Bedtime Update

So, I am extremely happy to report that bedtime and nap time have been going much better!

Last I wrote we were sitting outside his door, making sure he stayed in bed, but before too long he started thinking it was a game, and he would try to see if he could sneak out and over to the door before getting caught, and before we knew it we'd see his shiny little eyes right at the crack in the doorway. Then he'd laugh hysterically and run back to bed. He'd do that repeatedly, and it was driving us crazy.

So, since he was seeking attention, and I didn't know what else to do besides spank him (and I didn't want to have to spank him like that, how awful would that be?), I thought, what's the harm if he plays a little? Worst case is I'll have to put him down earlier than normal, and yeah, he will play a little, but eventually he will get bored being alone and start crying, which would mean he'd probably be more receptive to going to sleep, or maybe he'd fall asleep on the floor...who knows...all I knew was that anything else would be better than the alternative of spanking him to get him to stay in bed.

So, we decided we'd put him to bed/nap like normal, (read stories, say a prayer, hugs & kisses, put him in bed and leave the room) and if he got up we'd let him play for 10-15 minutes, and then if he was still playing we'd go in, not say anything, and just pick him up and put him back in bed and then leave. That was our plan. We also didn't mind the fact that this house has round doorknobs and he can't open them yet-hee hee! ;)

This plan has worked so much better for us now! At first it would take a while to get him to actually fall asleep, and his naps ended up being quite a bit later than normal, but now, sometimes I go in once, sometimes I don't have to go back in at all! It's so nice.

My only complaint is that the way his window is, I can't put up the light blocking curtains I had before, so now he wakes up with the sun, which means he sleeps less at night than he was before. I've tried keeping him up later, and putting him down earlier, but he doesn't usually fall asleep until the sun sets-he's too much of a busybody-and is up as soon as the sun starts creeping up. Mommy just wishes she could sleep in a little more!

But, the best part is, if I give him a book when I put him down, and tell him it's time for night night but he can lay in bed and read a book, this is what happens...

I know it looks like he is in a weird position, but I promise you he is asleep. He has his Toy Story pj's & blanket, his stuffed dog, and has falling asleep to a good book-all the requirements for a good nights sleep!