Sleep Here We Come

On my quest for better sleep for the whole household I have been re-reading, The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I had employed some of her techniques in Winnipeg and with the resurfacing of Jack's sleep problems I got the book from the library again. For anyone with children with sleep problems I would highly recommend this book. It gives you practical advice, that is more than just, "Let them cry." My little task tonight was to make Jack a bed time chart. I actually had quite a bit of fun, I found clip art on the internet for pictures of each stage to help him recognize the steps. Pantley says that toddlers need routine and order to ensure that their world feels controlled and sane. I did know this but perhaps have not been so good at putting it into action in the sleep area of our lives. Plus you have to make a bedtime routine enticing, not just bearable. With all of our struggles I know I dread bedtime and try to rush through it and stuff Jack into bed. (Not completely true, we do read stories etc. but I'm not very cheerful through the whole routine sometimes.) So that's my challenge to myself, to make bedtime enticing, fun, and expected.

In other news, we took advantage of Darrel's Friday off today and went for a riverboat cruise on the Edmonton Queen. It was quite fun, although Darrel spent a lot of the time ensuring Jack didn't hurl himself overboard. (It is so true what Somer and Stephan said, that the first three years really are suicide watch!)