We have 3 bedrooms upstairs in our house. Bedtime was relatively peaceful until Alice was born and upset the 1 room per child ratio. We moved Maya and Hayley into the same room before Alice was born. At first it was funny to listen to them giggle and jump on their beds until ridiculously late. But over the past several months I have come to dread "the bedtime battle!" Some nights it's their sisterly enjoyment that gets them in trouble and leads to late nights and tired kids. Other nights they bother each other and end up in their own civil war behind the bedroom door.
We just kept figuring it would improve over time...afterall, they aren't the first siblings to share a room! We have consulted with countless other parents trying to pick their brains for any ideas that may help ease our nighttime conflict.
I finally realized that Alice was such a great sleeper that maybe she was the answer to our problems. Unlike our other newborns, she really didn't have to have her own room becasue she goes to sleep without a problem and sleeps all night! So we spent a Saturday disassembling the beds and crib and rearranging the rooms for the 3rd time this year.
End result: Hayley and Alice are now sharing a room. Maya gets her own room (thanks to the fact that she hasn't learned how to whisper when Alice is sleeping and she loves to jabber and sing to herself as she falls asleep...probably why she made Hayley crazy as a roommate). We have also taken a suggestion we heard from many parents who say their kids fall asleep listening to books on CDs. It has worked wonders for Maya--no more in and out of bed a hundred times. Quiet music helps Hayley calm down as we read stories but then she can't stand to have anything on when she's ready to sleep.
I'm happy to report that although bedtime is far from perfect...we are enjoying many more happy good-nights!
3 comments:
I can't go to sleep without checking on the kids...it's my nightime ritual! What a good idea to put books-on-tape on while they're trying to fall asleep. We can't keep Emily in her room and it's starting to get frustrating night after night. Hope the new roommates work out for you!
What cute girls! I love them! k, so Abigail is pretty young, but she is really showing her personality...she just fights going to sleep. Her eyes are so darn big and never want till close until she cannot hold them open anymore...I think I am in for a treat when she is a toodler! Love ya
What a great idea to do the old roommate switcher-oo! Glad it's working!
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