Thinking Family Thursday

First off I want to apologize to you the reader...apparently somehow the links I created screwed up my blog main page so I had to delete a couple of posts....I'm sorry.

So today I want to talk about kids and bedtime.....

Photo credit CNN.com

 I am the resident softie when it comes to sleep training....I struggle with it as I hate it when the kiddos cry. My husband and I have co-slept with all 3 of our kids. Then when they enter toddler dome my husband takes over getting them to sleep as he is the sleep whisperer in our house.

If you have kids there are basically three schools of thought, 1) Keep them up late and they will sleep later. 2.)Put them to bed at a reasonable hour then deal with them waking up at 6 AM. 3.) Eliminate/minimize naps and that will make them more tired and sleep through the night.

We have tried all three of these strategies...the first is a fun idea in theory but hasn't worked for ANY of our children. The second is basically what we do now...some nights are better than others. Meaning sometimes they are more tired from their day and sleep longer and more throughout the night without getting up. The third and final idea we have never tried as children need naps. Whether it be laying quietly and reading a book or playing a game its good for them to quite down and just chill out. It is also good for mom and dad to get a break. We nap with our kids as now having 3 is wonderful but exhausting for my husband and me.

So the moral of my story is that there is no said "right' way. You just have to do what works best for you and your family. If you have any questions about your kids and sleep be sure to consult a medical professional.

Here are some of the latest and greatest tips/info on kids and sleep. If you are sleep training now good luck, may the force be with you. Cut and paste these into your browser as links aren't working for me for some reason....

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/sleep/schedule/routines-make-bedtime-fun/
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/14/bedtime.children/