Independent Sleep

This is a backdated post in a way. The children have been sleeping in their own room for more than a week already. For the record, they slept on their own bed in their room (the two of them are sharing a room) with effect from 2 October 2009.

It was a planned start -

Step 1: Aim to get Ashton comfortable sleeping on his toddler bed throughout the night
- started this in August when the previous maid was still around, I guess it was around the week of 17 August. He was alright except that the maid said he would wake up middle of the night to ask for the maid but quickly fell back to sleep

Step 2: Aim to get Ashley and Ashton to share a room and check if they disturb each other sleep
- 12 September 2009
The previous maid left the day before, so we moved the cot into Ashton's room. We decided to switch on the aircon for the two kids as they definitely sleep better in airconditioned room. Mummy slept on a mattress on the floor to accompany the kids in case they wake up at night. And we rushed to Robinsons to get the Avent baby monitor that comes with a "Talk" function, so that the parent can talk to the child to pacify him/her first. Daddy decided that he needed comfort sleep so he slept in the master bedroom.

Haha, but Daddy missed us and decided to bunk in with us from the second night onwards. This arrangement continued for 3 weeks.

Step 3: Aim to get the children to sleep independently and parents finally reclaimed their privacy!!
THE DAY: 2 October 2009
Mummy woke up feeling that it is the right time to move out of the children's room. They are pretty used to sleeping on their own. And, since we have bought the baby monitor, Mummy just have to dash to the children's rescue if they wake up and cry in the middle of the night. Thank God, it has not happened yet.

So there it goes and I have not looked back. Sure, we do missed having the children sleeping close to us. Sometimes, I feel its the parents who find it harder to adapt then the children. But the kids can't be sleeping with us forever, and there will never be a good time. So, to all parents who are contemplating, just do it on a day when you feel like doing so :)