Sleep Sleep Sleep!!!!

i am a mom of 3 myself- mine are 6, 3, & 2- all boys, i truly can be exausting - it makes sense that their change has co-insided with the move. they might settle in better soon- my husband leaves early in the am too and i realized that he had been going down the hall to use the bathroom (not wanting to wake me) well, he was waking up the 2 yr old, so husband left house at 6 am- 2 yr old runs through house and wakes up other kids on way to mom- you know the rest of the story. my husband is now being more careful and if that doesn't work- i try making them to back to bed for awhile- sometimes it actually works- sometimes i have to grab a nap when hubby gets home!i would also skip the naps and have quiet time instead- then put them down at 8 or so for the night- good luck- K. b

Begin to calm things down toward the end of the day--no rough housing, certainly no TV, videos--any media. Work toward a regular bedtime hour, say 7PM, by moving bedtime back 15 minutes a night. Darken the room. Create a bedtime ritual that you can stick to. Bath, pajamas, teethbrushing, into bed, light a little candle, read or tell ONE story, sing or hum ONE lullaby.
Children thrive on a regular rhythm. Make sure they've had plenty of outside playtime during the day and regular mealtimes.
There is a book called "The Seven O'Clock Bedtime" Available from Steiner Books.
Children today become over-stimulated with drives in the car, media exposure, traffic noise, machine noises all around (vacuum, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, TVs and radios running all day etc.) So we need to help calm their sensory over-load. Striving for a 7 or 7:30 bedtime gives you some much needed free adult time in the evening and an earlier bedtime as well.
If you are in the Tampa Bay Area, contact the "Merrily We Meet" Playgroup ###-###-#### that is part of the Suncoast Waldorf School in Palm Harbor. There you can learn about Waldorf methods that you can incorporate into your home for a more peaceful family life.
Warmest regards,
B. Bedingfield

I don't believe that cutting out the naps will make them sleep longer the next am -that really rarely happens....and I would bet that you enjoy a little down time during the day as well!!! Often times if kids are not allowed to nap when they need it they get overtired and actually become more fussy and harder to fall to sleep at night....which would open up another can of unwanted worms for all of you! Since one of your little ones is only 2 I would think they still need some daily nap time.

I think they are just still adjusting to all the recent changes of moving and having them sleep seperately....Do they need to sleep seperately? Maybe together is what they still need and are looking for??? Can sleeping apart wait till they are a bit older... Can they be allowed to wake up and play something quietly??? Probably not so easy to do with the 2 year old.... I think that if you didn't have this issue before then it probably stems from the new sleeping changes... I would try to restore the old comfort level somehow, but remember, it's all just a phase and stage in their short little times as small ones... I know that doesn't give you more sleep, but it helps you sit back and think it's not so bad and this too shall pass...

They say that, although it is counter-intuitive, small kids and babies will actually wake up earlier if you keep them up later. The sleep experts always say to put them to bed earlier and they will sleep later. I haven't tried it, b/c my son and daughter don't wake up until about 7, but it's worth a shot.

For starters skip the naps. Some kids just don't need as much sleep as others. My oldest was always up bright and early while the youngest would sleep in or until waken. I gave her what I called quiet toys to play with in her bed if she woke up before anyone else. That worked pretty well for me. But also my Mom told me not to give them anything to drink or eat at night before bed. What you give do with them in the evening has a lot to do with their sleeping patterns. I would suggest not letting them have anything to eat or drink past a set time depending on what time you plan on putting them down for the night. At least two hours before. My policy was nothing after 7pm. Good Luck.

the wonderful gift of being a mother is the ability to handle children on 2 hrs of sleep. Trick is to take naps when they take a nap. My son has been going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 5am since he was about 6 months. He willnot sleep any later and on the weekends he gets up and wants yogart and he hits me and says mommy get up! not daddy. LOL Kids do not require as much sleep as us and they are full of energy. DVR any TV shows and go to bed at 8pm with your kids. You will feel alot better. I know I do