We are in Week 6 of our mission to get our toddler, Smarty Pants, to fall asleep on his own, with us outside of his room.  If you have been following this series, you will know that when we started, it seemed like Mission: Impossible.  I am now happy to say that we are starting to see a sparkle of light at the end of this long, sunless tunnel, and this is a very exciting and positive update that I couldn’t wait to share.

If you haven’t been following along, this will make more sense to you and have a lot more meaning if you first read the introduction to this series and at least Nights 1 and 2 of this mission, to get a feel and appreciation for where we were when we started this weary-eyed marathon.

We're almost there!

It is hard to believe that it has been six weeks. We had some trying and challenging nights along the way.  The payoff is approaching and the fruits of our labour are showing.

When I wrote about our progress last week, we were on the floor at the foot of his bed while he fell asleep on his own.  This week we took a giant leap forward, hedged our bets, and started leaving the room after completing his bedtime ritual.

How did it turn out?

It turned out fantastically.  He accepted this change without any major complaints.  We just told him we were going to be right outside his room and that we would check-up on him every 5 minutes.  He agreed.  So we left his bedroom door open and his nightlight on.  Every few minutes we went back to check-up on him, and by about the third check-up he was asleep.  We were amazed to say the least, and continued with this routine the next night.

And the next night, and the next night.  And every night since.  Each night has gone the same way.  I can safely say we are on the road to fruition.

This morning Smarty Pants even said to me, “I slept all by myself,” with a big smile on his face and a hop in his step.  Hearing this made me really happy and proud.  I gave him a hug and told him that he did great.

If this keeps up, by next week I will be signing off this mission as Mission: Accomplished.  So next week you can expect another positive update (I hope!) and a full summary on how we reached our goal.

Until then, happy sleeping, and please share any comments or questions that you have!

Flickr photo courtesy of Wally G

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