When Little Mr A was a baby he was not a good sleeper. It is mainly our fault as we would cuddle him to sleep and then he wouldn't want to be put down so he would end up sleeping on me downstairs until it was time for bed and then usually slept with us, it was very rare he slept in his cot. We did have the odd 6 week stints where he would sleep in his own bed all night but these were few and far between. As he got older we tried to get him to sleep in his own bed but very little worked. I remember for a long time we would sit by the side of his bed waiting for him to go to sleep. This could go on for 2 hours at a time and, by the time he was asleep, it was time for us to go to bed anyway! We tried the controlled crying but I just couldn't stick to it - he would get himself so upset and worked up, it didn't tire him out and just upset us all too much.
Whilst Big Mr A was working away during the week it was quite nice for me to have Little Mr A in with me at nights and made it much easier too! It was however a bit of a pain when Daddy came back at the weekend and wanted his side of the bed back!
When we moved to Hull, again this caused problems. Little Mr A's room was initially a long way from ours and he would not sleep in it, every night he would come into our bed. Even when we moved him to a new room and new bed, most nights he would come into us.
When I got pregnant, and we moved again, we were determined Little Mr A would have to sleep in his own room. We couldn't have two children in the bed every night, plus, with him starting school, he needed to get a good night's sleep! Thankfully, since we have moved, Little Mr A seems much more settled and sleeps really well, in fact some mornings we have to wake him up for school!
So, just as we get one sorted, we have another baby to cause us lost sleep!
It all started so well with Little Miss A. I was determined the only thing I would do differently the second time around was to sort the sleep routine out earlier. When tiny she would go into her moses basket or crib and sleep, without any fuss. As she got older and moved to her own room and own cot she would go down at 7 and not wake until she needed feeding.
Then the teeth started coming through and the problems started and, for the last couple of weeks, sleep is becoming harder and harder to come by! She is fine during the day, although her naps are becoming shorter, it is nighttime that is the problem!
She has her milk around half 6 and then has a cuddle until she falls asleep (going against everything I said I would do, I know!). At the moment, as soon as I put her in her cot, she wakes up and starts crying (or sometimes waits until I get to the bottom of the stairs before crying!). We have tried to leave her in her cot to settle, however, she won't, she just keeps on screaming. We have to get her off to sleep by rocking her. Once back to sleep (usually around 8) we get an hour, maybe 2, before she wakes up again wanting more milk.
She used to go back to sleep fine after having this milk, however, the last couple of weeks she has decided she doesn't want to be on her own and, if we put her in her cot she will just scream. With Little Mr A asleep in the next room we can't leave her for long as she will wake him too! She has been coming in to sleep with us, which is what I said I wouldn't do again! If by some miracle she does manage to go to sleep in her cot, she always wakes up in the night (usually around 3 or 4) and ends up coming in with us anyway.
You would think, not getting much sleep, she would lie in in the mornings, but no, she is still wide awake every morning around 6!
When I'm tired it bothers me that we haven't been able to sort out Little Miss A's sleeping routine. Then again I think they are only small for a very short time and it's nice to have those cuddles whilst they last. I know it won't last forever and is just a phase she is going through and I am more relaxed about it than I was with Little Mr A - I just hope we manage to get her sorted earlier than we did with Little Mr A!
What do you think? Are you more strict or as soft as us?!