Bed Time Blues

Baby M has been a great sleeper since the early days... she was sleeping through the night by 8 weeks. Aside from teething, she has really been a dream in the sleep department.   

My son, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

R has given me problems with bedtime since day 1. As a newborn, he needed to be rocked to sleep. He was a bruiser, born at 9 lbs 7 oz, so he would wake for feedings every two hours. Since his dad had hit the road, we co-slept. He needed to be close to me, I needed to be close to him - we both actually got some sleep this way... it worked for us at the time. Right around the time I met Jay, I was in the process of moving R into his own room. We let him pick the paint, the decor, super cool firetruck big boy bed - the whole nine yards. Needless to say, the transition did not go well. Getting him down was a nightmare. I tried every routine in the book. I would have to lay down with him in his tiny little bed until he fell asleep. Then I would have to slither out, and pray he didn't wake up upon my exist, otherwise we'd have to start the whole process all over again! He woke up at least 2 times per night, Every. Single. Night. Eventually he caught on to the fact that if he woke me up, he would be sent right back to his room. So, instead he started just sneaking into my bed and going right back to sleep.

Sneaky, but he was just so darn adorable as a toddler...

When we moved into our house, R loved the idea of having a bunk bed and sharing a room with D. Luckily, he started sleeping through the night right off the bat. Weekends are the best, because the four boys love going to sleep and having that time together before bed to tell scary stories and whisper secrets. Getting R to sleep during the week, however, has been a challenge we have yet to overcome.

R still hates bed time. He does not like going to sleep, regardless of day or time. He fights us every night of the school week. It's very frustrating to have a one year old who lays right down without a peep, and then have to engage in a power struggle with my 7 year old. I have tried putting him to bed earlier, thinking he is acting up because he isn't getting enough sleep. I have tried putting him to bed a little later, because he is getting older - and lets face it, it's easier than arguing. The typical routine could take up to an hour. There is whining, flopping around on the floor like a fish, running around naked - I'm getting exhausted just thinking about it! I think we need a bed-time routine make over. Something has got to give here. There has to be a way to make bed time a more pleasant experience.

Any suggestions? What works for you? Do you find differences between boy habits and girl habits? Any sure fire tips to help us shake these bed-time blues?

This momma needs some help, STAT!!!