My worst parenting habit starting about 6 months ago when Sophie started to have pretty intense night terrors. She would start screaming and crying in the middle of the night without ever waking up. That was pretty terrifying. I did some research and one of the suggestions was co-sleeping. I was all on board for that. I'm pretty much always up for Sophie cuddles. Co-sleeping basically ended the night terror problem, but we didn't end the co-sleeping. Worse, when she did wake up at night she would sometimes stay awake the entire rest of the night which led to me bringing my laptop into the room, playing cartoons for her, and going back to sleep while she laid in bed next to me watching Lazy Town or Mickey Mouse. I know. I'm the worst mom ever. I felt so bad doing it, but working 40 hours a week and going to school is already exhausting without running on 3 hours of sleep. This led to us using the laptop for her to get to sleep every single night. Not to mention her father had put a television in her bedroom for what I'm sure was the same reason.
When Sophie was a baby, up until her father and I split up, she was very good about being laid in her crib and going to sleep on her own. I decided that if she could sleep that well when she was a baby, she could do it now. I bought her a bright Minnie Mouse nightlight and two days ago I informed her that she would no longer be sleeping with me or with the laptop. I have found that when I am going to do something I know she won't like, usually a pep talk beforehand lessens the drama when things don't go her way. A friend of mine had been posting about her use of essential oils on Facebook, and sent me a sample pack so I decided to incorporate them into our new bedtime routine. This routine now consists of rubbing the Peace and Calm essential Oil by Young Living onto her feet and shoulders and diffusing Lavender in her room about 30 minutes before bedtime.
The first night was of course a disaster. She didn't even throw a fit, she just laid there and cried and cried. Hopefully other moms will understand what I mean by that. She sounded so heartbroken. I offered to read to her but she said that she would rather be alone. She's a very stubborn and independent child. After she calmed down a bit I squeezed into her princess toddler bed with her and read to her for about 20 minutes. She seemed calm so I attempted to kiss her goodnight but she started screaming and crying all over again. I brought the Peace and Calm into her room, cuddled her, and let her smell it a few times. She almost instantly quieted and soon fell asleep in my lap while I sang to her.
Last night went much more smoothly. There were some tears, but once again I brought in the Peace and Calm and she almost instantly calmed right down. She wasn't quite ready to sleep because she had a late nap but she laid in her room with a book until she fell asleep about 15 minutes later. Needless to say I was awed, but mostly thrilled.
The worst part of this transition was the accusing "Daddy let's me have a TV in my room!!" that I got over and over the first night. I explained to her that Mommy and Daddy do things very differently, but she sounded so betrayed and upset that I felt terrible until I reminded myself that I was doing this for her. I would much rather we spend our time before bed reading or singing, not only for her benefit but for my own as well. I believe it is time much better spent than laying in bed falling asleep while she watches cartoons.
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