Thank God for Technology

In the past few days, we've discovered a new tool: a TIMER!

We started using it to help the boys share games on Daddy's iPad. You know, that piece of technology I swore they would never know existed? Yeah, it's their favorite thing to play with now. Especially since he downloaded a ton of fun ABC games, puzzles and painting activities on there :) It's a good thing he takes it to work everyday or I'd never have a reason to keep it away from them! Anyway, we set it to go off after a minute and then they gladly hand it over to their brother for a turn. It's a lot better than us just saying "Okay, time's up!" With the timer, it's an external third-party telling them exactly when it's time to share. It's been working like a charm.

The thought occured to me the other day to apply this to bedtime, too. I had remembered reading it as a strategy in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, for kids who want to be held in the middle of the night. Dr. Marc Weissbluth suggested placing a timer under their pillow to go off after the allotted time so they would come to understand when time was up. Makes sense!

My boys ask us to sit in their doorway for "one minute," but that minute always turns into five...or ten...or twenty minutes. There'll be days that I'll (uncomfortably) sit there until they fall asleep, just so I won't have the hassle of having to sit back down again just to get them to go to sleep. And I've gotta be honest, at 33 weeks pregnant, it's just not comfortable to sit Indian-style on the floor simply waiting for two toddlers to nod off. But I do it because I'm just that desperate for a nap myself.

So tonight, I brought my cell phone with me. Yes, I've (lazily) been using the timer on my Droid. I told the boys I would hold them for one minute on the bed. They excitedly watched the timer click down, second by second, as they sat in my arms. And then they jumped down into their own beds when the alarm went off. Go figure. They jumped a little on their beds, but then I said I would sit in the doorway for two minutes after they laid down. Once they were convinced of my intentions, I set the alarm for two minutes and waited. "Two minutes up?" they incessantly asked. When it rang, Ben said, "Night, Mommy!" and I got up. I ignored Jack's cries (that lasted for about ten minutes) insisting on one more minute. I was grateful he didn't get out of bed, though. Even with the cries, it was progress!

A cell phone timer is helping my kids go to bed easier and stay there. Who wouldda thunk it?

In other news, last night was the fifth night in the row both boys woke up with dry underwear. The only reason they go through more than one pair a day is because they decide to change the character as their mood changes. I'll put a stop to that soon, but for now, this mommy is just grateful they care enough about underwear to keep it on!