Hi everyone,
Hoping for some fresh eyes on our current situation.....
For the last six weeks or so, our son (just turned two) has been resisting getting ready for bed. He's generally ok with saying goodnight to his toys, choosing a book and going upstairs, but then just wants to play and mess around (opening drawers, throwing nappy basket round, wanting to play with water in the sink etc). When I tell him it's time to brush his teeth or change his nappy, he resists and runs away. If I try and gently guide him to his bedroom or the nappy mat, he has a meltdown.....
I've been trying to firmly tell him it's time for bed and that I will wait for him to calm down so that we can get changed and have time for stories. This has worked to a certain degree and once or twice he's actually come and sat down by himself! But more often than not he continues to tear around and, with the clock ticking on, my patience runs out and everything turns into a power struggle, which I really, really want to avoid
Once we've finally got ready, he does calm down quickly and we sit and read stories together while he has his milk (he still has a very watered down bottle which I'm trying to phase out). I then put him in his cot, say goodnight and he generally puts himself to sleep within 10 minutes or so. He sleeps through until 6.30ish, although we've had wakings at 4.30 the last couple of nights, with him calling out for milk and wanting a cuddle/ me to stay with him while he goes back to sleep.
I can't work out whether it's a case of OT or UT at bedtime, or whether the stalling and night waking is his way of asking for more attention and time with me? There are a few recent factors that might be at work:
1) We went away for a weeks' holiday at the beginning of July (but he slept brilliantly in a travel cot in an unfamiliar room!)
2) When we got back, he started doing a third nursery day instead of going to Nanny's
3) He got all four canines at once in the middle of July and, understandably, started resisting having his teeth brushed
4) He's moving up rooms at nursery next month and has been doing some settling sessions
His overall schedule looks like this:
6.30am: wake up
12.15/30ish: nap (an hour or more at nursery, but more like 40 mins or less at home. Sometimes he resists the nap completely at home)
6.20: start tidying up the toys and choosing a book
6.30ish: upstairs to get ready for bed
7pm: he's usually changed by this point and we read books while he drinks his milk
7:20ish: lights out and in his cot
7.30: usually asleep my this point at the latest
He's on the lower end of the scale in terms of sleep needs and is generally happy during the day
And overall, the bedtime routine only takes an hour, he's asleep at a reasonably time and typically sleeps through, so things aren't that bad!
But it would be nice if bedtime could be calmer and more peaceful for both of us!
Any ideas on what needs to change?
I feel like we've been stuck in the same bedtime routine for a while and perhaps he's outgrown it? I'd really like to phase out his bedtime bottle too, but perhaps that's a whole other issue....
Thanks,
Tigs
