That strange white sun is the miracle. It doesn't look like much but it truly is a miracle. It's a Good Nite Lite though I feel it would be better named a Good Morning Lite because that's what it has delivered.
Both kids have always been good sleepers, they go down for naps and to bed without too much of a big production and when they sleep, they really sleep. With the introduction of the big girl bed when Ben was born we had some rocky times getting McKenzie to go to stop playing in her room and go to sleep. We had overcome that issue and were sleeping good but then in January when McKenzie was potty trained and we moved to no diapers at night we opened the flood gates. Not with accidents in the bed, she's great about that but with the excuse of going potty for getting out of bed or waking up super early and getting into our bed to "have some milk and watch a show." This routine consisted of her waking me up, me getting up, taking her downstairs to let the dogs out and get her milk then me turning on cartoons and half sleeping for a bit more. Not a good start to my day. Something had to change and so I turned to my good friend the Google and discovered the world of kids sleep issues and the things you can do to influence those issues.
When I originally found the Good Nite Light, looking at their website I imagined is as a large clock like item that would hang from the wall. When the box arrived it was much smaller than I had imagined and then I opened the outer box to find a much smaller box inside and then opened that to find a plug in night light. Plugging things in where kids can reach them is not the best plan when you are trying to use said item to 'influence' them. So we rigged up an extension cord and the light hangs off McKenzie's dresser where she can see it. The basic premise is we pick a bedtime and set the clock for the blue moon light to come on then it stays blue until the time we pick for wake up and then it turns yellow like the sun and McKenzie is able to come out of her room.
It took a little getting used to but now not only is McKenzie staying in her room until the sun comes out she is actually sleeping in longer so it's already the sun when she wakes up. For little kids who can't tell time it gives them control over knowing what they are suppose to do. When it's blue you stay in bed and sleep and when it's yellow you can wake up and get out of bed.
Ben will definitely be getting one of these if we ever let him move to a big boy bed. One plus of it being a small item is it will definitely be traveling with us so we can sleep in away from home too.
2 comments:
We may have to invest. Oour problem is not getting up early, it's playing in his room for 1-2 hours before going to sleep. Thanks for sharing these little tips.
Who would have thought. The irony of all this is that when they're teenagers the never get up and the entire problem reverses itself. Happy sleeping!
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