My daughter is turning four in April and she hasn’t had an afternoon nap in two years. When it started happening I felt like I will faint. That hour a day when she was asleep was a God send for me and not having it was just a nightmare. I needed all the coffee in the world to function and became a bit cranky. But, like any other change in my child’s life, it came, it stayed and it changed me forever. I soon learned how to live with the no nap stage and my body just rolled with it.

Last year we changed her baby bed with a big girl bed and it was all a bliss. For a while at least. She started to take ages to fall asleep and now she really is the queen of stalling bed time.

First she will just run around the house trying to avoid bath and then once she is in she will just cry not to come out.

We put PJ’s on and she will climb in bed waiting for a bedtime story. At this time I am trying not to go crazy as she takes ages to choose the book she wants. We read the book and I tell her how much I love her. I wish her a good night and kiss her. Don’t think it’s the end of it

IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING

She then will wish me good night but as for cuddles. I pick her up from bed and cuddle and kiss her for few minutes. Move her back in bed and once again I wish her good night. She replies with pleads for another story. One last story and here we go again.

I read the story and leave her in bed.

Two minutes later I can only hear: “Muuuummmyyyyy!” – she needs a wee cause why not. She just went five minutes ago. I raise my hands in defeat and take her toilet. She just sits there for few minutes stating : “I think my wee wee is very funny now. My wee wee doesn’t want to come out”. And there is my patience going away now.

Take her back in bed, go sit on the sofa so I can hear “Muuuummmyyyyy!” again. This time she wants water and she will drink it like she never had water before. My mind goes to “Please don’t wee in bed mode” but she don’t care. She just drinks it because it’s another method of avoiding sleep.

“Muuuummmyyyyy!” comes next with “My tummy rumbles. I think I am hungry!” Don’t think she hasn’t eaten because she did. She ate before bed but I am a sucker and she knows she can get away with this. I cannot send my child to sleep while hungry so with this, she will get out of bed and come living room smiling in her own cute way. Oh, she will eat. She will eat all you give her because it keeps her away from going to sleep.

After food I get her in bed and tell her I don’t want to hear any more sounds. I will see her in the morning. She will grab my arm and close her eyes. I need to pat her bum and she will eventually fall asleep. I am trying to recover my arm from her grab and and just look at her beautiful, innocent face. She won again

She used all methods possible and managed to drive me mad but now I just smile at her sleepy face. I survived and now, I can just go sit on the sofa for five minutes so I can start dozing off as soon as.

How does your little one avoid sleep?