite, even though they are starting to grow... Cereal is definitely something to be thankful for. I am even more thankful for it now with another pregnancy, I love cereal, and it becomes a common "I need food NOW" remedy. :)
Way to go! Sometimes the cheesiest things work best! We are currently using a point chart for good behavior. It is working like a dream!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!!!!! That is the book that got Madi on her initial 6am-7am sleep pattern. It's the book that I'd open up when she'd wake up screaming and I needed the courage to NOT come in and comfort her! It's basically an AWESOME book!!! :) I gotta open it up and read the chapter on Toddlers now. After Madi become a great sleep I stopped reading. Shame on me! Your rules and stinker chart are FABULOUS!!! i LOVE it!!! Congratulations on getting your sleeper back!
BEST BOOK EVER!!!! Glad it's working for you :o)
I absolutely love that book! We have sleep rules too! YIPEE! I'm glad you found something that works for Kate, and your sanity!
That's awesome! I love your rules. I follow them when I go to sleep too. Hee hee!
P.S. It was fun hanging out today. :)
AS always, an entertaining read, although I'm sorry you've had a struggle! I'm glad you can go through these things first and post about them because Maddie is coming up on the two's and I'll need all the help I can get! :) I love that book too. Good to know there's a toddler section.
Welcome BACK, Krista! Oh man, I want to try out that little chart thing with Hunter b/c he's doing a similar thing but I don't think he'll get it. Actually, I'm pretty sure he won't get it. Dang it. Maybe I can get his speech therapist to teach him what the words to these rules mean. When he starts talking, I'm totally going to use this on him.
Yah!! I'm so glad that worked for Kate! I am using ideas from that book for Brielle too and it has helped so much!!! She used to not sleep in her crib for naps AT ALL and now she does! It's wonderful!!
Why is it that sticker charts work like a charm? I didn't even think about using one with Logan for potty training until I rememembered my mom using one with me when I was little!
Er, remembered. There.
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