My dear sweet daughter is 2.5 years old. She has always been my relatively good sleeper. I joke that she is my little sisters twin because they both like their sleep and when it is bedtime, move out of the way and put them to bed. Except, lately the peanut is not about that bedtime life.
This is the face of an overtired toddler |
Normally we will eat dinner, clean up, take a bath, read a book and crash out. If for any reason our routine is a little disorganized, she becomes destructive and sneaky which is her way of telling us she is sleepy. I love this about this kid. It makes bedtime pretty easy with her and considering her brother is quite the opposite and has fought bedtime since before he came out of my belly, it has been refreshing.
The hubby has been super helpful with the peanut’s bedtime |
However, the last two weeks have royally sucked. Bedtime has taken between 2 and 3 hours and is full of tears (hers, mine, I think even the dogs are crying) and getting up and down constantly. I am exhausted and really in desperate need of quiet evenings. It is not so much that I do not want to snuggle and rock her for 2 full hours before putting her to bed and then fighting another hour for her to stay in that bed, but more that I have a full plate and need those 2 hours after bedtime to pull my life together, regroup and refocus so I can be a better mom.
More often then not, she wanders down after a snuggle session to snuggle some more. |
I know this kid is tired, I know daylight savings time could be affecting her, but honestly I wonder if it has to do with how busy I have been lately. I wonder if she can sense how chaotic my brain feels and knows that when she is snuggled up on my chest that I have to attempt to relax and sometimes even I fall asleep. Maybe this kid knows something that I do not.
At this point I am not sure what to do? Tonight was the first in a week that she has gone down relatively easy. I know that I have a list a mile long of things that I need to get done, however, I also know that she needs me. I am just wondering, has anyone else dealt with a toddler sleep strike? Do you have any advice?
Is this normal parents?