Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Snooze button


There comes a point in every child’s life when they progress from a cot to a bed.  Some would see it as a rite of passage, others a form of nocturnal torture. Me, I’m leaning towards the latter.

We have arrived at that point in the road with the short one, probably at greater speed than initially anticipated, but who ever said children were predictable, clearly didn’t have them.

The short one is now enjoying her evening reclines in a side-free toddler bed.  This decision was made hastily following the short one’s curiosity leading her to impersonate a contortioning projectile from the cot confines.  A decision, she may argue, she is all good with, but one that I must admit I am not ready for, and perhaps won’t be until she reaches teenage years. 

I long for the days when pre-dawn awakenings are not an attractive prospect.  

I long for the days when upon awakening and quietly tiptoeing down to our bedside that she realises that it is best for everyone’s wellbeing to leave a sleeping parent lie.

Whilst the bed concept is a safer option at this stage of her career, it may inadvertently lead to unsafe options. Having your face massaged with all the gentleness of a sledge hammer before the sun has even shown up could lead to involuntary actions not perceived as overly encouraging. 

We are now considering our options for enclosing said toddler bed.  Our best option so far is turning it into a hot house; whilst the perfect answer to prevent escape, it will also assist with the acceleration of growth and development towards teenage years when sleep problems are quite the reverse.

Now where is that snooze button?




2 comments:

  1. Great picture!!! And, I wish you well with this dilemma!

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  2. Ahh what larks! Early morning larks, ha ha. We had a closed door policy at our house. If mum & dad's door was closed DO NOT ENTER. I found leaving some nice books etc close at hand for when they woke helped. The message was you don't have to stay in your bed, but you DO have to stay in your room. And isn't it grand to be able to pontificate and sound so convincing re child rearing now that mine are in their 20's and 30's. Needless to say I didn't get this white hair for nothing! Now is the time for a pet (or sibling!) to keep her occupied in the morning so she leaves you asleep. And I have to say that when they're teenagers and want to sleep 17 hours a day all you will want is for them to GET UP! Good luck and sweet dreams.

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