Bedtime for Sam

I have worked very hard to establish a bedtime routine for Sam. I guide him through books, bath, pajamas and teeth, and he happily climbs into bed. I give him a kiss and within a few minutes he falls asleep on his own.

Routine is important, but I am not completely militant about it. If we are out late, I won't force an almost-sleeping kid into the tub. If Sam is feeling a bit off I'll sit by him for a while before he falls asleep. I assume his needs will just keep changing as he enters each phase of his life.

About a week ago, I waited too long to start bedtime. Sam was out of his mind, crying and carrying on like a crazy person. He needed a bath that night, so I let him bring his cars into the tub. He then clung to them as I dried him off, put him in pajamas, and brushed his teeth. He had never slept with a toy before, so I tried to take the cars from him as he got into bed. He screamed like I have never heard him scream before. I really didn't care if he slept with cars or not, so I put one in each of his little hands. Within 60 seconds, he was asleep.

Every night since, he has tried out a new toy. He slept with Big Bird and Cookie Monster, a truck, and a doll. Two nights ago, he took the little bear Grandpa Mark and Grandma Tina gave him when he was born. It plays music when its tail is pulled. I sat in the living room and listened to Sam pull the tail over and over, each time with less enthusiasm. Eventually it stopped all together and I could hear the bear hit the floor as Sam fell asleep.

Last night was a bad night. Sam had a short nap yesterday, which I did not account for when planning bedtime. He was miserable and sobbing as I started the tub. I had just finished reading to him from a book he had chosen from his bookshelf. It was a hardcover Disney book, one of a set of 18 my sister handed down from her kids to Sam. He had never looked at them before, but last night he acted like his life depended on being near those books. Trying to appease him, I carried his book into the bathroom, telling him it could come with. He stayed by his shelf, wailing, until I went out and found him trying to carry the other 17 books into the bathroom, too.

I choose my battles, and a kid wanting books is something I have no problem going along with. So I carried the little library into the bathroom. Other than Sam throwing #13 into the tub, hoping it would join him, bathtime passed without incident. He clutched #2 and #4 as I dried him and brushed his teeth. I set the entire stack next to him after he got into bed, and he fell asleep with his arm slung over #8.

Sweet dreams, Sam!