The Great Escape, A Toddler Story...

So I have been reading many books and have spoken to many different parents on how to make your baby sleep in their bed through the night. My daughter has done very well for her toddler self. She pretty much sleeps through the night, but something seems to happen every morning around 5am. She would wake up, like clock work, and stand up in her crib, hand firmly placed on top of the crib-rail, and with a confident voice she very clearly demanded, "UP!". This meant that she wanted to be taken out of her crib and placed in the bed with her parents. Awww, how cute right? Wrong! Once I began noticing this pattern day after day and week after week I knew I had to put a stop to this. She could not get in our bed anymore, enough is enough. Our bed was made for 2 people, not 2 1/2. And she has the nerve to be a wild sleeper when she tries to get comfortable in our bed. Hasn't she heard the saying, "Two is company, Three's a crowd"?The nerve!

I have heard that you should: 
-Play soothing music and rub your toddler's back until they drift asleep. 
-Put a blanket that carries your scent in the crib with them so they can believe you are there. 
-Let them cry until they fall asleep and they will learn to self-soothe.
-Include their favorite toy in the crib so they can feel like they have a partner in the crib with them.

I have tried everything but allowing her to self-soothe and since I wanted to make sure she became accustomed to staying in her bed until it was time to wake up, I meant business.

Here it is:

The Great Escape, A Toddler Story

I put my daughter down for a nap and she began to cry. I laid her down and told her it was time for her nap and gave her a kiss. She cried, cried, and cried. I walked out of the room and closed the door slightly, where I was able to peek through an opening and still see her in the crib. I was trying to let her self-sooth. My plan was to come in the room every 15 minutes to check on her, rub her back and tell her its nap time. This never occurred, because she didn't even make it past 10 minutes. Well, she kept crying. Then she stopped crying and out of desperation she began shouting out all the words that she knew. Out of the blue, I began hearing her yell: "Mom", "Up", and then she started singing her abc song, "apple, apple, ah, ah, ah".

After a few seconds she realized nothing was happening, her mom was not going to come get her from her crib, simply because she wanted her to. All of a sudden there was complete silence. I now hear a jiggling noise coming from the bedroom. As I race to the door to see what the noise was, I witness my daughter on her tippy toes with her little hand gripped on the doorknob opening the bedroom door. With the residue of dried tears that streamed down her face, she looked up at me and ran towards me and wrapped her arms around my knees, and began climbing up my body until she reached the top, as though I was a tree. When she reached the top, she laid her head firmly against my chest, let out a huge sigh, and while I'm in a state of disbelief that my tot just climbed out of her crib all by herself, within 3 minutes I looked at her little face and she was fast asleep.

How did you find out your toddler could climb out of their crib?

What methods did you use to keep your toddler from climbing out their crib?   

Pregnant Teachers or Soon-To-Be Pregnant Teachers

If you're a Teacher who is pregnant or plan to become pregnant?

Know Your Rights.


Fellow Teacher Mommies:

You have a right to take a leave of absence from work at any time during your pregnancy or after your little baby is born, only if its during the 1st. year.

Its so important to know your rights and what you are entitled to as an employee. Your employer cannot discriminate against you. As long as you come back to work within the allotted time frame, you will have a job so don't fret.

The hardest part will be getting you away from your little bundle of joy, so you can begin work again.


To read more about your rights as a NYC Teacher with a baby bump, check out the links below:

Maternity and Child Care Leave

Maternity Leave

2 Guys Go Into Labor

Click Here:

2 Guys Go Into Labor

These men, probably speak for most men who believe that women "Exaggerate Everything". Well these two guys think childbirth couldn't possibly be as challenging as women say it is. So, they decided to try it out for themselves with this little experiment. 

It's interesting to get a male's perspective. Now imagine going through this pain for hours. Hmmm. New-found appreciation for women, huh fellas?

What do you think:
Should all men try this, so they know what their pregnant girl friend or wife is going through?

Mompreneur, Camille Richard Soap Business

Camille Richard proves that a mom can do it all. She's a Mom, Wife, Student, and a Entrepreneur all wrapped up in one!

"Amadora" is this mom's ravishing handmade soap business, where she adds a personal touch to every bar.

Great to give to family, friends, or simply to pamper yourself after the kiddies are down for the night.

"Amadora soaps make great gifts today and all year long. Made with goats milk and contain no harsh detergents, they are super moisturizing and soothing to even the most sensitive skin. Each bar is intricately designed with sparkling abstract colors and swirls, and no two bars are exactly identical. Our soaps are also "Kosher/Halal friendly" as they are vegetable based and contain no beef/pork by-products."

Beautiful bars. Lavish Lather. Delightfully Aromatic! 

Pick up a bar and show your skin some love. 

Live, Laugh, Love & Lather!

Support this fellow Mompreneur at:

Amadora Soaps Facebook Page

Purchase Amadora Soaps at Etsy

Baby DJ School

Here's something New and Exciting that you can do with your little ones...

Something outside of the box...

Cute & Fun way to create Memories...

Turn your Baby or Tot into a song mixing, disc scratching DJ...

The kiddies are guaranteed to love it and you will all have tons of fun.

Baby DJ School

For ages 3 months to 36 month

Locations:

Fort Greene

Upper West Side

Upper East Side

Crown Heights- Park Slope

Your Home

They even hold Kid Dance Parties

Check 'Em Out!!!

Baby DJ School