Holy cow I am learning so much from reading blogs!
So many terms I had never heard of - in life and in parenting.
Thanks to Loren at SweetenedTaters I now know about donkey shows! (thanks, therapy is twice weekly)
And now, thanks to Jenny's link to Motherhood Uncensored I heard about sleep training. What on earth is THAT? And why is there a PhD for every flippen stage of childhood but not parenting?
So MU had a link to someone who WROTE THE BOOK on sleep training. WOW! the scales are falling from my eyes!
Kat went from sleeping in a nightstand drawer to sleeping in a bassinet with scarcely a howl. She moved from the bassinet to the crib with frequent screams and yells for attention. (which we gave her. still do, come to think of it)
Now I find that if we take Kat and move her to a toddler bed and move Kyle to the crib (not Kat's crib - the crib belongs to cousin Jane, Karl made it for her originally) then KAT will have fits at night and not sleep for months just to make us pay for giving her sleep habitat to the unsurper.
Not to mention that according to the experts, Kat might be a little to young for a T-bed.
So I am asking for help and suggestions - What to do, what to do!?
Seriously, Mrs. 4444, Surprised Mom, Jenny, Loren, even Mrs. Weasel (if she reads this blog), Mom, cousins, Triplet Mom in LV, Nevada, anyone - shoot me some suggestions. I don't want to traumatize or set my children back potty training or disrupt Kat's " major cognitive-emotional transition period."
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5 comments:
Um, sleep training? I didn't know. I'm still po'd that they didn't give me a manual on what to do with the baby once I left the hospital.
Seriously, the oldest didn't sleep through the night until she was eight months old. We had transferred her from our room and a cradle to her room and a crip. Diagnosis? Let her cry herself to sleep once and she'll be fine. I sat outside her door and cried with her. She was fine, so was I.
When the second daughter came along, she got the crib, after a short stint in the cradle. The oldest was given a "big girl" bed, along with a safety bar that would keep her safely tucked in bed. We made it a production, with her input. She had just turned 3. We made it more like a party, all cheery. We let her pick out sheets she liked (with Disney characters on them). We just kept emphasizing what a big girl she was. She got to line up all her stuffed animals so they slept with her. We told her we were happy she was there to keep an eye on her sister.
How old is Kat? If her potty training hasn't been interrupted by the "usurper" LOL, than she probably won't regress.
Stop reading those books and Internet articles. They're enough to give you a heart attack, or at least upset stomach and indigestion. Let your children do that. LOL
Seriously, the only expert on your child is you. If you give them all love you have and use common sense, then that is the best you can do for them. And never mind someone else's mumbo jumbo.
BTW, these are only my experiences. I'm not an expert, just a mom. I hope your experiences are all good ones and everyone gets a wonderful night's sleep.
All I recall (it's been a while) is that you should not move both of their beds at the same time. Move Kat into a toddler bed first (like a month or so?). Add a special bedtime ritual that she likes (one-on-one daddy or mommy time, maybe?) so that she loves it all the more. Then ask casually, a while later, "Boy, brother is starting to get too big for his little bed. What do you think we should do?" (Chances are, if the crib is her idea, she'll be less possessive about it.) She may or may not be too young (I don't remember how old she is.) Don't do it unless you're sure, as you could develop some bad habits if you do it too early and find yourself "caving" and letting her into your bed. (You'll never get her out.)
We had to do the Ferber Method with Kyle (like surprised mom mentioned) when he was about the same age. Broke Mr.4444's heart, but I handled it just fine. It took two nights and 45 minutes of crying for him to kick the habit. Ah...the good old days! Good luck! :)
Kat is 6 wks short of 2 years. Rather young for any method of change and Kyle at 4 months is larger and definitely ready for more sleep room. Perhaps g'ma will spring for one of those new cribs that transforms into a youth bed later, so that both may be in a crib for the time needed. Then Kat can have her youth bed when she's ready and Kyle can transform his baby bed into a youth bed when the time comes for that. But be advised that all will survive as long as you give them love.
You know me, I always have tons of advice....
I like surprised mom. She is right - YOU are the only expert with your kids, and stop reading internet articles written by "experts". Those "experts" are no smarter than you or I, and some of them have never even had children. There is totally conflicting advice all over the internet - from let them cry it from the day they are born, to NEVER EVER let them cry for any reason, or they will be scared for life!
I do agree that I would recommend putting Kyle in a crib now, and keeping Kat in hers. Seriously, you have no idea how "busy" nighttime becomes with a toddler in a regular bed. AND, you can get about 1 more year of her in a crib to. (This equals about 1 more year of sleep).
This is entirely up to you though. I can say, Kyle would sleep much better in a bigger bed, in his own room. Then if he makes noises, chances are you might not hear it.
In the end, you have to do whatever you think is right. Believe me, I don't think any screwed up adult said "it was because my parents didn't potty train me at the right age!". =)
Kevin, you are ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! Thanks for much for the very LOUD LOL on my post today! I'm getting a cramp from smiling :)
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