Tuesday, July 12, 2011

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles

So, Denise walks into work last night and is confronted with a four year old, who, according to his mother, will not go to sleep, will not go to sleep without the television on, is being worked up for ADHD (did we mention that this child is FOUR YEARS OLD?) and will not stay in his own bed.  Denise introduces herself to Little Jakey (not his real name) and notices cookie crumbs all around the cherub's mouth and on the bed.  Not JUST cookie crumbs, mind you: these are OREO crumbs.  Which are made of chocolate.  Which is like giving a four year old, who is coming to a HOSPITAL for a SLEEP TEST, a double espresso.  Denise is able to get Jakey to go to bed with lights out and TV OFF at 9:15 (despite protestations from Mom.)  Jakey sleeps through the night with very few awakenings: a normal sleep study.  Mom also noted that, at home, Jakey is put to bed at 8PM and is awakened at 7AM.  For this kiddo, that is too much sleep.  Pushing bedtime back by an hour should assure that Jakey will sleep through the night.  Additionally, at home, when Jakey awakens, he goes into the parents' bed and is allowed to stay because THEY ARE TOO TIRED TO PUT HIM BACK IN HIS BED.  Newsflash: he ain't gonna go on his own, sistah.

So, what have we learned here?

  • Oreos are only to be eaten by the Sleep Technologists, who are very hungry.
  • It is OK to be a parent and to say things like "I am turning the TV off now" and "I am going to put you back in your bed now."  Especially when the child in question is FOUR YEARS OLD!
  • If a child is exhibiting symptoms of hyperactivity, cut back on the sugar.
  • A child's bedtime is not predicated on when the parent is tired of the child; it is predicated on when the child is tired.

3 comments:

Anita Blanchard said...

It's funny b/c our older son needed a LOT more sleep than our twins. And one twin is a night owl and the other is a morning bird--literally hopping out of bed with a big grin and great energy.

nancy said...

Oh man, I just got my ass kicked trying to change sleep patterns. I was tired of getting up at 5:30 w/ DS (who was VERY happy and was VERY happy all day long!) so I totally blacked out the windows of our bedroom so no sun would even THINK of getting in. Then, when he woke up, I played dead and he (gasp) fell asleep! Until 8:30!

I thought I was happy until he, natch, did not want to nap at 10:30 or even at 12:30. Then he REALLY wanted a nap at 4 and I wasn't really too excited about a nap that late in the day.

So basically, I got an extra 2 hours of sleep that morning in exchange for a whiny, clingy, fussy kid, who is normally happy, HAPPY, all day long.

Lesson learned, and I HAPPILY got up with him at 5:30 today.

Trixie & Denise said...

Ouch, Nancy! That hurts! A little is a lot in kiddie sleep world...sometimes even 15-30 minutes can make a difference!