Niiii-nii
So we've been working on a bedtime routine for Colin. It isn't perfect yet, but I think we're getting into the swing of it, and I'm feeling like much less of a failure as a mother now. We still have a way to go (including moving up bedtime, and some eventual streamlining to do!) but I'm just glad we have any routine. The chaos before wasn't good for anyone!
I start by taking Colin upstairs around 8:45 (or earlier if he shows any possible sign of sleepiness), and give him a quick warm bath followed by brushing of teeth. Then it is story time. We have a couple of stories that we read and re-read, and re-re-read his new favorite book: Raindrops (A Shower of Colors). He is positively mad for this book. It is a pretty simple "story" which I embellish a bit with some animal sounds (Robin: tweet-tweet, Bee: bzzzz, Bear: roar, etc.). And he has to point out the balloons... every time they appear. I don't know exactly why it caught his fancy, but the kid is mad for this book. The other night-time books include A Cuddle for Little Duck and Ten Shiny Snails, but no matter what Colin always comes back to Raindrops.
Eventually I call it quits and turn out the light saying "night night." Colin typically responds (or sometimes precedes me!) with his own little "niiii-nii" laying his head on my pillow. Then he snuggles in, and cries for a while to ensure that I know he wasn't really ready for bed. His protest continues for a while, and sometimes he pops up saying "HI" or pointing out my "noooo" (aka nose). Trying not to laugh at this is a challenge, but I have to keep my eyes shut and stay quiet or he won't go down. And there's always one last hurrah where he needs "more! please! more! more! please!" (aka water), after which he settles down and that's that.
I realize that this routine is much too long and involved, and eventually I'm going to need to pare this down. But for now I'm just grateful that we have a routine in place that is working. Colin seems comforted by it, and frankly it makes life easier for us.
The only drawback is that he typically wakes up an hour or two after he's gone to bed, and won't go back to sleep until I've held him and given him a big sippy cup of milk. Although I'm pretty sure that is more a result of his frequent refusal to eat than anything else.
Coming soon to a home near you: an earlier bedtime!
Eventually I call it quits and turn out the light saying "night night." Colin typically responds (or sometimes precedes me!) with his own little "niiii-nii" laying his head on my pillow. Then he snuggles in, and cries for a while to ensure that I know he wasn't really ready for bed. His protest continues for a while, and sometimes he pops up saying "HI" or pointing out my "noooo" (aka nose). Trying not to laugh at this is a challenge, but I have to keep my eyes shut and stay quiet or he won't go down. And there's always one last hurrah where he needs "more! please! more! more! please!" (aka water), after which he settles down and that's that.
I realize that this routine is much too long and involved, and eventually I'm going to need to pare this down. But for now I'm just grateful that we have a routine in place that is working. Colin seems comforted by it, and frankly it makes life easier for us.
The only drawback is that he typically wakes up an hour or two after he's gone to bed, and won't go back to sleep until I've held him and given him a big sippy cup of milk. Although I'm pretty sure that is more a result of his frequent refusal to eat than anything else.
Coming soon to a home near you: an earlier bedtime!
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