Every now and then I have a wonderful, full night’s sleep. I savour it like a decadent piece of chocolate cake, never knowing when the next one will come my way. Although my child has recently turned three, we are still battling, and I’ve put together some reasons why I feel I am destined never to get any sleep as long as this phase is in place (please may it come to an end soon!)
I recently read a thread on a Facebook mommy group asking people about their bedtime routines. One after another people responded how their kids go to bed sweetly at certain times, with a system that starts as early as five o’clock. I felt so removed from all of that. Sure, we have a specific routine, but the kid sure doesn’t go straight to sleep at a certain time. Am I the only one with a kid that won’t sleep when you want him too?
Here is the list of the contributing factors he has come up with to drive me batty, as well as unavoidable circumstances that mess with our sleep:
1. Fall asleep in the car at all the wrong times. Car trips can work for and against you. It’s great when you’ve had a morning out to have your little one fall asleep in the car on the way home. That way you don’t have the hard work involved to get him to sleep for his early afternoon nap.
However, a lot of the time, the car trips are unavoidably at the wrong time. When I take the maid to her taxi stop, if Nicky hasn’t had his nap he falls asleep on the way back which means I will struggle to get him to sleep at bedtime. Falling asleep too early when I fetch hubby from work can work well or not: it just depends on him, and also if he’s had enough to eat (see next point).
2. Not eating enough before falling asleep at all the wrong times. On Monday we had our last moms and babes swimming lesson. I brought Nicky’s supper and put him in his PJ’s knowing he would fall asleep in the car. The little one fell asleep immediately (at about 4:45pm) with the pouch still in his mouth and without having touched his supper. That meant a 2am wakup. He has been known to be very specific with these early morning food requests. “Sandwich. Butter. Jam. Cheese,” on top of the normal “Biccy!” and “Juice!”
3. Get the dog to help keep mom awake. I was just slipping into a hard won peaceful sleep at about 4am after one of these 2am wakeups when the dog starting scratching on the door to be let out.
4. Use the bed as a trampoline. When you’re full of energy and don’t want to sleep, why not jump? Just another way to drive mom bonkers.
5. Throw your cars off the side of the bed. My kid likes to have cars as his object of affection. He holds onto them for security. He will drive them all over my body while breastfeeding as well. It seems to calm him down. But when he wants to be awake it’s much more fun to throw them off the bed so that we have to turn on the light and mount an expedition to find them, which sometimes requires moving the bed.
6. Have multiple expeditions to the kitchen (or other places) for various items. Isn’t it fun to ask for “biccy”, “juicy”or “naartjie” in the middle of the night? Or a lost toy, like zebra? I have recently wised up and placed the biscuits and juice right next to the bed to save me a trip. I don’t always know where his favourite toys are though.
7. Make farty noises and giggle hysterically. Nicky thinks that making these noises is hilarious and of course 3am is the best time to practice all sorts of them.
As much as I complain about a lack of sleep, I am very grateful for my little miracle and I’d rather have no sleep than no child at all! I’m also especially grateful to my husband for taking on a portion of the night shift last night! Apparently after an hour of driving cars all over each other sleep was finally achieved by promising him a breakfast out at the Wimpy.
What circumstances do you have that make your sleep situation worse? And what tactics does your child employ to delay sleep?
Kitana sleep through the night but guess what?! I don’t… and it’s going to get worse in a few months. 🙁 It’s like a vicious cycle of motherhood until they in their teens. Love the purple. 😀
Thanks! Going to change the header soon too!
I feel your pain Heather. 1-4 is my son and 5-7 is my daughter. Hope we both get some sleep… some day.
Hahhaaha omw, I still have a very looong time of not getting any sleep! My husband and I fantasize about a weekend away where all we get to do is sleep. Next to each other. Without being woken up. At the moment its just a dream, but boy does it look good!
Hi. It sounds like little Nicky is the boss of the house here! When he wants his food at 2am you give it to him! I really feel the only way to get your kid into a good nights sleep is to have a a good daytime routine, and when he falls asleep in the car to wake him up when you get home, so he is tired enough to go to bed at the right time; keep bedtime at the same time each evening, have a good bedtime routine, and set boundaries – say no to his demands in the middle of the night! Give a quick cuddle, then put him back to bed! Of course this will be tough to do initially, and it might be a good week or so before he is respecting your boundaries… Good luck!
Hi Kathleen, first of all, Nicky is not the boss of the house here. We have boundaries and rules. There was only one time he asked for a sandwich in the night and that was the time he had missed supper and there was no ways I was going to get him back to sleep without food. I’m not happy to wake him up after he’s fallen into a deep sleep in the car – I will just have a tantrum kid on my hand who won’t eat. It’s easy to dish out judgement when you don’t know the situation. I’m doing the best I can and I know things are going to improve when my husband’s lifts are sorted out soon.
Having said all that I will make an effort not to give him biscuits at night. I don’t know how but I will work on it in my own way and in my own time.
Kids have a mind of their own sometimes and no matter how much with try to be strict or behave military style with our kids it doesn’t always work. And also what works for one family and one child wouldn’t necessarily work for another child or another family.
Don’t beat your self up H, maybe make a few changes here and there and see what would work so everyone can get some sleep