Sleep is one of my most precious commodities! I'm lucky enough to have a "good sleeper." However, there are times night terrors, requests or sickness keep my daughter up at night. As parents, we want to be there for our children. Still, there are certain phrases and noises I dread hearing in the middle of the night.
# 7 "There's a _____ in here."
In the dark, kids see the strangest things. Visions of spiders, monsters or imaginary people can cause fear in even the best sleepers.
# 6 "I want to sleep in your bed!"
For some people, co-sleeping is not a big deal. I don't mind when my daughter comes into our bed in the morning. However, when she tries to crawl in at midnight, we typically send her back to bed. Kids can be pretty persistent so you have to decide if a family bed is something you want or not.
# 5 "I'm hungry!"
"I'm hungry" can happen when your kids didn't like the vegetable casserole you made for dinner. It can also be a ploy to get out of bed. Or it can be genuine hunger from a growth spurt. You decide.
# 4 "I'm scared!"
For 3- to 6-year-olds, nightmares are pretty common. For a short period of time, my daughter had a strange fear of dolphins. Go figure!
# 3 "I wet the bed!"
Wetting the bed is something that even young elementary-aged children can still experience. Other kids seem to have "super power" bladder control. However, if your child has an accident in the middle of the night, this entails changing the clothes and the sheets. Those mattress protectors can really be a lifesaver at 2 a.m.
# 2 "I feel sick!"
This is the phrase that often precedes vomiting or other ailment. The last time my daughter was sick, it was simply an intolerance to food. However, the sheets still needed to be changed and her teeth had to be brushed. A drink of water, clean sheets and 20 minutes later, she was sound asleep.
# 1 Crying/Screaming
Hysterical crying is the worst because it often comes from babies. Without the means to talk, figuring out the reason for the crying can take some time. My daughter was always pretty good at self-soothing. Thus, when the crying went on for a long time, I knew there was something else wrong.
Taking care of sick or scared kids is part of the parenting job description. While I always want to be there for my daughter, I still like a good night's sleep; at least, every once in awhile.
Sources:
Margolis, Dawn Dealing with late-night visits from your child babycenter.com
Is It a Food Allergy or Intolerance? Webmd.com
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