The sleep torture that is Christmas

[Sleeptorturde]

We're away visiting family and had a few late evenings with the children this week. They're usually very routined and both asleep by 8pm. Over the week they've been getting increasingly tired and it's now all just unbearable, and Christmas hasn't even started!

DD (5) has gotten into the habit of napping as she's tired from the late evenings but then she's not ready for sleep at night even when we're home and not doing anything (probably because of overexcitment too). Tonight she fell asleep at midnight. Bloody MIDNIGHT.

DD(1) who's usually a brilliant sleeper has had nights of being awake for 2 or 3 hours through overstimulation, or (as tonight), waking screaming every 1.5 hours.

I'm exhausted and losing my mind.

We've tried to keep every second day low key and plan-free for them to recuperate but it's still been too much. I feel so bad for them and am also hating life. Any tips on not letting it get to me so much so I don't despise every second of the next couple of days?

Definitely remembering why we've tied ourselves to the house in the evenings for the last 5years. It's just not worth the hassle.

Ugh. Would long walks help? Tire 5yo out physically to help give her brain a rest. Never my idea of fun but it did make a big difference in getting mine to sleep.

That's a good point @PingPongMerrilyWithPie I realised today we'd not been outside or walked since we got here, so that's not helping things.

I feel so bad, my 1 year old is desperate to sleep, but everytime she falls asleep she then startles herself awake and screams in frustration.

And when both DC are miraculously finally asleep DH and I are keeping each other awake (or waking DC again) through endless coughing.

So, so done with it all.

Ah are you in a hotel and therefore easily waking the kids? I honestly have found that it's just not worth it sometimes. I get that it's Christmas etc but it's also YOUR Christmas. We've done it before where we drove hours to see family, exhausted ourselves and exhausted out at the time 9MO DD and for what? None of us enjoyed it and our baby wasn't able to get enough rest in because nobody understood how much she needed her naps and her bedtime. We've decided to learn from that experience and we get a lot of eye rolls when we say no to things and explain that it isn't worth taking DD away from her house and out of her routine. Some kids just don't cope with it as easily as others and that's okay!

Yep, painful. Why we stay home and anyone wants to come to us is welcome.

@Wfhandbored We are in an Airbnb so it's a good set up, I think it's just the overstimulation. Can't even imagine if we were all in one hotel room, shoot me now!

Before we left, DH and I had already discussed not doing it again as even the lead up to it was stressful and we wished we were just staying home.

Now I'm definitely, definitely sure we are staying home next year as I shouldn't be wanting to cry with tearful DCs in the middle of the night the day before Christmas!

DC have really been loving it in the daytime and enjoying themselves with their cousins so I feel bad, but overall until they're a bit older I think we need to do it for our sanity.

Oh OP it sounds like you're really going through it. I sympathise - mine are the same at similar ages. Any events with the In laws or weekends away with them are the same for us!!

Thank you @Eileen101 . I just let it get to me so much I can't even fall asleep now they're both asleep again, what a nightmare! Hope you are home with your LO and having a better time!