Wednesday, July 22, 2009

A Long Battle Ahead...

It appears that we are up for a long battle. We are facing a fierce competition. Competition who can predict all of our moves and preemptively strikes back with shocking new tactics. It is officially Team Matt & Joy vs. Team Ryder.

Do you remember a few weeks back I told you that we put Ryder in a big boy bed and how amazingly well he was doing in it. No more, folks. The new wore off, the fear of falling to the ground is forever gone and we have entered constant battle mode. We CAN NOT get that boy to stay in bed. I know that persistence is the key. One that I have to constantly remind myself of. That is my biggest problem. I'm tired a lot of the time and sometimes it is just easier to not have the battle. My next biggest problem, I let tears make me feel guilty. Rest assured, we are going to win this one. He is now asleep...exactly one hour and ten minutes after I put him in bed for the first time. I think I silently (i.e. spoke no words) put him back in bed 72 times. The first few times he cried, the second fifty times became a game for him so that he could tell me "Hi!" and "Bye-Bye" every time I entered and exited the room, and the last twenty-five times there was delirious laughing involved (not by me).

Those of you that have been through this already, please fill us in on the secret code to making your child stay in bed...we desperately need to know!

5 comments:

Mary said...

Um...

Still thinking...

Yep that's why we still have Ty in a crib. I'm NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE. I'm no help!

My child will be three in September and by then maybe??? we'll move him but I have not had the energy to deal with exactly what you're dealing with right now. So sorry friend.

I do think I'd do exactly what you've done if that helps.

Misty Rice said...

Dont worry about making him stay in bed.... but a good trick is this.

Take his door knob of his door, turn in inside out so that the lock is on the OUTSIDE of the door, so YOU control it. Put him in his bed, lock the door. The first couple of times is really hard because he will scream, but he is okay. It will make you feel more guilty than anything. But just like any new parents does with a newer baby, letting them cry in their cribs for 10-15 minutes. Same thing, don't answer him, don't talk to him through the door, let him cry it out for 10 minutes or so. Do this consistently for his nap and bedtime. Each time leave him for the first 10-20 minutes.

Sometimes I would walk in and Hunter would be asleep on the floor, but I keep the vents closed in their rooms when little so they don't get cold. Sometimes he would play and fall asleep behind rocking chair. Finally, he just started crawling himself back in bed and going to sleep on his own.

But if you control the situation with the door and lock, YOU win the in and out battle.

Also, give him a choice of which toy to sleep with.

Hope that helps a little.

Anonymous said...

I've got nothing. Except, like Mary, I agree that I'd probably do exactly what you're doing. And, by the way, I think it's a great thing that you're working this out now. That way, you'll likely have the battle solved by the time +1 comes into the picture!

Frances Outlaw-Jones said...

you probably won't like my advice, but we gave up on the nap. He was so tired by bedtime, that he just conks out. (and when he does need a nap, he'll pass out wherever) Good Luck!

Amber Connors said...

We tried the big boy bed a couple of times, but Evan clearly wasn't ready for it. Many of my friends have just purchased another crib when their +1 has arrived because the oldest was still a little young. It really depends on the child though. We have a walk through gate at Evan's door (it takes 40 lbs of pressure to open it) that way he's not cut off to the world, but he's still safe in his room. Hang in there; you'll find what works best for your family. :-)