We have been wanting to buy a single bed for RaeAnne so that she can sleep in her own room. Main reason is because Raelynn takes a long time to fall asleep and as a result, she disturbs Cheh Cheh who is a light sleeper when they are both in the same room.
First, we went to Fullhouse, Aljunied, their beds are not bad, a princess heart bed costs only about $350 and it is PINK. But we decided to get two pink Princess Emily beds from Piccolo house since the pink beds were on offer (usual price $799, now $703) because the quality is better (solid wood instead of compressed foam wood). Also, they are modular beds, so they can be converted into a bunk bed when the gals are older, maybe in upper primary. I am sure the gals will be thrilled cos I always wanted to sleep on a bunk bed when I was in primary and Secondary school but my mum just keeps bluffing me next year followed by next year when I pestered her so I never got to sleep in a bunk bed in the end.
We only have 3 rooms in our 5 room flat so it was a long work in progress for the past few school holidays to clear out the study, give away our dining table so that we can move the bookshelves to the living room and convert the study into RA's room.
The bed finally arrived on 28 Dec 2012. First night wasn't so good. RA didn't take to her new bed cos the mattress was too hard (from Seahorse, $39) even though she chose it herself. And because I didn't have time to wash her new bedsheets (having bought them from Aussino just the night before). So the bedsheets was hard like starch and smelled strange too. She asked to sleep in her old bed because she said it was softer, more comfortable and the bedsheets were smoother. After we insisted that she must sleep in her new bed, and hb slept beside her on the floor, she finally KO at 11.40pm. Not an early bedtime that we wished at all.
I took the effort to wash and iron her bedsheets during the weekend. Put lots of softener too. The bedsheets definitely felt and smelled much better after that. She liked her new bed much better after that. We have a book 'My first time in a big bed' and we have been reading this book to RA on and off for about 2 yrs. Last night, we read it to RA again and told her that if she can sleep on her own in a big bed, we will give her the certificate and stickers that are at the back of the book.
She was quite confident and said yes, she will sleep alone. But 5 mins after I kissed her good night, she went to Daddy for SOS and got him to lie down beside her on the floor because she said she heard strange noises. I went in again, asked hb to leave the room, reassured her that there is nothing strange in her new room. She had already slept in it for the last few days and nothing happened right? Even if there are any flying insects, we are just next door so she can walk over and tell us.
She cried a bit when I insisted that she try and sleep alone, but she didn't protest when I left the room again. 15 mins later, when I checked, she was sound asleep at about 11pm. Today, I gave her her certificate and blutacked it on the wall of her new bedroom. She went to sleep on her own again tonight.
Really proud of her and secretly, I do feel a bit guilty as if we are forcing her to grow up at just 5 years old. Actually, we have been procrastinating on sleep training these few years cos there is bonding at bedtime when all 4 of us fall asleep on a queen sofa bed and a cot bed for Mei Mei.
But now that I am working and will still need to do marking after the gals sleep, I can't be lying down and pretending to sleep from 930-1130pm every night cos it really takes too much time. Also, I don't like the idea of them sleeping so late every night cos they don't get enough rest. Also, I know of parents who sleep train their kids when they were babies ie. sleep in a cot in a separate room since the baby is born. Compared to them, sleep training RA at 5 years old is not that exactly young.
We still read bedtime stories to them together but either in RA's room or RL's room when they are drinking milk. After which, they will brush their teeth then go back to their respective rooms to sleep. But to compensate to RA, I spend about 10-15 mins talking to RA, before I tuck her in and leave the room.
I have to spend a much longer time with RL because she still doesn't get the concept of closing her eyes to sleep. Her eyes are always open and she will roll about or play in her little cot bed and KO suddenly around 1130pm when she is really very, very tired. Will need to find a way to make her sleep earlier too.
Slowly, one challenge at a time... ;)
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