We have a problem in the oh bother house. A big problem. A bedtime problem.
It started a few months ago, but we’ve now reached Desperation Point, peaking during the week we were snowed in (god, I hate snow).
Bedtime has become a nightly battle with Holden. She doesn’t want to go to bed. She doesn’t want to brush her teeth. She wants me to tell her one more story. She wants to tell me a story. She wants me to rub her back.
Once her door is closed, she immediately comes out five more times because a) she wants some water, b) the dog moved to the foot of the bed, c) one of her drawers is open, d) I didn’t turn out all the lights and close all the doors on the second floor, e) she just wants to see my face.
She gets up in the middle of the night because: a) she has to pee, b) the dog moved to the foot of the bed, c) she can’t find her flashlight that she insists on sleeping with, d) she had a bad dream, e) she doesn’t know.
During the snowstorm, she started wetting the bed at night, after having been Pull-Up free for months. After three straight nights of washing all of her bed linens, I gave up and went back to Pull-Ups. Her Pull-Up is now wet every morning.
It’s to the point now that we both fear bedtime. I’ve been trying various tactics to improve things.
- I’ve been using some random old Bath & Bodyworks Lavender Pillow Mist as “Good Dreams Spray.”*
- I bought her a dream catcher.
- I gave her a mini flashlight to sleep with.
- I bought her a nightlight (that she refuses to use).
- We practice deep breathing and talking about the good dreams she’s going to have.
When I was little, I remember I used to have trouble sleeping too. I’d make my mom leave the hall light on and my door open “just a crack.” I’d lie awake for hours. Sometimes I’d sneak over to my little brother’s room and pull him over to my bed with me.
Because of my experience, I’ve always thought I want the kids to share a room at some point in their lives. Maybe that point is now.
The problem is (or… it’s not really a problem so much…) that GB is an excellent sleeper. The kid essentially requests to go to bed and never fights it. He’s never climbed out of his crib once. Do I really want to mess with that?
Probably not. Not yet anyway… but I did find a super cute bunk bed for when the time comes.
In the meantime, I guess we just power through and hope this phase ends soon.