DH thinks that maybe this is a little harsh?

[McDreamy]

DD aged nearly 4 played up from about midnight 'til 4am this morning. This isn't a regular thing just happened last night. Anyway she has a birthday party to go to today and I told her if she didn't get back into bed and go off to sleep or read a book quietly then she couldn't go to the party this afternoon. She didn't settle until 4 as I have already said

So this morning when DH got up he asked me what I was going to do and so I said she couldn't go to the party. She is now asking if she can go and I am still saying no.

Is this too harsh? I don't really want to go back on my word as it's then meaningless. What do you think?

no not at all

sleep deprivatino makes you go mad

but I would feel so bad about it I would get all soft

if she carrise on doing it then I would get tough (eventually)

oops took me so long to read and enid has said it for me

Do you have any toys to sort out after the Christmas deluge? Maybe get her to pick some out to give to charity or wherever.

Something easy if you are both tired.

If it was me, I would go for a drive now (ie before 11am) and give her a 30 min nap, sort the toys out (or whatever her earn thing is to be) then try and tire her out at the party and put her bedtime back slightly.

I'm beginning to think you are right - I think I thought the tough approach would nip night time waking in the bud. I'm so crap without sleep

no I didn't mean you were a Bad Mom

I meant you wouldn't get as much misery from her about it

Thanks ladies you have all been very helpful. I feel a birthday party coming on! Feeling happier already. Excuse me for a bit while I go and find DD - I think we need a mummy cuddle!! [smile

See how tired I am I can't even get my smileys right this morning!!

ds1 has gone nocturnal since xmas- up leaping about someone where 1am and 5am most mornings- doesn't go back to sleep. We just lock him in his room if he keepos getting up and let him get on with it. I don't object to him being up and awake- he can't help that- but he has to learn to stay in his room and not run around the house, so that I can at least doze. Now if I tell him "stay in bed or door shut" he'll often stay in bed, or we use two travel barriers one on top of the other to lock him in. For some reason he doesn't seem to be getting tired. School are trying- chucking him in hydrotherapy, taking him out to the woods etc, but he just doesn't seem to need sleep.

I'm with Enid. I don't think it hurts to admit that you've been too harsh and back down once in a while. I think it's good for kids to see that mums make mistakes too and are willing to put them right.

Hope she enjoys the party and sleeps tonight!

I'm with Soupy on this one. Give her a reason to earn the party back.