Bed Hopping Again

When I was pregnant I always said there would be no children sleeping in my bed, I wasn’t keen on the idea of co-sleeping and besides we have enough bedrooms in our house that the children have their own and there is even a spare room.

Fast forward to Emmy arriving and I kept to this, she slept in a moses basket next to my bed until she was around 6 weeks old and then she was moved into her cot, this was mainly because Paul hates to wake up and presses his snooze button numerous times before I hit him over the head and kick him out of bed, it was disturbing Emmy and wasn’t fair. She loved it and slept through the night from the 10 weeks old in her cot in her own room.

This sleeping lark is easy….or so I thought. Then Harry arrived and all hell broke loose. He slept in my room with me and because Emmy had missed my while I spent 2 nights in hospital she slept in bed with me too, she was clingy and wanted to be with Mummy and I didn’t want her to feel excluded with a new baby arriving so we slept together for a while. It was supposed to be until my C-section would had healed however Harry had reflux and just couldn’t sleep unless he was help upright.

My evenings and nights were spent sitting up in bed sleeping with him on my chest and Emmy in bed next to me. Not ideal but we finally all slept. Then Harry’s meds stopped working and he stopped sleeping so I moved into Emmy’s bedroom with him as he was disturbing her and Paul and Emmy had the main bedroom. This was fine as she had a single bed by this point and I had purchased a swinging crib for Harry. He slept on his front in that next to me but by morning he would be in the bed propped up on my chest again.

I honestly thought I would never sleep again and nor would he but we discovered the Poddle Pod and Toddle Pod and almost immediately he slept soundly. It was then I moved him into his own bedroom and into his cot aged 9 months and I reclaimed my bed, Emmy was returned to hers at the same time.

Transitioning her back to her own bed was difficult and I spent many night picking her up and putting her back to bed over and over again, I think one night it was over 100 times and I woke up with my pillow on the hallway floor where I had spent the night just waiting to place her back again.

I was determined they would have their own rooms and I would continue to reclaim my own bed for Paul and I. It worked for a while, only last year after Paul’s Mum passed away Emmy became very needy and clingy, she started having nightmares and wouldn’t sleep alone so came in with us for a while – starting in her own room but by morning in with us, and many times I was so exhausted I had no idea she was even in there until morning. Or I would have to go into resettle her in her bedroom and I’d fall asleep on her single bed.

In a bid to combat this I swapped over her single bed for the double in the spare room, it fitted perfectly into her room once I had rearranged it, it needed a new mattress as that one was very old but thankfully those can be picked up rather cheaply like this one here and the base was fine. I purchased new bedding for her and have changed the furniture so she has a pretty princess style bedroom but still she keeps waking in the night.

She will go to sleep fine as long as I stay with her until she is asleep but she wakes constantly and comes to find me, it’s easier to put her back now she is older as I tell her I am working so she has to go back to bed, or I take her back but I don’t stay with her, she falls asleep only to wake again an hour or so later and needs to find me.

I have tried the whole making her go to sleep alone thing – I know me staying with her isn’t helping matters (I was a Nanny for 14 years, I know) BUT I need to get downstairs to work, if I read her story and then come out again so she falls asleep alone she doesn’t, she is stubborn and will remain awake until I go up to bed, it’s happened on many occasions that at 11.30pm she is still awake as she is waiting for me, or she will keep leaving her room so I have to take her back upstairs which disturbs Harry.

I’ve spoken with her teachers and experts, it’s anxiety for her, she doesn’t like being alone and needs reassurance. I now spend too many nights in her bed as by the time I’ve resettled her again and then resettled Harry as he has started doing the same I am just too tired to move.

It’s got to stop now though. I am worried she won’t be invited to sleepovers with her friends as she won’t stay asleep and she is waking up so tired in the mornings now.

So, if you’ve any magical tips and tricks I’ve not yet tried they would all be very welcomed about now.