Oh the lovely battle of sleep.  I’ve struggled with what I “thought” to be the right thing to do with sleeping and then finally came into my own.  I let my kids sleep with me! There I said it.  I also let my kids take books to bed.  Whew that felt good to get it out there.  I don’t believe in crying it out for me, although I will let them fuss.  Now, at age 3, I can tell when they are crying to try to pull one over on me, or they are truly upset.  Now when I say they sleep with me I don’t mean they start off in my bed.  They very faithfully follow the routine and hit the hay without complaint…most nights.  H has always been a great sleeper so this article mostly pertains to L.  Usually at the 11:00 hour I hear the sound of a door open and the little sleepiness come walking to my room.  She just pops right in, curls up and goes back to sleep.  I don’t even think she knows she’s doing it.  I used to put her back to bed but now I wait patiently for that sleepy head to make her way to me.  Everyone is always preaching about keeping kids in their bed, and letting them cry it out, and self sooth and why?  Why does it matter where they sleep if everyone is sleeping happily?  They are going to outgrow it so fast and then I’ll be praying for those nights again.  Honestly, do you know anyone with a 16 year old child that stills sleeps with her parents?  Now L has a different story because she has tummy issues and it took almost a year to get her squared away and so we spent most nights together.   She also is a known sleep-walker.  Luckily she always walks to our room.  But in daycare she will get up, maybe move around and then fall back to sleep.  I never knew she did it during her nap time until I was talking to the teachers.  They moved her away from the door just in case.  Usually her sleep “walking” is sitting straight up, wide eyed, maybe giggle or says something and then falls back down.  It still freaks us out when we walk into her room to check on her and she is sitting straight up staring.  Ewww heeby jeebies 

Next, let’s talk about books.  I have a “friend” who reprimands her child if she sneaks a book to bed.  Why?  Isn’t it wonderful that your child loves to read?  Maybe she isn’t settling into nap time as quickly but she is developing a strong love for the most powerful tool she will ever have.  I fall asleep reading.  It’s great for the mind!  Why do we want to, in any way shape or form, associate a negative connotation to books!  Am I wrong here?  My girls bring a book to bed at nap time and bed time.  H usually falls right to sleep but L will read for 10, 20 minutes and then she is out.  In the morning they usually grab those same books and ask me to read them.  I just don’t see the downside.  Unless of course you child is throwing them and being a wild man but I don’t think that has anything to do with books and more with your child.  Please help me understand this.

Do your children have any unusual sleep habits?  Sleep walkers? Night owls? Tips or tricks?  I would love to hear all about them!

For the record if you chose the cry it out method, good for you.  I don’t think badly of anyone who does it, I simply don’t think it was the right choice for us.