Cannon Sleeping Update: Sleep Training a Toddler

This might be one of the most honest posts I have written to date. Mostly because much of it I was not really ready to admit to myself until recently. 

If you follow me on Instagram at all, you would know, the last three years have included a lot of sleepless nights around here. Cannon is a million amazing things but one he has never been great at is sleeping alone. Much of that is probably because I snuggled the crap out of him when he was little but some of that is just the kid that he is. He will use a million and one excuses to not go to bed and specifically to not stay in his own bed or sleep alone. 

We have engaged with a sleep consultant, Jessica of Sleep Happy, and she was wonderful  and have tried everything they and the internet have recommended but he seems to be in a league of his own, and what we have come to understand is that we value our sleep too much to keep fighting it. And while that might sound selfish, it’s the choice we have made. 

While I wouldn’t call us co-sleepers, I wouldn’t not call us that. And that is ok. We have settled on a routine that is working for us know and know that he won’t want to sleep with us for forever. Have you ever met a 30 year old that sleeps with their parents? 

We’ve settled on sitting with him to get him to sleep at the same time as his (amazing sleeper) sister around 7 / 7:30 pm, which usually only takes about 5-10 minutes. We then get about 1-2 hours of adult time, clean up time, whatever we want before bed time for us. We then hit the hay around 9 pm and get about 3 hours of sleep until C inevitably makes his way into our bed “because he is scared.” Now here is the part where every expert says to walk them back into their room and reassure them etc. But we have chosen not too. We have chosen sleep, and that is ok. Is it ideal? No! Is it healthy? Who knows! But it’s working. 

And now the whole family is getting better sleep than when we spent sleepless nights fighting it and listening to one or both of them cry from being worked up and “walked back.” So, for all of the other mom’s out there… Find your guide, gather your info, consult, and then find what works best for your unit! There is light at the end of the sleeplessness! 

XO

E