Sleep Woes

What has happened to my champion sleeper? Ever since the great pacifier send-off, our KK has been struggling with going to sleep, staying asleep, napping, etc. Night time has particularly become a big control battle.

It is hard to know what to do as a parent. She genuinely seems to be struggling with the transition and having anxiety about sleeping without her passy companions. On the other hand, Gene and I see lots of signs of master manipulation of us, the parents... that control thing that is so representative of the three-year-old! She is the master of running through a list of continuous "needs" - cream for itchy skin, band-aids for boo-boo's, a snack, a glass of milk, a re-brush of the teeth, a potty stop, a move from the bed to the floor, turning the fan on, turning the fan off... you get the idea!

Tonight I tried making a reward chart... it seemed to be working pretty well. She loved getting stickers for "smiling for a picture" and "picking up toys". She even seemed on board with "going to bed by myself"- until it was time for me to leave. Tears and screaming once again ensued. However, the timeframe did seem to be much shorter tonight. After about 15 minutes, she started happily talking to herself and playing with her toys. It's been an hour and she still isn't asleep, but she isn't screaming.

One day at a time....