Sleep training the pre-school bunch
Can it be? Two nights in a row G has fallen asleep on his own. “On his own” meaning, one of us was not in the room with him as he did.
The approach I started last week went something like this:
1. Read a book
2. Tell him I need to go get my jammies on and that I would be back in 5 mins.
3. He can read to himself in his room, but NOT leave his bed
4. Be back in 5 mins and cuddle until he fell asleep
Progressively those 5 minutes became 15. Luckily for me, he falls asleep fast, so for the last two nights within 15 min he’s out.
At first he wanted his main overhead light on, but these last couple of nights, he was content with ALL the nightlights in his room being on and his radio on (thanx, local Jazz radio station!).
We promised him a Bruder dump truck if he fell asleep on his on for 5 nights. We made that promise eons ago, and the kid still remembers! At this rate, we’ll be buying a truck by the end of the week-end, and I couldn’t be happier.
It’s liberating not to be jailed in a kid room until sleep comes!!! It’s also considerably more productive: too many nights those twin beds have sucked all energy out of me, and I have fallen asleep before my assigned child. I wake up only, to waddle myself back to my room, leaving all “todo” tasks for another day.
Aaaah! Please let this be for real!
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