The Great Bedtime Battle...

Every child has that one thing, whether it be a bad habit, behavior trait, or little quirk that can drive their parents bananas! Our little Chloe is a screamer. It doesn't matter if she is happy, sad, tired, you name it, she loves to scream. We are amazed that something so loud and high pitched can come out of such a little body.
Ella...well, she would prefer to stay awake and bypass both nappies and bedtimes and not miss a thing (at least she thinks so). After she turned three it became more and more apparent that her daily afternoon needed to become a thing of the past. So, with hesitation we have slowly begun to eliminate it...she does okay on most days without the nap, but we have those days where she is tired (with the crankiness to prove it), but just does not want to give into it. However, once the sun has set and clock creeps closer to 8:00, we brace ourselves for the great bedtime battle. Okay, so I am being a little dramatic, but getting Ella into bed and keeping her there all night is no easy task...

We begin with changing into our jammies, brushing our teeth, going potty and reading a book or two. She always appears tired and ready for some good shut-eye upon completion of our routine, but it is usually not the case once we enter her room. We have tried many different strategies to help her bedtime anxiety and they all seem to be a temporary fix, but we some how manage back where we started.

I often times talk to my mom when I just don't seem to have an answer, and lately this bedtime battle seems to be the topic of our conversations. Thank Jesus for moms and grandmas!! She is an amazing encouragement with endless suggestions...

Our current motivator: The Princess Chart (wish I had one of these, its pretty cute)

It is a chart with a Disney princess theme where a grand castle awaits her arrival...she has little stepping stones that represent one night of good sleep which lead all the way to the castle doors. Ella had so much fun creating it with her grandma, and for the time being it seems to be all she can talk about...let's hope it does the trick, if not we will keep on trying!!

Construction

Adding the final details

The Princess Chart

One stepping stone down....