So i'll start with an update from my last post about Betsy's sleeping situation.
Everything is shit. She is in with us every night. From the beginning of it to the end. Her cot is now just a ridiculous joke taking up a large amount of space in her bedroom, reminding me every time i walk into that room just how much i have failed.
We have kept her bedtime routine the same. She still has her last bottle in her room. But whereas before she would finish this then go in her cot, now when she finishes she immediately starts clawing at us and staring angrily at her cot. She knows she goes in our bed. So in she goes. Whoever has drawn the short straw of putting her to bed will lie down with her for a few minutes, till she has drifted off, then retreat. It is an awfully dire situation.
However, something magical is upon us. Something that i am hoping will be the answer to all of our problems. Something so wonderful and exciting that i can hardly contain my self.
We are moving!!
Yes, in just over two weeks we are moving house. To one which is a bit bigger than our current one. With more storage. A garage. A conservatory. Oooh.
Although you definitely wouldn't think so judging by my home. Nothing is packed. Nothing is anywhere near being ready to move. I don't want to pack. I don't want to change addresses on things and set up new utility stuff and all the other boring things that my being an adult means i have to deal with. I hate it all.
I am very excited to move though. I cannot wait to get to our lovely new home.
Which is where Betsy's sleep situation comes in.
Everything is shit. She is in with us every night. From the beginning of it to the end. Her cot is now just a ridiculous joke taking up a large amount of space in her bedroom, reminding me every time i walk into that room just how much i have failed.
We have kept her bedtime routine the same. She still has her last bottle in her room. But whereas before she would finish this then go in her cot, now when she finishes she immediately starts clawing at us and staring angrily at her cot. She knows she goes in our bed. So in she goes. Whoever has drawn the short straw of putting her to bed will lie down with her for a few minutes, till she has drifted off, then retreat. It is an awfully dire situation.
However, something magical is upon us. Something that i am hoping will be the answer to all of our problems. Something so wonderful and exciting that i can hardly contain my self.
We are moving!!
Yes, in just over two weeks we are moving house. To one which is a bit bigger than our current one. With more storage. A garage. A conservatory. Oooh.
Although you definitely wouldn't think so judging by my home. Nothing is packed. Nothing is anywhere near being ready to move. I don't want to pack. I don't want to change addresses on things and set up new utility stuff and all the other boring things that my being an adult means i have to deal with. I hate it all.
I am very excited to move though. I cannot wait to get to our lovely new home.
Which is where Betsy's sleep situation comes in.
We are hoping that by moving into a new home, she will sort her shit out and sleep in her own room. Ashley has come up with the hilarious (in my opinion) idea of keeping our bedroom door closed at all times so that Betsy is totally unaware of its existence, thus fooling her into believing there is no where else for her to sleep apart from her cot.
I'm not entirely sure how much i believe that this will work, or have any effect on Betsy at all. That girl is not silly.
My way of thinking is that we will be in a new home, so it will be a new setting and a new room for Betsy. Maybe, just maybe, she might accept that with the new house comes new rules, such as sleeping in her own room. And she might just do it from day one.
I'm not entirely sure how much i believe that this will work, or have any effect on Betsy at all. That girl is not silly.
My way of thinking is that we will be in a new home, so it will be a new setting and a new room for Betsy. Maybe, just maybe, she might accept that with the new house comes new rules, such as sleeping in her own room. And she might just do it from day one.
Deep down i know this will not happen. So, instead i have decided to take action. Moving house means Ashley will have a few days off of work. So i plan to do whatever it takes during those first hellish few nights to get her to sleep in her cot, as he will be there to help weather the storm too. With no work-tomorrow get out card. Because there is no way i can deal with this alone.
I shall put a little note through our new neighbours letterbox pre warning them of what's to come. So that they don't sit there silently hating us through the wall, thinking we are the new neighbours from hell.
We are wondering whether we should bin the cot and get her a big girls bed. I feel like she is a tad too small for one, at a mere 17 months, but equally I'm a bit paranoid that the cot is the root of all of our problems.
We have a lot pinned on this new house of ours.
If anyone has any tips on how to get a toddler to sleep in their own bed, I would be so grateful to receive them.
I shall put a little note through our new neighbours letterbox pre warning them of what's to come. So that they don't sit there silently hating us through the wall, thinking we are the new neighbours from hell.
We are wondering whether we should bin the cot and get her a big girls bed. I feel like she is a tad too small for one, at a mere 17 months, but equally I'm a bit paranoid that the cot is the root of all of our problems.
We have a lot pinned on this new house of ours.
If anyone has any tips on how to get a toddler to sleep in their own bed, I would be so grateful to receive them.
You have not failed! That's one thing you should remember but I was there once and felt the same. My eldest wouldn't sleep for more than 3 hours and would wake got comfort all night and would end in our bed. Then it would be every night in our bed and then my husband would sleep in the spare room. This is when I thought this can't happen anymore! And we did everything we could as we would have to stay with him in his room until he was asleep. In the end we just kept leaving the room, putting him back to bed and so on. And then one amazing night it clicked! And he slept in his bed!
ReplyDeleteSo I promise it will happens for you - you will get your bed back xx
It is so hard isn't it. I hate that she is in our bed so much! i always vowed from day one that i would never let it happen! I know its not forever and that one day she will be back in her own cot, just at the moment it feels like we won't ever get to that point!
Deletethank you for commenting :) xxxx
I was writing a really amazing comment this afternoon but then my work colleague came into the room to ask if she should start potty training her 18 month old (I said no). She then proceeded to tell me that he had been sleeping in her bed for the last month and her husband had moved to the spare room. You are not alone and it will get better!
ReplyDeleteI think the plan of never letting her see your bedroom is quite a good one actually. I mean not forever obviously but until she has accepted her cot. Maybe you could have her cot all set up with some appealing toys in it before she first sees her bedroom. Could you get some of those giant wall stickers for her room to make it really nice? We did this for Helen with jungle ones when we moved house at around this age.
We had to be quite tough with our kids eventually and put up with quite a lot of crying in order to get them to sleep better. This doesn't make you a bad person. If you don't want to let her cry this doesn't make you a bad person or a failure as a parent either. You are doing your best and parenting is hard work.
Good luck with your move and enjoy the new house.
p.s I'm pleased you're back :)
Ah bless her, don't even get me started on potty training, i know it will have to happen soonish and i am DREADING it!!
ReplyDeleteYea you make it sound like quite a good idea, we are going to try and stick to it i think. I think the toys are a good idea too, but i worry that they will distract her from the task in hand - sleeping! We do have some wall stickers already.
We have all just gotten a bit lazy. It is so hard at the end of a long day to then fight with her to sleep in her cot that we have just allowed this to happen. We are definitely going to have to toughen up, just like you did. I'm dreading the crying but i know its all for a good cause....
Thank you so much lovey, it is good to be back! :) xxxx