My boys may share a birthday, but that is pretty much where their similarities end! They are pretty much opposite in most aspects of their personality. A main one that has been causing us grief lately is sleeping patterns.
Our four youngest kids have a 7:00pm bedtime. I need my evenings so that I can exercise, clean, and have time to relax. Cole has no problems at bed time. He is asleep almost the minute his head hits the pillow! BUT then he is wakes at 6:30am, when I get up to shower. Hayden fights bed time. Every night it is a struggle to get him to stay in bed! He is in and out of his room a thousand times, needing to pee, needing a drink, asking to stay up later. He says he can't go to sleep, that he isn't tired.
Every morning, Cole usually comes into the bathroom the minute I shut the door. I tell him to go back to his room, and lay in his bed quietly until I am out of the shower. We have always had a rule for the kids of no getting up until 7:00am. By the time I get out of the shower is will be almost 7:00, so I will turn on the TV for him. He never stays in his room. He is usually in and out of his bedroom and the bathroom several more times, which in turn wakes up Hayden, who is tired, because he was up later the night before.
Right now, it is 8:45pm, and I am STILL fighting with Hayden to stay in bed and go to sleep!! I hate spending half the evening fighting with him. Today, the big problem is that he napped. Because he gets woken up too early, he is always very tired by mid afternoon. I try not to let him nap, but if we are driving somewhere, he will fall asleep. Even if we are at home, he will sometimes just fall asleep on the couch (like today), and it is almost impossible to keep him awake. But then he is not tired for bed time, and it becomes a vicious cycle!!
SO, I don't know what to do. Should I just turn on the TV for Cole before I get in the shower, and hope that Hayden will stay asleep? Should I get a reading light for Hayden, and let him stay up longer, in his bed, looking at books?
What we are currently doing obviously isn't working. I would love some suggestions!! :)
2 comments:
I would let him read at night. William has the same issue (napping in the car in the afternoon and then staying up until 8:30, and our kids both go to bed at 7) and if he's awake, we let him read or even play in his room quietly, just so long as I have my evening time.
Of course, he has his own room, so it could be more complicated for you. And maybe try the cartoon routine at 6:30 for a bit and see if he adjusts. Good luck - you do need your evening time!
Ethan is and early bird. He is allowed to read in his bed after 6:30am. The kids stay in their room until 7am. I have taken our youngest daughter out of the room if she wakes up too early and put on a show for her so she doesn't wake up the others.
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