Bedtime Battles

Well it's been a long couple of weeks of Bedtime Battles. First of all some background- Jamie has been sleeping throught the night from 7-7am from age 8 mos until about a year ago when we changed her bedtime to 8pm. She would rarely wake up and if she did would be easily comforted and go right back to sleep.

Every night since Jamie learned how to open her bedroom door she has been getting up repeatedly with lame excuses about needing to go potty (10 minutues after she just went)or that her diaper was wet etc. Mike was spending every night up in the hall by her door grading papers and putting her back in bed. Some nights she would still be up at 11 and she goes to bed at 8!

Well i have to give Mike the credit for this parenting triumph. One person (thanks Grace) suggested we try a gate, but Mike was too softhearted as Jamie had hysterical fits of tears and screams about it being up. What finally worked is taking her stuff away.

My daughter likes to go to bed with lots of stuff. Right now its a Tinkerbell doll, a superball (also Tinkerbell) a stuffed Siamese Kitten, Waddie, Yaddie, Toddie, and at least one book. She also has a Princess Comforter I recently scored at a thrift store for $6 that has huge pictures of the main 3 princesses on it - and she adores that thing!

Anyway this is what Mike did earlier in the week...When she got up the first time he went in there and put her back and said, if you get up again I am taking the Princess comforter, Tinkerbell and Waddie. Then when she got up again 10 minutes later he did take those things. She cried for a few moments and settled down. After a few moments he brought back her things and told her he would take them and keep them all night.

She got up twice last night and the night before. Tonight she only got up once, so she never even lost her stuff! Score! I am so proud of my husbands patience and my daughters intelligence. I pray the bedtime battles are over.