I need nightime help. Funny but getting bad.

megan0071234

DD is in the habit lately of sneaking around her room when she is supposed to be sleeping. She goes to bed when it is still kind of light out and that doesn't help, but she can reach her lightswitch & turn on the light as well. Sometimes she just quietly reads in bed, and will fall asleep, or I go in after about 30 minutes and turn the light off & she will go to sleep eventually. Lately, her newest habits are opening her dresser or emptying her dirty clothes basket, and stripping her pjs & diaper and trying on all her clothes. Last night, I had class, and didn't check her before I went to bed thinking DH had made sure she was clothed when she fell asleep. She woke up at 1am soaked b/c she had fallen asleep wearing undies, her spiderman pj pants and her favorite pink pants. So, her bed was soaked & she was cold.

Her bedtime is between 7:30& 8 and we generally don't get her asleep until 9. Some nights she does fall asleep really fast, but most others there is huge protest.

I am so tired of cleaning all her clothes up and going to check on her 50 times before she goes to sleep. Do we put her to bed later? Earlier? She doesn't nap and wakes up pretty early, so I am thinking she can't be getting enough sleep- most days she has been super crabby as well.

Any thoughts?

mandy0505

How old is dd? I would consider a later bedtime. Maybe she just needs to tire herself out during that hour before she goes to sleep. Maybe try 8:15 or 8:30? Just my thought

Lexi & Orion's Mommy

tape the dresser drawers shut?

KellyMRocks

What is the couple hours leading up to bedtime like?

I would move bedtime to 8:30. From 6:45 to 7:30 do some very active activity, then bath/ bedtime routine to wind down.

Also, did this start with the time change? Does she have heavy/light blocking curtains? Maybe she is "waiting" until dark?

Mrs_Shmoopie

How old is she?  What time does she wake up?  My first instinct is to actually make bedtime a half hour earlier -maybe try putting her down at 7.  We had similar problems when J was about 2, decided to put him to bed earlier and it worked!  It's true the fact that it stays light out later and later doesn't help but at that age it was only a problem for a few days and then he was back on schedule. 

These days we have been having problems again w/him not going to sleep right away but that mostly seems to be on the (rare) days when he naps.  Otherwise, if he's had an average, no-nap day he usually falls asleep pretty soon after we put him down -and at almost 4 years old he's in bed w/the lights off by 7pm. 

Whatever you decide to try I'd recommend sticking w/it for about 3 days.  It usually takes a day or two for their new schedules to kick in so give it time.  Good luck!! 

megan0071234

Lindy will be 3 this July. I do think we need to get some better darkening curtains to make her room less bright. I have thought of taping the drawers shut, but don't want to rip off the paint- any other ideas on how to get those puppies so she can't open them? Next step is both dresser & and dirty clothes in the closet I think.

She wakes up between 6-7:30 most days. Some days she will take a cup and go back to bed, but on days where she has to go to DC, then she has to be up by 6:15. I think she is overly tired.

Tonight, I am going to try and get dinner on the table earlier & do a nice soothing bath before bed instead of her usual morning bath. I swear she is going to have an empty room by the time we are done.