Phase 1 - everything goes pretty smoothly...pjs on, teeth brushed, stories read, buns pat, hugs given, blanket put on the pillow, fresh water served, nightlights on, good nights said...but then, something goes wrong.
Phase 2 - whining and crying about not liking her room, not liking purple walls, not liking the dark, not liking her bad, getting out of bed only to be put back in...lots more crying, screaming and sometimes, getting so upset that she's near vomiting.
Phase 3 - the girl is spent and so are we...everyone is tucked away in their beds...but wait...who is that whimpering while coming up the stairs and then standing and staring into our sleeping faces? Oy yoy yoy.
Phase 4 - it's the middle of the night and we are DONE. We lift Emilia up to our bed and let her sleep there the rest of the night in an effort to avoid going back to Phase 1 at 4 o'clock in the morning.
Something has GOT to give. I keep trying to remind myself that this is a phase and one that will HOPEFULLY pass soon, but until then...we need to figure out a way to make this better. We know that when it comes to changing a behavior, it's all about positive reinforcement. We didn't come to this realization right away. We tried taking away privileges and items that she values, but that wasn't working. So we switched gears and made an incentive chart, a lot like the one we used for potty training. When she fills a row with stickers, she gets a prize. Fill another row, get another prize. Fill the whole chart and it's movie night complete with popcorn and M&M's! She earns stickers by going to bed without a fight and by staying in her bed all night.
We are HAPPY to report that the chart is FULL!! Check out this accomplished smile :) Good job, girlie!!
2 comments:
This makes me very nervous for the future. Please take good nights as I will likely need them two years from now. :)
awe. poor girl. i feel your pain w/ sleeping issues; we've had our share. charts are a great thing. so glad to hear it's working. :)
Post a Comment