Been 2 days and I’m going pretty good with the no yelling challenge. I’m 95% there 😁(In case you haven’t read my last post, I set myself a 30 day challenge of not yelling at my kids.) Yes it takes A LOT of patience. And the creepy crawly urge just crawls up your brain when you are already past bed time and P still hasn’t even changed. Her cousins have come for their summer vacation so I can’t totally blame her…. but still 🙈 

Her day starts at 6 am and of course the next day it’s going to be the same story at bedtime. So little by little it piles up everyday and by the end of the 2-3 days it’s KABOOM! The meltdown happens coz she hasn’t had a restful sleep. She has always been this way. She can stay hungry but she can’t stay sleepy. She has to have her rest properly. 

Ever since she was a baby I have always been very particular about her schedule. Her sleep, nap, food. It goes by the clock. And by and large she has been a happy child. I have also kept it the same with A. I notice the day even 1 goes off we are in for crankiness and irratable behaviour. 

A lot of times people will tell you and you will be tempted too. What’s there in half in hour. She will pull through. But that half an hour can cost you peace for the entire day. Only after P turned 6-6.5 she can sustain a late night. Or late meal. But like I said earlier , it can’t pile on. 

Sticking to kids schedules is crucial for their proper growth too. Giving them enough sleep and inculcating healthy sleep and meal habits starts very early in life. If in these formative years their body develops them , they will be stuck to it for life. As we all know less sleep can be a major cause for stress even in adults. So why make little kids go through it. 

If your child is behaving cranky and difficult, look out if she has had lesser sleep than she should. The below table always helped me assess whether they are getting the right amount of sleep. They might not be 100% accurate but 0.5-1 hour less than the table mentioned seemed fine for my kids.