Monday 15 March 2010

Because That Was Such a Great Idea


Who made the suggestion to move Tiny into a big girl's bed? Who? Raise your hand. Put your hand up and tell me who.

Oh. It was... me.

Whoa nelly. What kind of a weekend has this been?

It's been the kind of weekend when Tiny gets her big girl's bed. And subsequently climbs out of it. Fifty million times.

Saturday heralded a new beginning. The beginning of the end of my sanity, given she was awake until 12:30am getting in and out of her bed, wheeling a trolley around in her bedroom, in half darkness. Until finally I could take it no more. I told her gently it was bed time and she must stay in there. I played with her hair until she fell asleep.

Then she woke up at 3:30am crying. 'What the heck? Where am I? What is this?? A big girl's bed?!' And then woke again at 6:30am which for me is equally as rude as being woken at 3:30am.

Sunday night I hoped for better things to come. She was tired after her night out and about. But as my sister Choc has mentioned before, the girl has stamina.

She was awake again until 12:30am. And even then I think she was playing possum. She came pitter-pattering into our room at 1:30am. I was up and down, up and down like a jack-in-the-box. I tried hard to coax her back into her bed to no avail. She finally settled in our bed, and throughout the night I found her in different positions, including sitting on my head. If I so much as moved, she'd throw a huge spac attack.

I don't so much need a life buoy now as I need a nanny and a really good nap. Without small feet pattering in to see me and sit on my head every ten minutes.
Is it wrong, that right now I'd swap a little siesta with this little donkey for my cheeky mouse of a daughter?
Image found when googling images of a sleeping baby. Et voila - the image I never knew I wanted. A sleeping donkey and a baby. Google, you really are so good to me.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh dear. Tiny should come and hang with little T. Their midnight antics sound very very similar. Hope it calms down soon or the nanny thing becomes suddenly a viable option.

sean the prawn said...

my daughter turned three last week & is looking like a giant in her cot...we are just bracing ourselves for the inevitable big girls bed transition.

Anonymous said...

Eeek, I remember when my two moved to their big beds with no bars...sleep deprivation is torture!
Find solace in the thought that it won't last for ever!
Having them sleep in your bed works a treat occasionally but when you are able to, keep marching her back to her snuggly room. She will give up if you can show her thats it is not worth the effort!?!
Bla bla bla -
Sorry...don't you hate advice when you are tired!xx

small forest said...

I really feel for you. But to be honest id give anything to have my little ones back and sneaking into our bed in the middle of the night. They are the good old days.
Sorry.... this is not what you want to hear.

Michele @ The Hills are Alive said...

my nearly 3 yos bedroom is like some sort of prison cell

Not a toy or moveable object in sight! Out of sheer necessity - he would just go in there and play at all hours of day and night

Literally a bed and a chest of drawers with a lock on every drawer and locks on the built in wardrobe doors

Actually correction not even a bed anymore just a mattress on the floor - as he got under the bed and kicked on the slats so hard he broke them (mind you it was an old bed still!)

Such a contrast to his big sisters room FULL of stuff, toys, books, dolls, fairy houses etc

But then again she goes to bed and stays asleep without a problem on the whole

Crazy kids!

He has settled down now so contemplating returning some bits and pieces but dont want to rock the boat too much and return to sleeplessness and all night partying

[Good Mum Hunting] said...

Ahahah, that post made me laugh. Spac attack! haha

I've been looking at toddler beds and I just don't think my daughter Abigail is anywhere NEAR ready...

Way too many distractions in her room...

Chantelle {fat mum slim} said...

Oh boy!

It's not easy, is it? xx

Lisa said...

I do feel your pain. My daughter slept with us last night and my husband eventually got into her bed so he could get some sleep.

I have to admit I did laugh though....she does sound so very very cute :)

I am sure she will crash out soon (fingers crossed) so you can get some shut eye.

Good luck!

Caroline said...

I have never had this problem, I have a great sleeper, but this really made me laugh and realise that a "bad" day with a little one is not that bad as long as you get your SLEEP! Good luck for more peaceful nights soon.

Cath @ chunkychooky said...

Because Busy has never slept in a cot and has been in a double bed on the floor from about 3 months old she has been getting out and coming to us for a LOoooong time... so that pitter patter is a familar sound, you do have a right to go isane for a bit but I reckon she is just getting use to it... in the mean time just go and sleep in her bed if she is in yours... we play musical beds about three nigts a week and I just put Busy in our bed as she woke up crying so chef will sleep in her bed...

Katie said...

Well, being professional nanny, I can tell you that it won't last forever, but you have to be consistent! I know its oh so hard when all you want is to go to sleep and not wake up in a cold sweat at every little noise, but letting her sleep with you is only going to make things harder in the long run. You don't want her to get the idea that its okay to get out of her bed. Also, like someone mentioned, you need to make getting out of bed as boring as being in bed. Remove all (visible) toys in her room. Put them in a closet or take them to a play area. If she gets out of bed once, go in and tell her its time for bed and tuck her back in. If she gets out after that, no matter how many times, just take her hand and lead her back to bed without speaking to her. Put her in bed and try not to make eye contact. If you start speaking to her it only stimulates her to be more awake. You may have to walk her to her bed 500 times that first night, but the second night it should only be 250 and eventually it will be that she is sleeping in her bed through the night. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Ammieloris said...

LOL! When my 15 month old is especially cranky, he also insists on sleeping on our heads or necks. Mostly he prefers Daddy, so I often sleep like a, well, a donkey, I guess. Thank you PMM & Google for that delightful picture.

Ammieloris said...

P.S. No thank you for spoiling my dream of a baby who would gracefully grow out of his annoying sleep habits by two. Thppt!

Hello there! My name is June said...

This new sleeping arrangement will soon become the norm...just hang in there!

(loving the adorable photo btw)

:o)

Laura Jane said...

Ah crap. That sounds most dire. You have my sympathies, but unfortunately I am fresh out of any ideas.

I second your suggestion of swapping said stamina-rich child for the cute micro-donkey. Know where you could get one?

honestly, sympathy hon.

Maggie May said...

That picture is AWESOME

teddybearswednesday said...

Oh Lexi, you have stamina too, I think I would have chucked an all mighty spac attack myself.
And no it's not wrong at all about the swap. Besides how cute is the donkey.
sending you love
xo

Jodie said...

In a toss-up between a baby (no matter how cute) and a donkey - I'd be taking the donkey and running !

Kirsty said...

I'm with Jodie...hoping that she's staying put now & sleeping soundly.

Do NOT miss small person induced wakefulness (at all). x

Leonie said...

Each of mine have taken 2-4 weeks to stay reasonably consistently in their own beds. Not totally consistently mind you, just reasonably. The first one is great the other two are notorious night wakers, although the second is definitely the worst.

Not so nice but you could try latching her door so it is ajar, she can get up and yell and you can hear her but she can't get out under her own steam....we initially had the latches for keeping the cats out of bedrooms at sleep time but they have come in handy on the odd occasion when sleep was a necessity for parents. The kids can still yell, you can hear them and respond, they just can't sneaky creep into your bed. We can't use ours anymore during the night though because all three are toilet trained and get up to the loo themselves in the middle of the night if they need to...they just end up in our bed afterwards!!

Marcia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Marcia said...

My babies are now 22,20 and 16 and they were all "bad sleepers" so I really feel for you.Maybe you could get in her old cot-i've never heard of a baby climbing INTO a cot!Good luck-thankfully your humour is still intact or is that hysteria?