This week we've decided to crack down on our youngest's early morning rising with all the might of a military campaign. Having endured months of being woken up at 5am, it was time to take drastic measures. It's all very well if you don't mind being tucked up in bed with a Catherine Cookson tome and a cup of cocoa by 9pm. However, if you fancy a bit of a life then it's absolute hell to be cruelly deprived of sleep by a screaming toddler who's ready to start their day when young urban things about town are just hitting the hay.
Anyway, we settled on the 'back-to-sleep' method which basically involves leaving him for 5 minutes when he first wakes up and cries then going in, giving him a cuddle until he settles and then putting him back in his cot. This process is repeated, adding a couple of minutes onto the crying stage after each time you have to go in. Obviously, the first time he realised that he wasn't being taken downstairs for some milk and noisy plastic toy action, he was a bit put out and screamed as soon as he was placed back in his cot. However, with about 5 more cuddes and settles he did go off to sleep for a bit. The second morning he slept until 5.30am and then settled again after just 3 visits. This morning he slept until 6am and then settled after 1 cuddle for another half hour. Result!
I know, I know, it's very early days but those extra couple of hours' sleep have revitalised me and I've lost some of my pessimistic resignation to the whole sleep issue. We're determined to believe that it's working...
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