“I want my fan on.”
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Can I take my shirt off?”

These are just a few of the MANY requests we receive every night as we try to put Little Bud to sleep. He invents a myriad of reasons for why he can’t go to sleep from night to night. Even as I think I’ve headed off each of his typical requests, he keeps inventing new ones. I guess I should be impressed with his creativity, but PLEASE go to sleep!

Little Bud is five years old now. Apparently, he is wired to resist sleep at all costs. Since he was one, he has been that child. The one who won’t put his head on the pillow, sit still or just rest. The one whose mom and dad look haggard and a little more worn down than most parents. The one whose parents approach bedtime with a battle strategy and a toolkit.

Now, you may be thinking, “He must not need that much sleep.” Well, I used to think that the expression bouncing off the walls was just that, an expression. That is until Little Bud has gone a full day without a nap and lots of playing. He will run around and around as fast as he can and talk non-stop. It sure seems like he needs to sleep!

According to sleep charts, Little Bud should be getting anywhere from 10 to 13 hours of sleep everyday between nighttime rest and naps. Ten to 13 HOURS a day?! Really? I don’t think Little Bud has ever even come close! Actually, if he did sleep that long, I’m pretty sure we would go into his room with a thermometer to see if he was sick.

Lack of sleep certainly seems to be a uniting factor for parents. Everyone has ideas for how to encourage shut eye. We’ve been told the secret is to stick to a routine–yep, we do that. Relaxing baths? Got it. We’ve tried lavender and hazelnut essential oils in a diffuser. We read stories together. We snuggle. We pat. We rub his back. I have even faked like I’m sleeping because I heard that sometimes your child becomes sleepy hearing your relaxed breath. No good for Little Bud. As I’m pretending to sleep, I cautiously peer through the slits of my eyes only to find him wide eyed and ready to play.

Do you have a secret for successfully getting your child to sleep? Please, by all means share it here! In the meantime, I’ve been summoned. At least this time it’s one I’ve never heard before…

“MOM! There’s a lizard in my room!”