I took Canon to his 2 year old appointment last Friday. One of the questions I had for our Doctor was her 3 most important pieces of advice for getting ready for a new baby. She said that whatever transitions we need to do, do as soon as possible and as far away from baby's arrival so that Canon doesn't associate the change with the baby, for example, the crib to bed transition. Well, that was just the kick I needed to get going since we already had a put together toddler bed waiting to be either used or stored. This is our week of transition - probably more for my own benefit as we will eventually put baby #2 in a toddler bed as well and I want to remember what it was like.
Saturday:
After Canon's nap, we pulled the toddler bed into the living room. When he woke up, we started moving things too fast and he fell apart when Aaron tried to get his mattress out of the crib. So we walked him into the living room to see his bed and give him a chance to adjust. From then on, he was okay to "help daddy" put the mattress in the new bed and cover it with blankets. Then we disassembled the crib and moved the new bed into his room. He proceeded to get all his books from his room onto the bed and sat in it and played for a while. A good start.
Night: When we got home from his party it was late, so we went straight into nighttime routine. I rocked him while reading books and sang to him. When I went to put him in the bed, he cried, which was normal. I sat on the edge of the bed, had him lay down and rested my hand on his back for a few minutes. Once I thought he was asleep, I slowly got up and backed out of his room. All in all it took about 5 extra minutes. We told him many times he has to stay in his bed until Mommy or Daddy comes in in the morning, so we'll see how it goes!
Sunday:
Morning: Canon woke up around 6am. Luckily, he grabbed all of his books and read quietly until we got him about an hour later! I was so impressed! (btw, if he had been crying/making noise, we obviously would have gone in earlier)
Nap: We did the same routine. I read 2 books, sang and rocked, then walked him to his bed. I put my hand on his back and watched his sweet little eyes close. He was tired, so it only took a few minutes, then I sloooowly backed out. I will say at this point that I think the fact that he goes to sleep on a cot at daycare is really helping our transition!
Canon slept for close to 3 hours during nap!
Night: As predicted, tonight was a bit harder. We did the usual routine, but he wasn't as tired, so after my "normal" 5-10 minutes of sitting at his side, he cried when I got up to leave. He did get out of bed and come open the door behind me, so I went back in and ended up sitting next to him in the dark until he fell asleep, about another 20 minutes. It is hard to tell when it is dark whether his eyes are closed! This might not be the ideal routine - someone sitting there until he is asleep - but I figured for day 2, it wasn't the most terrible thing. Especially since (so far) once he is asleep, he is asleep for the entire night.
Monday:
Morning: Canon slept all the way through until about 6:30am when he heard us get up. He got up himself and opened the door, but since we were already up, it was fine!
Night: Canon requested that Aaron put him to sleep. Aaron did the normal routine, but didn't wait until Canon was all the way asleep to get up. So of course, when Aaron left, Canon got up and followed him out the door. Finally (and really, only about 15 minutes after the beginning of the whole routine) I went in and sat down next to his bed. This time I brought my phone in with me and played on it while Canon was putting himself to sleep. 10 minutes later he was asleep and I was out the door. Though he clearly doesn't understand that he needs to stay in his bed, I'm not annoyed by the extra time sitting next to him. For now.
Tuesday:
Morning: Spoke too soon! Canon had 2 wake-ups last night. Around 10:30pm he woke up crying, opened his door, moved the gate and walked out to find us. I was able to put him back in bed, then sat in the glider for probably only 10 minutes until he fell asleep again. Then around 3:30am he woke up again, no crying, and wandered out of his room. Again, I put him back in bed and was sitting in the glider for him to fall asleep. Aaron woke up at this point and wanted to give me a break, so he sat with him. Well, an hour later, Canon still wasn't asleep. Ended up that Aaron took pillows and blankets in there and fell asleep on the floor next to him. I bet he finally went back to sleep around 4:45/5:00. Thankfully, he didn't wake up again until 7:15.
Not sure exactly how we are going to proceed at this point. I definitely DON'T want one of us to have to sleep in there on an even semi-regular basis. I think tonight I'll tighten the gate so he can't move it and hope that we don't have another wake-up. And if we do, then we might just have to listen to him cry - which will be heartbreaking - but its what we did while he was in the crib and it worked, so it will hopefully work with the bed.
Night: Aaron was in charge of bedtime tonight since I was on campus. He started the routine around 7:00 and it took him a full hour. He sent me this text at 7:30 - "I tried to leave prematurely and paid for it." Haha. So we're still sitting in the glider until he is completely asleep.
Wednesday:
Morning: PTL there were no wake ups last night! Canon got up and opened his door (to the gate that was tightened so he can't get out) at about 7am while Aaron was getting ready for school, so I feel like that was a win!
We talked a lot on Tuesday about staying in his bed, not getting up, etc and praised him A TON this morning for staying in his bed all night long.
Saturday:
After Canon's nap, we pulled the toddler bed into the living room. When he woke up, we started moving things too fast and he fell apart when Aaron tried to get his mattress out of the crib. So we walked him into the living room to see his bed and give him a chance to adjust. From then on, he was okay to "help daddy" put the mattress in the new bed and cover it with blankets. Then we disassembled the crib and moved the new bed into his room. He proceeded to get all his books from his room onto the bed and sat in it and played for a while. A good start.
Night: When we got home from his party it was late, so we went straight into nighttime routine. I rocked him while reading books and sang to him. When I went to put him in the bed, he cried, which was normal. I sat on the edge of the bed, had him lay down and rested my hand on his back for a few minutes. Once I thought he was asleep, I slowly got up and backed out of his room. All in all it took about 5 extra minutes. We told him many times he has to stay in his bed until Mommy or Daddy comes in in the morning, so we'll see how it goes!
Sunday:
Morning: Canon woke up around 6am. Luckily, he grabbed all of his books and read quietly until we got him about an hour later! I was so impressed! (btw, if he had been crying/making noise, we obviously would have gone in earlier)
Nap: We did the same routine. I read 2 books, sang and rocked, then walked him to his bed. I put my hand on his back and watched his sweet little eyes close. He was tired, so it only took a few minutes, then I sloooowly backed out. I will say at this point that I think the fact that he goes to sleep on a cot at daycare is really helping our transition!
Canon slept for close to 3 hours during nap!
Night: As predicted, tonight was a bit harder. We did the usual routine, but he wasn't as tired, so after my "normal" 5-10 minutes of sitting at his side, he cried when I got up to leave. He did get out of bed and come open the door behind me, so I went back in and ended up sitting next to him in the dark until he fell asleep, about another 20 minutes. It is hard to tell when it is dark whether his eyes are closed! This might not be the ideal routine - someone sitting there until he is asleep - but I figured for day 2, it wasn't the most terrible thing. Especially since (so far) once he is asleep, he is asleep for the entire night.
Monday:
Morning: Canon slept all the way through until about 6:30am when he heard us get up. He got up himself and opened the door, but since we were already up, it was fine!
Night: Canon requested that Aaron put him to sleep. Aaron did the normal routine, but didn't wait until Canon was all the way asleep to get up. So of course, when Aaron left, Canon got up and followed him out the door. Finally (and really, only about 15 minutes after the beginning of the whole routine) I went in and sat down next to his bed. This time I brought my phone in with me and played on it while Canon was putting himself to sleep. 10 minutes later he was asleep and I was out the door. Though he clearly doesn't understand that he needs to stay in his bed, I'm not annoyed by the extra time sitting next to him. For now.
Tuesday:
Morning: Spoke too soon! Canon had 2 wake-ups last night. Around 10:30pm he woke up crying, opened his door, moved the gate and walked out to find us. I was able to put him back in bed, then sat in the glider for probably only 10 minutes until he fell asleep again. Then around 3:30am he woke up again, no crying, and wandered out of his room. Again, I put him back in bed and was sitting in the glider for him to fall asleep. Aaron woke up at this point and wanted to give me a break, so he sat with him. Well, an hour later, Canon still wasn't asleep. Ended up that Aaron took pillows and blankets in there and fell asleep on the floor next to him. I bet he finally went back to sleep around 4:45/5:00. Thankfully, he didn't wake up again until 7:15.
Not sure exactly how we are going to proceed at this point. I definitely DON'T want one of us to have to sleep in there on an even semi-regular basis. I think tonight I'll tighten the gate so he can't move it and hope that we don't have another wake-up. And if we do, then we might just have to listen to him cry - which will be heartbreaking - but its what we did while he was in the crib and it worked, so it will hopefully work with the bed.
Night: Aaron was in charge of bedtime tonight since I was on campus. He started the routine around 7:00 and it took him a full hour. He sent me this text at 7:30 - "I tried to leave prematurely and paid for it." Haha. So we're still sitting in the glider until he is completely asleep.
Wednesday:
Morning: PTL there were no wake ups last night! Canon got up and opened his door (to the gate that was tightened so he can't get out) at about 7am while Aaron was getting ready for school, so I feel like that was a win!
We talked a lot on Tuesday about staying in his bed, not getting up, etc and praised him A TON this morning for staying in his bed all night long.
Night: Real time. I've been sitting in the glider for 35 minutes. I honestly don't even think he remembers I am here.
After an hour, I've left, but he's crying. I just don't even know what to do anymore. Aaron decided that he was more likely to fall asleep if he was at least on his bed, as opposed to standing at a gate at his door, so he is just going to continue to put him back on his bed. Canon cried from about 8:15 until almost 9pm - but finally went to sleep.
I had a really hard time tonight. With every other "sleep training" transition, we've always let him cry it out and it has always worked, but I was definitely more emotional and sad about it this time. However, we've talked about it and Aaron and I both agree that he needs to remember that a) he knows how to fall asleep on his own and b) he has to stay in his bed. So we're going ahead with consistently putting him back in bed and letting him stay there until we come in.
Thursday: I didn't blog about it immediately and now I don't remember!
Friday:
Morning: We had a 4:45am wake-up call this morning, but he at least stayed in bed (after we put him back in bed and told him he had to stay there) until 6:00a when I went in to get him. I think he might be getting it...even if he did wake up super early.
Night: We had some very sweet friends babysit for us tonight. They had to sit with him for about 35 minutes (I didn't want them to have to deal with crying), but he went to sleep after that long. We kind of decided to start withbribery Positive Reinforcement, so I had shown him a new helicopter toy that MoMo got him and told him he could have it if he stayed in bed all night.
Saturday:
Morning: No wake-ups! Again, PTL. Canon stayed in bed all night and we all woke up around 7/7:30. I gave him his helicopter and made a super big deal about how he had stayed in his bed all night and we were so happy.
Nap: We've finally figured out that one of the issues is that he doesn't like having his door completely closed while he is falling asleep. For nap, I did the routine - books while rocking, a few songs, then I sat on his bed with my hand on his body and counted in my head to 100. Then I told him I would give him a cookie if he stayed in bed until I came to get him. He slept/read from 12:30-3:00!
Night: We've finally figured it out. Books, singing and sitting with him for a few minutes, then walking out and leaving the door about 3 inches open is the trick, along with a promise of something exciting once he wakes up. This time it was new crayons.
So....overall, I think we did okay. I was certainly a loooong week and took a lot of trial and error, but I think we are in the homestretch. I definitely want to continue praising him and giving him special treats when he does a great job because it is developmentally appropriate and he is responding well. Also, couldn't have done it without the help of my good friends Nicole and Katherine, who kept me calm and gave me good advice each night via texting updates! Thanks ladies!
We've had a lot of conversations too about getting a wake-up light. I think we'll probably go ahead and do it, since I'm pretty sure this won't be the last week of getting up in the middle of the night/too early we'll ever have to deal with. I'd love for him to learn to stay in bed until 7am. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
I think the "over the hump" for us was remembering what had worked for Canon before. In the last 20ish months, he has always fallen asleep without us, so it made sense to let him do that again - even if it took a night or two for him to remember he knew how.
Also, recognizing his anxiety about the situation. Once we realized his anxiety level peaked when the door was shut all the way, it was easy to remedy and he was able to stay calm.
And lastly, books. On the mornings he has woken up early, he has mostly stayed in bed and read his books until we came in. I love looking at the monitor in the mornings and seeing him in pile of books, flipping through and reading to himself. It makes me feel less guilty about shutting my eyes for 5 more minutes, ha!
So, what worked for you? Any one using a "wake-up" light?
I had a really hard time tonight. With every other "sleep training" transition, we've always let him cry it out and it has always worked, but I was definitely more emotional and sad about it this time. However, we've talked about it and Aaron and I both agree that he needs to remember that a) he knows how to fall asleep on his own and b) he has to stay in his bed. So we're going ahead with consistently putting him back in bed and letting him stay there until we come in.
Thursday: I didn't blog about it immediately and now I don't remember!
Friday:
Morning: We had a 4:45am wake-up call this morning, but he at least stayed in bed (after we put him back in bed and told him he had to stay there) until 6:00a when I went in to get him. I think he might be getting it...even if he did wake up super early.
Night: We had some very sweet friends babysit for us tonight. They had to sit with him for about 35 minutes (I didn't want them to have to deal with crying), but he went to sleep after that long. We kind of decided to start with
Saturday:
Morning: No wake-ups! Again, PTL. Canon stayed in bed all night and we all woke up around 7/7:30. I gave him his helicopter and made a super big deal about how he had stayed in his bed all night and we were so happy.
Nap: We've finally figured out that one of the issues is that he doesn't like having his door completely closed while he is falling asleep. For nap, I did the routine - books while rocking, a few songs, then I sat on his bed with my hand on his body and counted in my head to 100. Then I told him I would give him a cookie if he stayed in bed until I came to get him. He slept/read from 12:30-3:00!
Night: We've finally figured it out. Books, singing and sitting with him for a few minutes, then walking out and leaving the door about 3 inches open is the trick, along with a promise of something exciting once he wakes up. This time it was new crayons.
So....overall, I think we did okay. I was certainly a loooong week and took a lot of trial and error, but I think we are in the homestretch. I definitely want to continue praising him and giving him special treats when he does a great job because it is developmentally appropriate and he is responding well. Also, couldn't have done it without the help of my good friends Nicole and Katherine, who kept me calm and gave me good advice each night via texting updates! Thanks ladies!
We've had a lot of conversations too about getting a wake-up light. I think we'll probably go ahead and do it, since I'm pretty sure this won't be the last week of getting up in the middle of the night/too early we'll ever have to deal with. I'd love for him to learn to stay in bed until 7am. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
I think the "over the hump" for us was remembering what had worked for Canon before. In the last 20ish months, he has always fallen asleep without us, so it made sense to let him do that again - even if it took a night or two for him to remember he knew how.
Also, recognizing his anxiety about the situation. Once we realized his anxiety level peaked when the door was shut all the way, it was easy to remedy and he was able to stay calm.
And lastly, books. On the mornings he has woken up early, he has mostly stayed in bed and read his books until we came in. I love looking at the monitor in the mornings and seeing him in pile of books, flipping through and reading to himself. It makes me feel less guilty about shutting my eyes for 5 more minutes, ha!
So, what worked for you? Any one using a "wake-up" light?
Love love reading about the comings and goings....and thankful am where I am now!
ReplyDeletehaha, I bet you are!
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