Before going to bed...

So I've been meaning to post this question EVERY night that I walk into my boys room to check on them before I go to bed. It's like I can't not check on them! There have been nights where I was like, "No-don't do it." And then this feeling of guilt overwhelms me and I HAVE to go in and check on them. Last night might have been the first night I didn't because as I was about to-Anthony started to fuss.

Also-what do you do? I go in and make sure they are breathing. Anthony I can hear a mile away. Nicholas I usually have to go over and touch him or listen very closely for a few minutes to make sure! Sometimes I try to fix blankets/stuffed animals, but usually I don't mess with anything in the crib.

And-have they caught you checking on them? A month or two ago, I went in and I go to Anthony's crib first. I look in-as it's pretty dark-and I swear I see eyes looking back at me. So I look closer-and he moves! He was STARING right back at me! LOL! I ran out of there so fast!

This is my first poll-A) I hope I did it right and B) I hope it makes sense!

 

I can't sleep if I don't go up and check on them. I mostly go up to make sure they are warm enough and to put back any blankets/animals they've thrown out. But I also just love watching them sleep. :wub: They are so peaceful then. I love it!

And yes, I've been caught a few times. Mostly mine sleep very soundly and we have their noise machine pretty loud, so it's rare for me to get caught. When I have they look up like, "Mom? What are you doing here?"

 

I have gone in every single night (minus my recent hospital stay, first night I've ever missed) to check on them. We have no nightlight in the room, so I have to feel my way around. :laughing: Even if I hear them breathing, I have to put my hand on their bellies to make sure. Then I adjust pillows, blankies, whatever, toss a handful of binkies into Em's crib, and head out.

Yes, I have been caught. But since there is no nightlight in the room, I just freeze and wait for them to fall back asleep. On the rare occasion they wake enough to sense I'm in there, I pat them a little, tell them I love them, and leave.

I started bringing the phone in with me a while ago because it has a soft orange glow, so I use that as my nightlight. I remember going in one time, shined the light in Lauren's crib and she was WIDE awake. Ooopsie. :laughing:

 

Nope, never once. I am too petrified that I will wake them up, and then they won't go back to sleep!

Kevan breathes loudly/snores and tosses in his sleep, so I can usually hear him on the monitor. He also plays his Fisher Price soother at all hours of the night, LOL. I can't hear Karina, but I dunno, this is just one thing that I choose not to obsess about. (I have plenty of others, I'm sure!)

 

Yep, I check on all 3 of my boys every single night. I go into their room and turn on one of the Ocean Wonders Crib Aquarium things so that I can see them. I put my hand on their back to make sure they are breathing, move their loveys away from their faces and put them near their hands so they can grab them easily if they wake up and I put their pacifiers back within reach. Then I go in my older DS's room, turn off his CD and turn on the radio, dim his lights (he goes to bed with his lights on, so strange!), cover him up, and remove the book that he was looking at after we put him to bed. I make sure he's breathing, too. I just can't help that obessive part of me. Don't know why I do it, but I can't go to bed without it. Guess it is part of my ridiculous bedtime routine! :lol:

 

Usually it is DH who checks on them. He's usually in bed a few minutes before I am. I ask if he checked on them and 90% of the time he has. Once in a while he'll say no, he heard someone wiggling and didn't want them to wake up. If he hasn't checked, I go in and check. Both of us check for breathing, but I also make sure Karina has about 100 pacifiers within reach (only a slight exaggeration) because she will scream bloody murder if she wakes up and can't find one within about 10 seconds.

 

We haven't for a few months now... We had to go up the creaking steps and turn on the hall light and it woke them up most of the time, so now we just let them sleep.

 

Every night! I just can't go to sleep without checking... and no I don't think I've ever been caught. I fix blankets, adjust stuffies, make sure they are breathing, whisper I love you sweet girls, and then go to bed.

 

I check on them every night unless like you said, someone is fussing right before I'm headed to bed. Sometimes I'll still go brush my teeth, etc then sneak in. I have been caught several times. A couple of times I've had to hit the deck and crawl out of the room, usually I just run for the door! I make sure they are breathing and cover them back up if they aren't laying on the blankets.

 

I voted "sometimes" because I can count on one hand how many times I've done it. It has only been when they are sick and to see if they were ok, as in "to see if they are breathing" Otherwise, no because I'm afraid to wake them and they usually make enough noise that we hear them on the baby monitor.

 

Yes, either DH or I checks on them (all 3 actually) every night. We make sure they are covered up. No, we have never been caught, by the twins that is.

 

No, I am terrified that they will wake up and not go back to sleep :blush:

 

Both DH and I check on them every night. Until very recently, I made sure they were breathing, but I don't anymore. At this point I trust them to breathe. Mostly I just look at them, but I also make sure no one's fallen out of bed (now that they're in big kid beds), pick up dropped loveys, or rearrange a pillow that's fallen over someone's face.

They rarely wake up, but every once in a while (not so much anymore -- more when they were 1-2 years old) we'll go in and find someone just lying there with her eyes open. But even in that case, or if they sort of wake up when they hear us, they just stay quiet and so right back to sleep.

I used to worry a lot more about waking them up, but then we spent a couple of nights away from home when they slept on mattresses on the floor. They rolled off those mattresses several times a night and I had to physically drag/lift them back on, and they never woke up for more than a second. So now I know that they're very sound sleepers.

 

I voted sometimes and that is only when they are sick or they seem "off" before bed. When I do check I feel them to see if they have a fever...
I do check on my 8 year old every night though, I just make sure that he hasn't taken anything strange to bed--like a bottle of water or a game. And I make sure that his covers are on him and that his lights are out.
I'm sure I'll do this with the twins when they get older as well, but for now I'm too afraid I'll wake them and they'll never go back to sleep.

 

I still check on all of the kids before I go to bed every night. I have done so since my older DD of 4 years. I always check to make sure they are all breathing and make sure their animals are in line.

 

I usually just peek my head in the door before I go to bed. I can see them with the hall light on. DD still is in the habit of wiggling one arm out of her sleeper and having it go up through the neck hole (even on really tight sleepers, she's houdini) about once a month so I feel better checking.

 

My kiddos are light sleepers. I voted 'sometimes' because I might do it 3x a week. I have a baby monitor and can hear them. they have a nightlight and we keep their door closed tight. If they see a sliver of light through the door they holler and want up.

I dont like to disturb them, I know how important sleep is for them. On chilly nights I do go in and cover em up.

 

seriously, i thought i was crazy for still checking their breathing, but i honestly CANT not check....i have to, or i can't sleep myself. it makes me feel so much better that i'm not the only one, and that there are so many checking on preschoolers' breathing too....

if i can't hear them over their lullaby cd, i touch their tummy or back. i make sure pacifiers are in the crib and within reach, and also put back stuff from the floor--blankies & stuffies. they have a night light, but if i have to search for a pacifier on the floor i use DD's gloworm to guide me, i just have to make sure the music is on off because she likes to turn it on before she sleeps.

we don't cover them up because they sleep in long sleeves year round (or vice versa)--they won't keep covers on since they move around so much--and DS actually cries if he wakes up with a blanket on himself....they like to sleep on TOP of their blankies....

i have gotten caught, and i dread that it happens when i go in, because if they see me in there, they won't go back to sleep without me patting or rocking them. it's like they have a one time per night policy or something....they'll do it when i put them down for the night, but only that ONE time LOL

 

We have a video monitor, so I check in on them by watching that most of the night (until I go to sleep) and then if I wake in the night or if they wake in the night, I check the monitor first then decide how to proceed. So I don't go into their room to check on them, but I can see them. If I didn't have a video monitor I feel certain I would be in there a lot more.

 

I always open their door and go look at each baby and make sure she has her animal and paci in her reach. They have woken up before and caught me!

 

We share a room so its impossible not to check on them before I lay down.
I usually turn the closet light on and just make sure everyone looks comfortable and no one is sleeping sitting up or anything.

I have been caught on a few occasions but they usually just say "Hi Momma" and roll over.

 

I check on them when I come upstairs and then DH (who showers before bed) checks on them before he gets into bed. He puts on their blankets and moves Jake's paci closer. I do all that when he's away. I really can't sleep until I've checked on them and I've asked DH if he put their blankets on.

 

We have both sound and video monitors in their rooms. Prior to their 2nd birthday, I would still go in each of their rooms and check on them (especially to make sure they were breathing). After their 2nd birthday, I still check on them...but it is usually via monitors. If they are sick then I will check on them throughout the night. I probably would physically go in and check their rooms, but our DS' door creaks whenever you open it and he's a light sleeper. (It's funny because it would be easy for us to fix the creaking, but we choose to leave it alone because it also serves as an "alarm" for us so we know when our DS gets out of bed and opens his door. It's nice because we can be anywhere in the house and we know when he's up) :lol:

 

Sometimes I really just have to check on them. I check to make sure they are still breathing and to pull their blankets back over them. I'm with them all day long and, actually, miss them sometimes when they're sleeping ardon:.

 

QUOTE(SweetGirl @ Mar 21 2009, 11:52 AM) [snapback]1238253[/snapback]
Sometimes I really just have to check on them. I check to make sure they are still breathing and to pull their blankets back over them. I'm with them all day long and, actually, miss them sometimes when they're sleeping ardon:.


Oh-you are not crazy! I can not tell you the times DH and I have been like, "Let's go wake them up!" I am serious! It's crazy! The other night I was showing dh the photos I took of them at the park, etc... And then the slideshow went to when they were like 6 months old. I got teary eyed and wanted to go wake them up I missed them so much! It's crazy-it really is! :lol:

 

I go in and check on them every night before I go to bed-I still go in and check on my 4yo too
I usually just throw all the stuff back in their cribs that they threw out and make sure it isnt too hot or cold in their room and I will admit to making sure they are breathing. With my 4yo, I go in and cover her back up and kiss her on her forehead-she usually catches me and just wispers good-night, love you. Awwww.
Good poll!

 

I did once and that was enough for me. It was dark, I bagged into one crib and woke both babies up. My son is a light sleeper so he will wake up as soon as I open the door. I'll never do that again. I wish I could watch them sleep.

 

I never, ever go to bed without checking on the boys. I always make sure their blankets are on, make sure their stuffed animals and snugglies are within reach, flip on their little heater (because the house temp goes way down at night), I usually whisper that I love them and tell what good boys they are. If I don't go in for some reason, my husband always does.

 

I still check on all of my children before I go to bed.

 

i check on them every single night before going to bed. and i make sure they're breathing, and i do move any blankie or stuffed animal - that has escaped from getting thrown overboard - into the corner, AND if they have footless jammies on, i put their socks back on (cuz they're taken off immediately and thrown over) . they have never woken up from me putting their socks on! (they've shifted around, but that's about it) . i'm pretty brave lol

 

QUOTE(ddancerd1 @ Mar 22 2009, 09:00 PM) [snapback]1239716[/snapback]
i check on them every single night before going to bed. and i make sure they're breathing, and i do move any blankie or stuffed animal - that has escaped from getting thrown overboard - into the corner, AND if they have footless jammies on, i put their socks back on (cuz they're taken off immediately and thrown over) . they have never woken up from me putting their socks on! (they've shifted around, but that's about it) . i'm pretty brave lol


Yeah-I'd say your pretty brave!!!!

When I check on the boys-it drives my DH NUTS! He always starts shaking his head...especially if one of them starts crying. MEN(at least some)!

 

I HAVE to check on my kids at night. Even if my husband checks on them before I do (we usually do it together) I will go in and do it. I have to see that they are all breathing, and then I cover them back up. I cannot go to sleep until I know that they are ok...it's kinda crazy I know, but I can't help it!

 

You know those freebies you get at conferences or at the mall...well I have a flashlight keychain that I got once and we use that everynight to check the kiddos, and it only gives off a small amount of light, so its doesn't wake them up. We check every single night, but its funny I only just started doing that when they were about 8months old, prior to that I never checked before I went to bed, as I was too exhausted!

Although we have been caught on a few occasions, but they usually just look at us and roll over and go back to sleep. Sometimes they are wide awake, and we hit the floor and crawl out or run out of their room - it has never ended up with a crying baby - yipee!

 

I check on them every night. I put their covers on and put a sock on if it has come off which happens to S often. He likes pulling them off before he falls asleep. For the past few months, I even change their night diaper and give them a fresh one since nothing would stop them from leaking and waking early from being wet. I go to bed about 3-4 hours after they do and it is amazing how soaked their diapers are! I have very sound sleepers! They do not even wake during the diaper change!

 

I check my boys everynight...I go in with my little book light, touch their chest and cover them up. I've been caught but I just whisper its time to sleep, I love you...If I almost get caught I cut the light off real fast and slip out. Last night I went in and Alex was sitting up in his crib, that was wierd but I just tucked him back in. I can not sleep good unless I go in to check.