Last year around this time I wrote my first blog about (lack of) sleep. Then a couple months later I wrote about the importance of sleep and offered some tips on how my wife and I try to help establish a routine that helps our kids get as much sleep as possible.  Last month I wrote again about sleep and trying to avoid the sleepy kid blues. So since apparently I write about sleep all the time now…I thought I would write about some of the funny (and not so funny) things kids do when they’re supposed to be sleeping that can thwart even the best of bedtime routines. Sleep has been at a premium at our house lately so these are still very real and fresh in my brain.

My son gets a bedtime story and cuddles every night before bed.  He also gets to listen to a kid-friendly radio station as he goes to sleep and gets four books to have in bed with him to read before he falls asleep to help him calm down.  In spite of this…he still will come out of his room multiple times every night to complain about not being tired, needing a snack, going to the bathroom, or just wanting to know what we’re doing.  My daughter has taken up the habit of pooping an hour or so after she falls asleep. Our kids share a room so we put my son to sleep in our room and my daughter to sleep in their room. When we go to bed and bring him into their room we are often greeted by a certain aroma that lets us know we get to change our sleeping toddler’s diaper again.  We’ve actually become very good at changing these diapers and getting her right back to sleep with minimal disturbance!

My son also currently leaves his bed to come into our room every night.  We have a little bed next to our bed and usually attempt to put him back in his bed the first couple times, but often exhaustion and his determination to get “extra cuddles” win out and his bed stays empty most of the night.  My daughter will most of the time go to sleep fairly quickly without much fuss. However, sometimes she just can’t seem to get comfortable or just wants to keep talking or playing. She will stick her feet in between the crib bars, often realizing later that this was a mistake, and will purposefully toss all of her binkies overboard.  We know it’s all over and we have to go in and try again when she’s standing at the corner of the crib and yelling for us.

What interesting sleep (or non-sleep) habits do your kids have?  We hope you’ll share with us some of the funny or frustrating things kids do around bed or nap time that keep everyone awake in spite of the most well-intentioned routines.

This is fatherhood…