The Imperfect Community

Scout · Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 7:34 am Post subject: Help! Night time SUCKS ROCKS!

Wow! I can't imagine how stressful it would be to have to worry that my kid was going to hurt him/herself in the house at night. My kids will call for me, but they've almost never gotten out of bed during the night. Joshua will sometimes get out to come to my room, but that's it. Calvin was scared to get out of his bed at night until he was like 5, lol. I feel so spoiled and lazy! I've never had to babyproof or put a gate anywhere. Having a tiny house has some benefits, lol.

As for the night waking/bedsharing, I guess I'm lazy again. I don't care where everyone sleeps, as long as we sleep. And things have really sorted themselves out so that everyone pretty much sleeps in their own bed now. If I can get my 8 yo to stop thinking he hears people coming in the house at 3:00 am, we'll be all set...until the new baby comes. lol I got a Moses basket for her, to put by my bed at night and around the house as needed during the day, so we'll see how that goes. Somerset was a good sleeper as a baby--cross your fingers that this one will be too!

DietCokeHead · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 29 Apr 2002 Posts: 3805

Kristy- Does Calvin have any white noise machine in his room, or a fan or humidifier? I was thinking that might help him not hear every little house noise and obsess about it? How many weeks are you now? Let's get that pregnancy ticker!

Scout · Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:55 am Post subject: Help! Night time SUCKS ROCKS!

That's a good idea--I hadn't thpught of that.
I'm 29 weeks! I'm so freaking huge.

Rebecca_R

If the child aspirated or hit their head, a locked door would not matter in those situations, would it?

It can be argued either way. The way I see it, if a parent is locking the door that would be the final thing, as in GOODNIGHT! And the closed door means they probably aren't going to be checking on their child, or hearing their child. But like some others said, they do use a baby monitor, I guess that makes it safer. But if a parent locks a child in the room, kids can get into things, or some weird thing could happen where they get sick or get hurt and the parent wouldn't know. But like some said, they use a baby monitor.

As far as a fire, it would have to actually start in their room for a locked door to be a danger (I'm assuming the parent would go get the child if the fire was elsewhere in the house!), and how likely would that be?

Again, it could be argued either way. One cannot say the fire would have to be in there room for the kid to get hurt. For example, in my house the boys room is closest to the kitchen. What if a fire started in there and the child was not able to get out. This is the reason I think an enclosed space is not safe, the child could not exit if needed. Or what if someone was trying to break in the child's window. Again they could not exit. Now, I know you'll argue this is *so* unlikely. And it is! But these are the things that come to my mind when I think of locking a child in his/her room.

Not that I'm for locking doors, but I don't see it as a big threat to their safety.

It probably is not. And like others have said, they feel they have to do it because they have kids that would wander in the middle of the night.

Rebecca_R · Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:44 am Post subject: Help! Night time SUCKS ROCKS!

Wow! I can't imagine how stressful it would be to have to worry that my kid was going to hurt him/herself in the house at night. My kids will call for me, but they've almost never gotten out of bed during the night. Joshua will sometimes get out to come to my room, but that's it. Calvin was scared to get out of his bed at night until he was like 5, lol. I feel so spoiled and lazy! I've never had to babyproof or put a gate anywhere. Having a tiny house has some benefits, lol.

I agree, I think that would be stressful. I'm lucky in that aaron likes to scream his ass off right when he first wakes up, until we console him and he fully wakes up and realizes where he is. Nate, is old enough, and pretty easy kid, plus a heavy sleeper. I don't worry as much about him. Question, do some of you lock your kids in at that old of an age? Nate is 5.

We are also very laid back about sleep. But that is because the kids are heavy sleepers, plus easy sleepers. I know it is stressful for a lot of people who do not have kids that sleep so easily. Sleep is so important, and if your not getting enough of it, or good sleep, you will do anything to get it! I have many a friend that has told me about stressful sleep situations with their kids. I really feel for them.

Rebecca_R

honeybee · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 20 Dec 2002 Posts: 3163

Question, do some of you lock your kids in at that old of an age? Nate is 5.

Ethan is not locked in. For one he is a big chicken lately and he will not get out of his bed at night for *anything*. Even in the morning with the safety of sunshine, he comes running at warp speed into our bed, fast you know, to outrun the ghosts. Wink

Plus, I'm hoping one of these days he will actually get up at night to potty, rather than still needing Pull-Ups for night. Confused

ExCareerGal

DietCokeHead · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 29 Apr 2002 Posts: 3805

Update:

I am making some progress with Molly at bedtime- got a nice box of bribes that I let her pick from if she sleeps in her bed all night and doesnt come into our room. So far it's been 2 nights of goodness.

Although, tonight she asked me to please not lock her door, so I told her she had one chance to stay in her room and if she got out I was locking the door. 5 minutes later, there is a SLAM from upstairs. DH went to her room, she's not there. He looks in our room, nothing. Finally he opens Jack's door and Molly has pulled her stuffed lamb into his room and climbed into bed with Jack. She announces that she is sleeping in Jack's bed! LOL! Dh couldnt get her to leave the room, she ran to the corner and sat on Noah's ark and refused to move. So, she got carried into her room, yelling, while Jack slept through the entire scene. Laughing

honeybee · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 20 Dec 2002 Posts: 3163

Molly CRACKS me up! Laughing

Glad bedtime is going better now! thumbright

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:15 am Post subject: Help! Night time SUCKS ROCKS!

Two things that worked with us:

First off, both kids had the nightmare stuff going on at that time. Dream catcher. Worked like a fucking miracle. They totally get sucked into it. And, if they get a bad dream, it's because the dream catcher was dirty and needs to be shaken outside to clean it.

Second--a CD/cassette player in their room. They pick the music at bedtime, you set it up. If they cry, then the music is OFF. For some reason, this totally kept my kids glued in their beds. We have tons of those Scholastic books with tapes, too, so they can listen to the story being read and flip along in the book. They'd be out by the end of it.

You need to set the rules up ahead of time though, so there aren't any surprises.