Rachy slept really well. I was proud of how I had sleep trained her and often shared my experiences with others mom’s who were amazed at her routine. The truth is that Rach was just very very good at sleeping on time – until she turned 3!
Everything changed overnight! She had gone from her crib to a single bed with ease, suddenly she was waking up every 2 hours “just to check on mummy”, she went from giggles before bedtime to screams that put horror movie actors to shame and she went from happily praying before bed to endless excuses and prayers involving the phrase “Please Jesus let mummy leave me alone because I’m so n
ot tired”.
I tried everything. Coaxing, promising, shouting, threatening and finally crying and then I discovered the secret. It’s not the nanny’s method that you are expecting. That worked for a while but it was exhausting and the behaviour did not last. For those of you who don’t know this involves silently taking the child back to the room until they settle in. Sorry, but I don’t have 5 hours every 2 weeks and needed something that was going to l
ast.
What worked for Rach might not work for everyone but hey, its worth sharing just in case. She is turning 4 on Sunday so it could just be a stage but I’m so glad it seems to have ended!
So what I did was add an extra half hour to her routine called reflection time. Lights off without any crazy noises (which was difficult with Hunky Hubby watching car shows at deafening volumes….I gave him the “don’t you dare look” at earphones suddenly appeared). During this time we hummed our favourite nursey rhymes – yes, we hummed! Starting at the normal tone with our hands in the air, and taking it down to a whisper while we moved lower and lower into the bed until we were lying down – stretched out flat! Surprisingly she not only took this as a sign that the dat was done but she also went straight to sleep after her usual prayer.
It was worked 3 weeks in a row now! I’m quite excited about this….wondering if its a form of baby meditation of some sort that I magically stumbled upon! Wish us good luck!
PS: She did kick the wall a few times and I told her it was fine but her toes might grow backwards. I know, I know, its not right to lie but that made me giggle a little and restored the zen in me so I take it as a victory anyways!
Good luck everyone, not to just find a solution to the morning, midday, early afternoon and late afternoon tantrums!
K
Millennial Mamma Trying 