I prepared the girls for our new routine multiple times during the day talking up that they are big girls and would be putting themselves to sleep. I also had a special talk with Aly and let her know that KK would probably cry for a very long time and since they share a room perhaps Aly could put her hands over her ears or put her head under the covers.
Aly did great just as I knew she would. I am so surprised at how well she handled listening to KK scream. KK ended up screaming and crying for 26 min. and 16 seconds. I know this because she stopped crying when the cd came to the song "When You Wish Upon a Star." So I went back and added up the minutes of the other songs and that is how long it took me to get KK to fall asleep on her own.
I did the normal bedtime routine and tucked them in. I told them that tonight they would be snuggling a special stuffed animal instead of Mommy or Daddy and they each chose two. Once the lights were out KK asked me to sleep with her. I told her she was a big girl now and would be sleepy by herself. The first time she got out of bed I put her back in and told her that she was a big girl now and would be putting herself to sleep. From then on every time she got out of bed I put her back in without talking to her. I must have put her back at least 20-30 times before she starting crying, "Mommy I want to be a good girl now!" That totally broke my heart and when she said that I had to break the rules that one time and reassure her that she was a good girl and that Mommy loves her. I told her she is a big girl now and will be putting herself to sleep every night. After that I put her back in bed as I gave her a hug. She got out of bed probably 15-20 more times and I put her back in without saying anything to her.
Finally 26 minutes into it she fell asleep. My mission on night one had been accomplished. I will say it was hard, it did hurt my heart, but I knew I had to be consistent and stick with it. The most important thing I could do was not cave in. So tonight I will do the same process over again and hope that the amount of screaming will be less. Wish me luck. I will keep you posted!
3 comments:
Oh I can sooooooo sympathize with you! I have twins, and when they were little, they cohorted and conspired to sneak back in our room. I think their goal was 599,768 times each night- or at least it felt that way to a sleep deprived mom!
Stay strong Mom! Stay consistent! And you will be rewarded with a wonderfully self-sleeper soon!
Great job!
Good luck! I think you did a great job and didn't cave in. I probably gave up after 10 minutes. Hopefully, it will be easier and smoother for you.
-Amy @ The Q Family
Oh, that would break my heart too. It's terrible when they think they are being punished! You did great though!
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