Ok monster is a little harsh I know but I was having a hard time coming up with another title. 😉
She is so adorable isn’t she?
Karlena is a sweet and sassy almost 3 year old and she has been such a blessing to our family.
When she was a baby she slept really well early on. For some who don’t know, the first 6 months of her life Dominic and I lived in different states. He was here in MN for a new job and I was back at our old home with the kids until we sold out house.
I was nursing at the time and so during the week when Dominic wasn’t there I just let her co-sleep with me. She would wake to eat and we would both fall asleep right away. I can fall asleep FAST and so this worked really well for both of us.
When we all moved back together we transitioned her into a crib with little difficulty. She would even go in the crib awake and put herself to sleep. When it came time to give her a “big-girl” bed, that too went amazingly well.
Now fast forward to about 6-8 months ago. I don’t remember the exact date but I do know Karlena got really sick for a couple of days. She had a really high fever and I didn’t want her to be alone….besides she was waking up every 1/2 hour and crying…so I went and slept in her twin bed with her.
And so it began….
A couple of nights like this during her sickness and it became a routine for her. She, like all our boys at this age, like to have someone else in their room with them.
So now, sometime between midnight and 4am, she inevitabily wake up crying out “mama”…..
I have tried just going in her room and rubbing her back until she sleeps again….but fights it, she wants me to lie down, and if I do she and I can be back to sleep in like 28 seconds.
So in the interest of maximizing my already limited sleep, I don’t fight it and just sleep with her every night at some point. I know…I KNOW!
Please don’t judge….I probably get less than 6 hrs of sleep most nights so every moment is precious to me. But now I can’t break the cycle either.
I tried letting her cry one night and after 20 minutes I caved.
I figure that in a few years she won’t want to be around me much less have me in her room…..I know this is short term. But it isn’t ideal either.
So I am just curious if there are any other parents out there that have had this “problem” and what worked for you to change the pattern….or did you just ride it out??
And please be gentle….I know this isn’t one of my most proud parenting moments!! 🙂
I am definitely going to follow this because I need help getting Miles out of our bed and in his bed all night.
I wish I had some helpful advice for you, but I don’t!! Why do bad habits have to be easy to pick up but so much harder to break? Hang in there – I’m sure you’ll come up with something or she’ll grow out of it eventually!! 🙂
Oh, zero judgment here. I’ve actually gotten into Maelie’s (converted) crib with her a few times just so she’d sleep. And poor T spent the night on her floor last night. We all have those nights, and it’s hard. On the fun side, she sure is a cutie…I know she and Mae would have so much fun together. Road trip soon!!! 🙂 (((hugs)))
Kristin — Coleton ends up in our bed almost every night — he will be 3 on Friday. He has tubes in his ears and has had his adenoids out, so this was easier for me to deal with — now it is a habit for him, and I figure, he is my last baby — I love it!!!! So, tell me I am a bad mom, horrible, etc — but I would not give up these snuggles for the world. I know he will not be in our bed when he is 16!!!! For us working moms, and any mom, sleep is sooo important — pick your battles!!!!!
Oh Kristin this takes me back down memory lane to my youngest! He was 2 when I got divorced and moved…we stayed w/my parents for a couple months till I got on my feet and we got our own house so needless to say sleeping quarters at mom and dads were cramped and my two boys and I shared a bed. When we moved to our house, with 3 bedrooms, we each had one…my oldest (then 7) loved it and so did my youngest (then 2) until it came bed time…I would try the lay with him till he fell asleep but eventually sometime throughout the night he would end up in bed with me. I thought this is ok, he just needs to get adjusted BUT 3 years later when it came time to start kindergarten I knew I somehow had to put a stop to this–but in reality I was just as loving having him cuddle with me as he was! However I didn’t press (didn’t want to traumatize him or me!)…first we tried the two boys sharing a room, that didn’t work—-then we tried the night light (like sunshine) routine, the radio on all night with music, that didn’t work; a bed full of stuffed animals for comfort–didn’t work; …and I can’t really tell you what did work, except for the fact that one night he slept in his room all night and from then on it was fine. I think it was patience, prayers, age, and love that finally cured both of us! LOL Good luck.