You’d think Dex would be a pro at moving house. As serial renters, Craig and I have moved several times since over the last few years. We’re not addicted to the stress and excitement of it, our priorities just seem to shift annually (our latest home is closest to Dex’s new preschool / primary school) and well, that’s the advantage of renting.

Yet all this upheaval can be hard on little people. If we drive past our old home, Dex will still point up at his former bedroom window. He loved that room, and slept beautifully within it. He was in bed by 7.30pm and a Boeing 747 would have to smash into our house to wake him before 8am the next morning. It was the same for the house before where some of his happiest times were in his nursery at bed time.

House number three was where we decided to finally let his cot bars down. Yet again, he made the transition with ease and seemed to revel in this new responsibility of sleeping in a big boy bed. There was no fuss at bedtimes, he’d voluntarily run upstairs, choose a book, and wriggle under his duvet ready for some one-on-one time with his daddy or I.

Yet this latest house move has been a struggle. At three years old, he’s got a firmer grasp on his surroundings, and is determined to test each and every boundary we set. As potty training is in full swing, we’ve dropped a stair gate to grant him access to the bathroom, and in response he’s adopted a new bedtime alter-ego “The Nighttime Assassin“.

He’ll pretend to be settling down, then the fun will begin. He has two favourite spots; the top of the stairs where he’ll peak through the banisters to watch the television, or our room where he’ll hide under our duvet, often curled up like a cat at the foot of the bed to stand a better chance of securing a spot with mummy and daddy for the duration. The only way to prevent Agent Dexter from a bedtime mission is to physically get in bed beside him and wait for him to fall asleep.

No more. We’re determined to put an end to this naughtiness before he revs it up a gear and ruins his routine altogether.

Here’s the plan:

The theme:

Spider-Man is Dexter’s greatest love. He has a zillion toys - bought by mummy, donated by friends and family, or simply found routing through 20p boxes at car-boot sales. When you have a character with such a rich history, there’s no end to the paraphernalia (and it seems to breed of its own accord in my house).

If we go for a walk, Spider-Man comes with us. In fact, Dexter’s Spider-Man collection is now pretty well-traveled and has even been on holiday to Lanzarote & the States. His school bag is Spider-Man, his PJs are Spider-Man and he’d have the films on the entire day if I wasn’t so fussed about my sanity.

So we’re going on a Spider-Man offensive… if this doesn’t result in a love affair with his new room, nothing will.

Spider-Man Cuddly Nightlight £27.60 (Great-KidsBedrooms.co.uk) / Spider-Man Nightlight & Torch by Phillips £9.95 (Great-KidsBedrooms.co.uk) / Spider-Man Pendant Light Shade by Philips £25.20 (Great-KidsBedrooms.co.uk) / Spider-Man Ultimate Reversible Cushion £8 (Great-KidsBedrooms.co.uk) / Spider-Man Glass Decal £18 (Great-KidsBedrooms.co.uk) / Spider-Man Marvel 3D Light - Spider-Man £29 (Very.co.uk) / Marvel Comic Justice League - Duvet Cover Set £12.99 (YorkshireLinen.com)

Tweaking the routine:

No longer will my little guy be going to bed at 8pm. If it’s taking us a good 2 hours to settle him, he can mount the stairs at 6.30pm. That doesn’t mean to say it’s straight onto tooth-brushing and story-time, I’m quite happy to sit on his Spider-Man rug and play jigsaws and whatever else so he’s sufficiently tired-out before bringing out the Roald Dahl.

A slow retreat:

Expecting him to stay put in bed whilst we’re cracking open a bottle of Pinot and cuing up House of Cards on Netflix is over-ambitious.

All the advice out there suggests we need to assist him in getting to sleep. Right now, this means laying with him until the finger-sucking stops and the snoring begins. Having him become too reliant on this however isn’t good for anyone. So I’m going to take a book and perch by his bedside. Over time, I’ll decrease the distance between myself and slumbering child. He’ll still be reassured, yet I won’t have to squeeze into a single bed and faux-snore beside him.

 

So that’s the plan. Anyone else got a Nighttime Assassin on their hands? Or do you have any other tips on how to maintain a sleep routine in a new home? All advice gratefully received!