Single, six kids and going to be debt free!

Mumoffourkids · 29 January 2018 at 11:47PM

He has two cushions which he sleeps with but unfortunately it's also me he is attached to. I have managed to leave him now he is asleep and I am hoping that he will eventually go to sleep on his own. Unfortunately he has always been attached to me and has always slept far better when he is next to me. Because my life is so busy, I have gone for the easy route of sleep rather than getting him to put himself to sleep! I know it's my own fault but eventually he won't want to sleep with me:rotfl:

Oh and he doesn't have his own bed at the moment because he never slept in it so I had a change round. It will stay this way until the summer probably because my eldest needs her own space to revise for her GCSEs. When they are done, I can have a re-think of the bedrooms or I might be able to find a bigger house!

joeyjimbles · 30 January 2018 at 12:45PM

Sleeping patterns are so tough. DS1 is a night owl and always has been, was a nightmare to get him to go to bed and then get up on time in the morning. He's still the same but fortunately GCSEs, A Levels and now uni mean that he's learned to sort himself out - but can still sleep endlessly during the day as he'll be up til 2am if left to his own devices.
DS2 was the complete opposite - I used the Baby Whisperer technique on him from a few weeks old and he took to it really well. Sadly he was quite ill last year and needed serious meds which have really wrecked his sleeping pattern, he regularly becomes nocturnal so I get a broken night too which as he's a teenager is a bit of a shock to the system. We've just about got him back on sleeping in the evening and most of the night but it's taken two weeks and I just have my fingers crossed it lasts more than a few nights before it changes again.
How old is DS?

Mumoffourkids · 30 January 2018 at 1:55PM

He will be three at the end of February Joey. To be fair he has always been this way and none of the other kids have ever had problems sleeping so he was a bit of a shock to the system. I am just going with my little plan of getting him to go to sleep a bit earlier each night with me sat next to him. Once he is asleep in my bed, he does tend to stay asleep.

Previously I was getting him to go to sleep in my bed and then moving him to his own bed (he wouldn't wake up), but then if he woke an hour or two later and realised he wasn't next to me, he would be back in bed with me. So I am just sticking with the plan of he will be sleeping in with me for the foreseeable future and at least I get a good nights sleep. I get very grumpy if I don't get enough sleep!!

joeyjimbles · 30 January 2018 at 4:09PM

I think if you find what works for you then that's the best thing.
I did however do a quick google check and there is a baby whisperer forum and there are lots of threads on toddlers + sleeping so there may be other advice out there if this doesn't work (obviously I hope it will).

Mumoffourkids · 30 January 2018 at 4:17PM

I am going to have to google baby whisperer now as I have never heard of that!

I think as you say whatever works for you. I just didn't have this problem with the other five kids, they just used to sleep!

Hopefully my plan will be that he falls asleep quicker and quicker each night in my bed with me sat next to him and then eventually I can not be sat next to him and he will fall asleep.

But I will definitely have a look at baby whisperer so thanks for the hint.

Spendless · 30 January 2018 at 8:07PM

Boys and sleeping patterns _pale_ I also got a 'thinks sleep is an optional extra' from birth! Wouldn't sleep at night and got up at early o'clock in the morning! As he approached his 12th birthday he at long last started sleeping longer, but still didn't want to go to bed and sleep!

Now he's a few weeks from turning 18 and not much better. One of his college days starts at 10am and on a few occasions he's slept through it - it finishes at 11.30, so he's missed going :mad:

He sleeps through normal alarm clocks, I've watched one go off next to him asleep, he doesn't flinch, so we bought him a sonic boom one!

Frequently in the hols he'll end up on the time zone of another Continent. I am hoping he gets into Uni and the having to get up will sort him out, especially if he gets into the favoured place with the accommodation only minutes walk away.

Make sure you don't fall asleep too when you put him to bed, happened to me (and DH) on more than one occasion.

Mumoffourkids · 30 January 2018 at 8:49PM

Haha to your son. My ex was a bit like that, when he was asleep pretty much nothing would wake him up!

I’m currently sat in bed with my son now and no sign of him going to sleep yet but I am feeling pretty tired, so you’re not far wrong from telling me to not fall asleep myself:rotfl:

Drawingaline · 30 January 2018 at 9:01PM

My eldest and youngest are night owls. One of the others takes an age to get to sleep and is often awake in the night for a stretch(he is autistic and it is common apparently) but he just lies quietly and is no bother. My daughter went through an awful spell at age 11 which involved me getting barely any sleep and I was working 2-10 at the time and getting up at 7 for school runs etc, it was not a happy house. She has melatonin now which has helped, but mostly just maturing and realising not sleeping until 2am isn't the end of the world and keeping me up just involves arguments and screaming :rotfl:

The smallest takes an age to wind down, he often goes to sleep in our bed (he shares with his two brothers) as he likes his own company. We lift him to his own bed when we go up, and once he is asleep he normally stays asleep. Unfortunately he won't tell us he wants to go in our bed, just mucks about until we move him, causing mayhem and annoyance to his brothers.

Mumoffourkids · 30 January 2018 at 9:21PM

So the little monkey is still awake. I’m surprised because he hwoke up at 6.30 this morning and hasn’t had a nap today. No sign of him falling asleep either. Meanwhile I am struggling to keep my eyes open!

Mumoffourkids · 31 January 2018 at 7:56PM

So last night I fell asleep not long after the little monkey fell asleep. Consequently this morning was a complete rush as I didn't get everything ready last night.

The little monkey is also very tired now but every time I ask him if he wants to go to bed, his answer is no. He will be going at 7pm again tonight though and hopefully will fall asleep a bit earlier than last night.

Nothing to report in money saving news. I had to buy petrol today but will probably need to top up again at the weekend as the girls are playing rugby and it is miles away!

Also my work are changing our payroll date from the third Thursday of the month to the beginning of the month. The new payday won't happen until beginning of may but it will mean that we are paid on 15 February, then 22 march, and then not until 3 may. So I have had to update my spreadsheet to see if I can cope as my big bills are at the end of the month and that is what I usually use my wages for. I think I should be ok but seeing as I pay people, they have said I can have an advance if I need it! But it means that I need to work out payment dates for all my bills!

Single, six kids and going to be debt free!

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