Monday, November 17, 2008

Bedtime anxiety

I don't know what to do. I'll admit it, right now, we've been extremely fortunate with our kids and bedtime. We have our nightly routine and that involves milk, jammies, and then the 5-minute warning. Depending on the status of naps, bedtime ranges from 7:30-8:00, but never later. When it is time for bed, we announce it and the kids jump up from whatever it is they're doing and head for the gate. They climb the stairs and go straight to their rooms and we don't normally hear from them until 7:30 the next morning.

Well, two days ago, we had some issues arise. Figgy wanted extra mommy time on Saturday night and I snuggled with her for a bit. The Professor has taken to screaming fits where he can, and will, make himself hysterical and start gagging. Both nights I have gone in to find him standing in the corner of his crib, closest to the bedroom door, clutching his blankie as tight as can be, reaching for me. His face is covered in baby snot (sorry, tmi!) and he has tears streaming down his face. Last night, I snuggled with him for about 30 minutes before bringing him back to his own bed, where he was fine. While in bed with me, he chatted about all of the words he knows.

He is at it, again, tonight. This time, however, we tried something new and snuggled for 10 minutes BEFORE bedtime. That didn't cut it, apparently. He has been near hysterics for 30 minutes, now, and I'm so torn about what to do. If I continue to go to him, I'm terrified that I will start a pattern of behavior that will be impossible to stop. If I don't go to him, I'm afraid he'll make himself sick or feel abandoned.

Wait...silence...shhhh....maybe he gave up???

Damn. Nope.

Any thoughts about what course of action I should take? Nothing new has changed. The bedroom is still the same. I did change the sheets on Saturday night...would that do this? No, it couldn't, could it?

You know, I think he stops every few minutes to listen. Is that even possible?

My gratitude for the day is for short, 5 minute cat naps on the couch when dinner is cooking and my husband is home.

1 comment:

amy a said...

I was trying to remember the address for your blog, and then I followed it from my blog! Have you tried giving him a piece of your clothing? Maybe your smell will help comfort him and make him feel safe? I'm not sure if changing the sheets did it, but I know kids can get stuck on the way something smells or feels. I guess you have to decide if you are willing to snuggle him for that time or not. It is really up to you since you are the one doing it! When the twins were little, and I rocked them for like six months, I justified it because I wanted to do it! And I'm the mom! I wouldn't worry about a "complex" developing, but he may want to do this for a while. Oh yeah, don't you love how just when you think they have stopped they start again?!?