to be DREADING tonight?

[TheOrchardKeeper]

Me & DS are at that part of the process when a toddler's been ill and their sleep pattern has gone out of the window and now they're better they need to get back into their normal routine. (He's 2).

This means a LOT of 'rapid returning' tonight and probably for the rest of this week.

I have an essay deadline this week and i'm so tired

Anyone want to come and tell me I'm being a wuss or recommend a way of staying awake enough to not cave in at 2 in the morning?

Would really appreciate it

I don't think you're a wuss at all, well done for doing it.
I was in almost the exact same situation a month ago with a newly recovered toddler and essay deadlines and it was awful, I was fraught and knackered!
I caved quite early on a couple of times and just laid down with him.
Obviously it took a bit longer to get him back in to his normal routine after that, but he's back in the swing of things now.
Good luck tonight and well done :)

You're not being a wuss, it's a difficult thing to do and really draining. You do need to do it at some point, but it doesn't have to be tonight. If it would be easier for you to get the essay out of the away tonight and then face the rapid returning tomorrow when you haven't got that stress hanging over you, that would make minimal difference. Wishing you all the best with it.

I might email my tutor and ask for an extra couple of days, as I find it a lot easier when I'm not thinking 'oh god, how can I write an essay when I'm so tired' etc. It's more the days that I find hard. DS is pretty good natured but it's so much harder to have any patience/keep your cool when you're knackered.

I know it needs doing and it only seems to take a week max each time. It's just knowing what's coming

I am not going to be his favourite person tonight...

And thanks for the replies! MN is pretty much my main source of support as DS's dad isn't very involved (and most certainly doesn't deal with any of this side of the parenting)!

Just keep saying to myself 'this time next week...'

would a nap help? I sometimes nap for 15 minutes when DS goes down at 7, then I can't sleep til 2 or 3am. DH does same sometimes but is then groggy for the evening whereas I definitely benefit from a short nap.
Otherwise a brisk walk can help too.
I would give your ds a warm bath, then into a warm bed with a few drops of lavender under his pillow (known as sleepy smell in our house) and start the bedtime process earlier than usual so that if he kicks up a fuss he'll have time to fit that in and still be asleep (fingers crossed) at a reasonable hour.

Thanks.

He goes to bed fine, happy as larry. But then wakes from about 10 onwards. He also wears a brace (for his clubfoot) which isn't an issue in itself but means he tries to take it off when he wakes up (and is getting better at doing so)!

I just need to not crack and fall asleep by his bed! I might try going to sleep when he does for an hour or something

Start bed time an hour later, no earthly use spending 3 hours trying to get a child to sleep on light evenings if they are all out of routine.

Start with a tired, cool and preferably bored child. Not an excised one you've just pulled in from a sunny garden.

Looking out the window, tonight might be ok.

Boredom is the key. DD1 would do rapid return for two hours and then get over tired and cry for 30 minutes.

Way better to let her come downstairs and play quietly for half an hour while I totally ignored her. You need to be very very very boring, no eye contact, no talking, no hugs. Read or watching question time with subtitles was brilliant.

That worked brilliantly, not only was mum boring, the people on TV were too.

After a while I generally found DD1 would go to bed no fuss.

I didn't have to do it very often, as DD didn't make a huge habit of being a pain at bed time (as long as bed was no earlier than 8) .

(DD2 just BF to sleep until long after she was at school, her bedtime was when my arm went dead).

Thanks, but it's not getting him to bed that's the problem. He's one of those midnight wakers

I do the boring thing before bed anyway though. No music, no tv, I 'read' a book, he plays with whatever few toys we've not put away.

I also do the no eye contact, no talking, no 'fun' when I go in to check on him etc but it still takes a few days everytime. At least it does work eventually.

I'm just trying to ignore the sinking feeling I've got in my stomach at the thought of it today

Can you just delay getting him back into his routine until after your essay is complete? I know you still get woken, but if you then go and stay with him, at least you get sleep for the rest of the night.

Then you can tackle his routine once you're more able to cope with it. (I used stickers to encourage getting back into routine for my twins).

I think i'll have to do it the other way around (as in doing this then the essay, and ask for a few extra days). He doesn't wear his brace when he's ill (as he'll only lie on his back so can't breathe well enough to sleep if he's got a bad cold/chest. The consultant we see said that's fine as long as he wears it as soon as he's better) so he needs to be sorted asap so his foot doesn't relapse.

It sounds worse than it is & he's never relapsed before and has a 'corrected foot' as far as the hosp is concerned but I worry when he's not worn the boots for a while.

His waking is more habit than anything else, as everything goes a bit pear shaped when he's ill & he gets used to the extra attention very quickly!

I've emailed my tutor.

Doesn't mean I'm not still bricking it about later though

Will definitely try the nap suggestion. Anything is worth a shot!

A little while ago we had to "remind" ds how to sleep after we'd had a tough few months. I was dreading it. But in the end, it only took one night. I think he knew what needed to happen, he'd just got totally out of the habit but once he realised I meant business, he just kind of fell back into it.

Good luck!

Thanks.

There have been a few times when he's unexpectedly given up after the first 'round' and I've woken up at 6:30 in total shock!

Ok...so he's just gone down (did it an hour later in case that helps).

He's still talking to himself but he fell asleep late due to nursery and not having his usual nap this morning!

Trying not to panic already

I am so tired.

Cracking it though.

Ah.

How was the rest of the night?

He eventually gave in fully at around 4, then slept til half 8.

He wasn't awake the rest of the time fully...just kept waking up every half hour or so & not really going back to sleep fully.

That should be the worst of it out of the way though & I didn't cave in!

Stupidly tired though

Hope you have a good night tonight.

How's the essay coming along?

Thank you!

I've tried to do as much as I could this morning & have a few days extension too so I'm getting there. Not as stressed now the dealine's been pushed back.

Am a complete grouch but it'll be worth it or so I keep telling myself

:)

Managed to have a sleep when he did just now too (which I haven't done in about a year...can't normally fall asleep in the day for some very annoying reason).

Hopefully tonight is easier...

Hopefully