We've had some pretty rotten and interesting nights sleep lately. It has inspired me to write an A-Z of night time for parents. My last general A-Z was quite long, The A-Z of Parenting, so I have decided to split this into a two parter; lucky you!
A: Aching. I ache in places I have never felt aches and pains before. My back sort of feels like I should be an old lady by now; I know why as I am crammed onto the edge of my bed and have to perform a balancing act each night just to stay on the bed.
B. Bed Time. I know this varies from household to household. We tend to follow CBeebies cues and head up at 7 for a bath and stories. I am fairly laid back, but I get quite annoyed if they are not down and asleep by 8:30.... Obviously, I am hoping bedtime will be earlier and easier once school commences.
C. Cuddles. Cuddles before bed is the most amazing feeling. I love giving the boys a cuddle and kiss goodnight, while I cross fingers and toes that they will stay in their beds all night and sleep through, giving me a lie in.
D. Dark. This is something my children hate. They still have to fall asleep with the lights on, although they are dimmed a bit. I swear this doesn't help our chances of getting them down early? Soon the nights will be drawing in though so at least I won't have the Summer sun shining through and making sure there is no chance of darkness.
E. Eyes. I have never seen such wide eyes, right as I need them to be closed and sleepy, just before The Great British Bake Off starts. Wide eyes are never good at night time. They are scary too, when you see them peeping up from the bedside next to you at 2am.
F & G. Fun and Games. The only way parents describe bedtime.
H. Hunger. This seems to kick in right as your child is in bed. They are suddenly starving and can't possibly fall asleep feeling like this. If I know they are genuinely hungry because Mummy made poor dinner choices, I give in by allowing them a piece of plain bread. Does that seem too cruel or too laid back?!
I. Ideas. All of my best ideas spring to mind when a child has woken me in the middle of the night and kept me awake a while. It's just so annoying when I forget them then minute I get some shut eye again.
J. Jumping. My boys love to jump on the bed and it drives me mad. It doesn't matter how much I tell them not to, they still do it and always end up hurting themselves. For some reason, this is standard for them to do right as we are wanting to strip them for wash or bath time.
K. King Size Bed. If you are up for co-sleeping, I suggest you invest in a king sized bed. We have struggled for years now cramming too many bodies into a double one. I can only dream of a bigger bed and more room to snooze.
L. Lie Ins. These are a thing of the past once parenthood commences. Unless it's Mothers Day, or my birthday; I can kiss these goodbye. My husband does let me sleep in on a weekend, but it is rowdy, chaotic and my body clock has changed so I still get up bright and early.
M. Monitors. The best monitor I ever had was the Angel- Care one. As the boys have grown up, I just have a simple one now that plug straight into a socket. The problem is, I have no idea when to stop using this! When did you turn off the monitor for good? I feel weird not having them turned on, like something is missing. I mean it's crazy when the boys get out of their beds and come into our room themselves. But still, it gives me a little more comfort knowing it's switched on.
Do any of these relate to you and your little ones routines? Pop a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.
For more daily doses of parenting highs and lows, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
A: Aching. I ache in places I have never felt aches and pains before. My back sort of feels like I should be an old lady by now; I know why as I am crammed onto the edge of my bed and have to perform a balancing act each night just to stay on the bed.
B. Bed Time. I know this varies from household to household. We tend to follow CBeebies cues and head up at 7 for a bath and stories. I am fairly laid back, but I get quite annoyed if they are not down and asleep by 8:30.... Obviously, I am hoping bedtime will be earlier and easier once school commences. C. Cuddles. Cuddles before bed is the most amazing feeling. I love giving the boys a cuddle and kiss goodnight, while I cross fingers and toes that they will stay in their beds all night and sleep through, giving me a lie in.
D. Dark. This is something my children hate. They still have to fall asleep with the lights on, although they are dimmed a bit. I swear this doesn't help our chances of getting them down early? Soon the nights will be drawing in though so at least I won't have the Summer sun shining through and making sure there is no chance of darkness.
E. Eyes. I have never seen such wide eyes, right as I need them to be closed and sleepy, just before The Great British Bake Off starts. Wide eyes are never good at night time. They are scary too, when you see them peeping up from the bedside next to you at 2am.
F & G. Fun and Games. The only way parents describe bedtime.
H. Hunger. This seems to kick in right as your child is in bed. They are suddenly starving and can't possibly fall asleep feeling like this. If I know they are genuinely hungry because Mummy made poor dinner choices, I give in by allowing them a piece of plain bread. Does that seem too cruel or too laid back?!
I. Ideas. All of my best ideas spring to mind when a child has woken me in the middle of the night and kept me awake a while. It's just so annoying when I forget them then minute I get some shut eye again.
J. Jumping. My boys love to jump on the bed and it drives me mad. It doesn't matter how much I tell them not to, they still do it and always end up hurting themselves. For some reason, this is standard for them to do right as we are wanting to strip them for wash or bath time.
K. King Size Bed. If you are up for co-sleeping, I suggest you invest in a king sized bed. We have struggled for years now cramming too many bodies into a double one. I can only dream of a bigger bed and more room to snooze.
L. Lie Ins. These are a thing of the past once parenthood commences. Unless it's Mothers Day, or my birthday; I can kiss these goodbye. My husband does let me sleep in on a weekend, but it is rowdy, chaotic and my body clock has changed so I still get up bright and early.
M. Monitors. The best monitor I ever had was the Angel- Care one. As the boys have grown up, I just have a simple one now that plug straight into a socket. The problem is, I have no idea when to stop using this! When did you turn off the monitor for good? I feel weird not having them turned on, like something is missing. I mean it's crazy when the boys get out of their beds and come into our room themselves. But still, it gives me a little more comfort knowing it's switched on.
Do any of these relate to you and your little ones routines? Pop a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.
For more daily doses of parenting highs and lows, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.