Monday, February 6, 2012
Accepting the unacceptable.
We are officially done with naps.
After 2 weeks of trying to find the perfect nap time solution, I decided it was better for him, me and the developing brain (and ears) of poor little Weston who is having to listen to the battle surrounding him.
It was clear from the start that I am not cut out to be a 'spanker'. Not that I think there is anything wrong with this method, it just doesn't work for me. I tried it once, only to feel terribly guilty after the heat of the moment wore off and my sweet little angel returned (he was definitely NOT present when the spanking took place). The next day we were yet again struggling with the battle of to sleep, or not to sleep; Wyatt told me to 'pank it' while laughing uncontrollably, showing that whatever damage I had done the previous day only left me feeling like I needed to call child services on myself and him snickering at my pitiful attempt at spanking. No, I am definitely not cut out to be a spanker. I also found spanking to be some sort of gateway punishment, ultimately leading to excessive hand smacking, ear flicking and hair pulling. I have an addictive personality so for the sake of my children, I probably need to steer clear of this tempting form of punishment all together.
We then moved on to repeatedly putting him back in bed. As seen on Super Nanny, as soon as you hear their feet hit the floor you go in, pick them up and put them back in bed. No talking, no eye contact and most of all, no cuddling. After three hours of this I was passed out on the floor while Wyatt played Lego's next to me. In the end I felt that not all was lost because one of us did get a nap, mission accomplished. The following morning my back was aching and the thought of picking Wyatt up another 200 times sent my Braxton Hick's into overdrive. I resolved to waiting until Wyatt just fell asleep on his own, which ended up being around 4 o'clock. I patted myself on the back, thinking a solution had been found... until bedtime rolled around... and continued to roll around until 10:30 that night. Apparently the rule of not letting a baby sleep past 5 o'clock still applies to a 2 year old.
The next day, I did the unthinkable. I decided to just let it be and if no nap got taken... well, no nap got taken. Wyatt did great. No break downs, no temper tantrums for Wyatt, and none for mom either. Around 7 he started rubbing his eyes, so we got into our jammies, brushed our teeth and read a few books. Bryan and I laid him down, kissed him goodnight, and walked out. He emerged from his room the next morning at 8:30 with a happy, "Hi mama!" This has been the routine for the last week or so and so far, so good. *pounding repeatedly on wood*
You have to understand how hard it is for me to relinquish this control over Wyatt's sleep schedule. From the day he was born I have been watching clocks, knowing when he needed to sleep and when he would wake up, almost to the minute. I loved being able to plan trips and play dates around his nap times, knowing weeks in advance when he would be sleeping. We had a system that worked for us, years in the making... and it came crashing down in a smouldering pile of sweet dreams in less then a week.
But then I realized. I made it through the hard part. Thanks to that sleep schedule Wyatt was sleeping by himself and through the night by 11 weeks. I was able to go to Church, to the grocery store, or to the gym without wondering if he was tired or hungry. Now, at the awesome age of 21 months, he can just tell me! Crazy, eh? So I guess its okay and maybe its time for me to let him take the reigns. All the sleep experts I have been praising the last 2 years would call me crazy and tell me that kids need naps until they are 5, but at this point I can only tell them that this is my son and I am the lucky author of this book.
Or co-author I suppose.
Truly blessed.
And a little sleep deprived.
After 2 weeks of trying to find the perfect nap time solution, I decided it was better for him, me and the developing brain (and ears) of poor little Weston who is having to listen to the battle surrounding him.
It was clear from the start that I am not cut out to be a 'spanker'. Not that I think there is anything wrong with this method, it just doesn't work for me. I tried it once, only to feel terribly guilty after the heat of the moment wore off and my sweet little angel returned (he was definitely NOT present when the spanking took place). The next day we were yet again struggling with the battle of to sleep, or not to sleep; Wyatt told me to 'pank it' while laughing uncontrollably, showing that whatever damage I had done the previous day only left me feeling like I needed to call child services on myself and him snickering at my pitiful attempt at spanking. No, I am definitely not cut out to be a spanker. I also found spanking to be some sort of gateway punishment, ultimately leading to excessive hand smacking, ear flicking and hair pulling. I have an addictive personality so for the sake of my children, I probably need to steer clear of this tempting form of punishment all together.
We then moved on to repeatedly putting him back in bed. As seen on Super Nanny, as soon as you hear their feet hit the floor you go in, pick them up and put them back in bed. No talking, no eye contact and most of all, no cuddling. After three hours of this I was passed out on the floor while Wyatt played Lego's next to me. In the end I felt that not all was lost because one of us did get a nap, mission accomplished. The following morning my back was aching and the thought of picking Wyatt up another 200 times sent my Braxton Hick's into overdrive. I resolved to waiting until Wyatt just fell asleep on his own, which ended up being around 4 o'clock. I patted myself on the back, thinking a solution had been found... until bedtime rolled around... and continued to roll around until 10:30 that night. Apparently the rule of not letting a baby sleep past 5 o'clock still applies to a 2 year old.The next day, I did the unthinkable. I decided to just let it be and if no nap got taken... well, no nap got taken. Wyatt did great. No break downs, no temper tantrums for Wyatt, and none for mom either. Around 7 he started rubbing his eyes, so we got into our jammies, brushed our teeth and read a few books. Bryan and I laid him down, kissed him goodnight, and walked out. He emerged from his room the next morning at 8:30 with a happy, "Hi mama!" This has been the routine for the last week or so and so far, so good. *pounding repeatedly on wood*
You have to understand how hard it is for me to relinquish this control over Wyatt's sleep schedule. From the day he was born I have been watching clocks, knowing when he needed to sleep and when he would wake up, almost to the minute. I loved being able to plan trips and play dates around his nap times, knowing weeks in advance when he would be sleeping. We had a system that worked for us, years in the making... and it came crashing down in a smouldering pile of sweet dreams in less then a week.
But then I realized. I made it through the hard part. Thanks to that sleep schedule Wyatt was sleeping by himself and through the night by 11 weeks. I was able to go to Church, to the grocery store, or to the gym without wondering if he was tired or hungry. Now, at the awesome age of 21 months, he can just tell me! Crazy, eh? So I guess its okay and maybe its time for me to let him take the reigns. All the sleep experts I have been praising the last 2 years would call me crazy and tell me that kids need naps until they are 5, but at this point I can only tell them that this is my son and I am the lucky author of this book.
Or co-author I suppose.
Truly blessed.
And a little sleep deprived.
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