My house is being controlled by a 2 year old. I’m losing that small ounce of sanity I still have left.
On the weeks that Kelsie is home, getting her to sleep is HELL. She gets out of her bed, she screams as loud as she possibly can. She hits her door until she gets it open and runs out to us in the living room. We play music, we’ve had night lights on (she now must have her LIGHT LIGHT on), we’ve done the put her back in her bed over and over and over again. We let her get extremely drowsy out here sitting with us, the second in bed BOOM scream scream scream scream.
I’m starting to come to these conclusions when she is at her Dad’s:
-She still is allowed to get a bottle (she begs us but of course big no no)
-She sleeps in the SAME bed as Dad.
-She stays up extremely late.
HELP!!!!!!!
12 Comments
Yikes! I have 3 really good sleepers so I’ve not experienced what you’re going through. But I know that they’re really good sleepers due to routine. Any chance you and her Dad can sit down and agree to a routine that you’ll both follow? It would make things easier on everyone, especially your daughter. HUGS! I hope you get some answers and some results.
Do we even want to know if you’ve asked Dad what is going on? Tuck started to give up his nap about 2 1/2 so that he could go to bed at a decent hour and sleep through the night. Is she still taking a really hearty nap so that maybe she’s not really tired? I say tomorrow make her stay up all day and see if it doesn’t go better at bedtime.
And definitely have a hard core chat with Dad and make sure he understands what she needs developmentally. Try not to let him know you are personally frustrated because that could just turn on you. But a two year old needs to be off the bottle for the sake of the teeth and in bed well before 9 for the sake of the body.
Good luck pal. Heaven knows something has to give – bald just doesn’t look as good when it’s dyed red.
Oh girls how I wish I could sit down with her dad and talk but that just isn’t possible. I’m frustrated because I definitely do not agree with what is going on in that house. They live with Kelsie’s grandparents so I think that can explain a thing or two to some of you as well.
well I can feel ya about the “other parents’ having different rules and stuff…. my ex spoils them rotten and gives them anything at any time.
It sure makes it tough for those of us who seek sanity!
I hate to say it but the child is probably craving consistency and boundaries. It sounds like she has none at her Dad’s. Contrary to what they want us to believe, kids like rules and routine. Even if you have to get a neutral 3rd party like a mediator, you’re going to have to get Dad and the grandparents involved and on board or the poor child is the one who is going to suffer in the end.
Oh man!!! I am sorry things are so rough. I have no real perspective but I will tell you this no matter how hard it is on you it is harder on her. Nothing makes sense and none of it is fair. Just when she gets used to one thing it all changes again. I know I used to be her. You are all in my prayers.
May be that she is ready to stop napping during the day. I have been there done that & it is so hard. Whatever it takes to get them to sleep, right? ARGH!
OK, I will never understand having a very small child live with one parent for part of the month and the other parent the rest of the month. It is just stupid, in my opinion. That being said, do you have a mediator that helped with the custody that you could talk to?
A two year old needs routine. Period. If the dad and Grandparents aren’t on board, then they need to not have her over anymore until they get with the program. There has to be something that can be done in this situation. Yes, it is hard on you, but it is worse for your daughter.
They need to be doing what is best and right for the child, not using her as a way to get back at you or just being lazy because “they know better”. Believe me, I’ve gone through having the in-laws try to tell me how to raise my daughter. When it got really bad, my husband and I just severely limited their contact with our child. You are her mother, you make the rules. They need to be made to understand that somehow.
I am sorry to say, I have absolutely no insight here. I sure wish I did. That must be awful for all of you to go through.
I hate to hear what you are going through (my son always slept through the night). She really needs consistency; it’s a shame your ex doesn’t/won’t work with you to make this easier for you and your daughter.
Oh boy! 🙂 We went through a similar situation both during the day and the night. Hubby and I are taking a class at church called Setting Limits. Swing by my blog and check it out the info I posted on the book. You may want to pick it up. I SWEAR WE HAVE MADE HUGE ADVANCES SINCE STARTING 3 WEEKS AGO! 🙂 Bottom line is..ROUTINE..ROUTINE…ROUTINE and sticking to your “guns”.
That is so hard when a child has to split time between parents. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about his rules except to talk with him. She will grow out of it all but it will be hard.