Throughout their growing-up years, children go through different phases, different likes and dislikes. There's no definite length for these phases and it's different for every child. My boy is currently going through a 'must have air conditioner during bedtime' phase.
It started some time last month. I usually switch on the air conditioner (AC) when I put the kids to sleep. Both of them sleep with us in the same room. Once the boy has fallen asleep, I'll switch it off then sneak out of the room. I'm still waiting for the day when he can sleep on his own. Sometimes if he's not in deep sleep, he'll wake up immediately when he hears the 'beep' sound when I turn it off. Back then, I just need to reassure him that I'm still around and he'll fall asleep again without fuss. But recently, he can't sleep back if he sees that the AC is off. If I'm not in the room, he'd get up and cry. It's the really pitiful kind of cry, as though he's been cruelly tortured. All I have to do is to switch on the AC again, cover him with the blanket and ask him to sleep. Then I leave the room. He has no problem sleeping without me when he's blurry.
There was a few nights he woke up at 5+, asked me why the AC was turned off. I told him it's cold and ignored him. He didn't sleep back till about 2 hours later (of course, disturbing me every now and then). :-|
To avoid the drama, what I do now is to switch on the ioniser (on the AC unit) when he disturbs me in the middle of the night. He's fine with that, although it's not cold. I guess he just wants the buttons on the AC unit lighted up. I doubt he's afraid of the dark as I leave the bathroom light on when they sleep.
Now that he can't live without the AC, I've got a very good 'weapon' during bedtime. If he makes noise/talk, I point the remote control at the AC and he'd keep quiet. If he plays with jie jie or moves around, I just point the remote and he'd behave. Seriously, like magic! hahaha But of course, he'd forget the threat after awhile. So got to threaten him a few times before he finally fell asleep. Sigh... when will this phase be over? One thing for sure, the electricity bill will be higher during this period.
Haha, AC as weapon! Interesting :)
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree with you for the different phases of likes and dislikes that a child will go through. Sometimes, their favors will just change overnight :)
definitely higher..AC consumes lots of electricity..but never mind for the sake of yr children..
ReplyDeleteYes..every kid is different. Maybe he is used to the white noise from the air cond? Boys usually are very attached to mummies. :) Your time will come, don't worry. ;) Enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteHow about trying a box fan or ceiling fan? It's probably the humming sound that is soothing. Just a thought!! Thanks for the sweet comments on my blog!!
ReplyDeletehehe CE quite cute yah. Bryan is the opposite - he doesn't like the aircon small light. Says it's monster's eye! *slap forehead*
ReplyDeleteWeather is quite hot at night too so it's understandable your boy wants air-con when he goes to sleep!
ReplyDeletepoint AC remote as weapon yeah! hahahahha... so cute! mine sleeps longer with AC switched ON, tested & proven. kids nowadays are so pampered kan? who's fault? the parents!!!! hehehe...
ReplyDeletewell i know air-cons are bad for us, esp they tend to make our skin dry too...
ReplyDeletei can actually live without air-con and satisfied just with a fan...but not for hubby.
i guess men hv a higher body temparature, so they tend to get hot or sweat easily, no?
but having an ionizer in the room too should do the trick...
Wow! That's a good trick! I think he equates no AC to no Mummy! Poor thing.. I still have to stay in the room waiting for my kids to sleep.. can't wait till they're old enough to do it on their own!
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty hot these days. I used to set the aircond timer for 2-3 hours. But these days, my girl will wake up shortly after the aircond goes off. So i've gotta switch on almost the whole night. pretty expensive!
ReplyDeleteWe do not have AC at home, right from the beginning because of health reasons.
ReplyDeleteBut I can't deny that a child sleeps better in an AC room... and comfort = Mommy Dearest.
So I guess, when the subconscious mind (which Never Sleeps) sensed that the AC is off = Mommy is Not Near.
That's how I see this...
HN, yup, they can be so unpredicatable.
ReplyDeleteWenn, no choice, for now.
Mummy Gwen, hmmm... no idea. If it's jes noise he wants, the stand-alone ioniser (which is switched on the whole nite) makes an even louder noise.
Debbie, we do hv the ceiling fan n stand-alone ioniser. They both emit enuf 'noise'. Dunno... he prob likes the whole 'orchestra'. :D
Paik Ling, hahaha maybe I shld start scaring him too. Errr... better not, it may lead to other probs. :p
Dora, when it's hot, I can u'std. But in the middle of the nite when it's freezing cold, he oso wants it to be on.
Irene, alamak! Own fault pulak. hahaha
June, the AC has an ioniser function. Altho I hv a stand-alone unit in the room, I use the AC one to trick him. :)
Priscilla, I think he's greedy, he wants Mummy AND air-cond! hehehe
Adrine, hahaha It's like they hv an AC sensor or something hor.
Angeline, I agree with u but I can't figure out y he insists to hv the AC on altho I'm sleeping next to him in the mid of the nite.
haha! did u ask him why he wants the AC light on? maybe get a bedside table lamp instead of using the bathroom light?
ReplyDeleteYesterday i was talking to a friend who has 3 kids, each sleeping in his or her room with AC. Her electric bill is 500 per month. I think I better train my kids not to be dependent on AC.
ReplyDeletemy children has been too used to aircon that they will sweat like hell and cant sleep without it!! They are simply too comfortable
ReplyDeletenowadays kids very pampered to sleep in a/c and ionier..but i guess our environment also quite bad...(polluted, mosquito)..
ReplyDeleteOps, Sarah needs air cond when she is sleeping since she was a bb.
ReplyDeleteI was not growing up in an "air cond" environment, but now seems like it is important for me.
Oh...actually I also can't sleep without aircon,so for sure, My boy also need aircon once he steps to the bedroom.
ReplyDeletehaha, good one! my 5yo also takes a v long time to fall asleep and when still wide wide awake counting past my 200th time pat, pat, patting him, i try and give him the excuse (but it's true) i need to get meimei to bed, too, and tell him i'll come back in 5 min to check on him. doesn't always work, but sometimes he dozes off while waiting for me, coz meimei's another one that takes a long time to fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteSame here. My girls can't sleep w/o the AC too. If I turn it off, they will turn it on again when I leave the room. The electric bill is a freaking RM400+ a month!
ReplyDeleteI think I will cry without the A/C too!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was jet-lagged, I was awoken by the A/C being turned-off due to power cut. No A/C really "beh-sai" lah...
urgh. bedtime necessities are irritating to me as well. gibran wont sleep on his own too. must cuddle against my blanket and my body. i guess one day we'll miss it but right now its plain annoying!
ReplyDeletedoes CE insist the aircond be on during the day too? if he insists it only when he wants to sleep then its not too bad is it ;) our fella wants it on all the time if possible because.. "macam dekat hotel, mummy!".. aiseyy..
Remote control as your tool? Clever mummy!
ReplyDeletehaha...really, every kid has its' own quirk, this is funny yet weird :D
ReplyDeletebut i'm sure very soon it won't work anymore...haha
it's really bore having to accompany kids to sleep, hor?? that's why we rather let them sleep on a mattress at the living hall while we watch TV, blek!
until we adults feel like retiring, only we(huby i mean) carry them up to the room BUT hor..
my fatty sean is now weighing 30+kg, i'll laugh each time seeing how my huby strives to carry him up... my poor old man, LOL!!
Wen, he doesnt give me a proper answer leh.
ReplyDeleteMich, wow... the bill's rocket high.
Rose, the weird thing is, they'll still sweat with the air-cond on.
Rachel, they're so used to AC, it's like a necessity edi.
Joanne, it's become a necessity, even for adults.
MeRy, actually we r the one who program the kids to need AC. :D
BP, oh, u still gotta accompany Ben to sleep. It must be quite tough sometimes. How nice if can split urself into 2? Or 3 or more? hahaha
Shireen, wah... so high.
NomadicMom, we're so reliant on AC now.
BabyBooned, my exact sentiment! Currently it's annoying, but I'm sure we'll miss it when they stop doing that.
Luckily he oni wants it to be on during bedtime/nap. Ur Gib's really funny lah. LOL
Jo, might as well use it against him. :)
Jac, alamak... ur poor hubs. 30+ kg wor. LOL
Can't blame him - the weather is SO hot nowadays!
ReplyDeleteMy gal can't sleep without the A/C too. Sometimes when the weather is too hot, she even needs the fan.
ReplyDeleteActually I can just sleep with a fan. No air cond for me is okay. But not for my hubby and also Xixi. So we set the AC timer to 3hours, then on the fan.
ReplyDeleteHaha... I threaten my son about switching off the lights when he refuse to lie down and sleep! :P He insisted to have the lights on lately.
ReplyDeleteJoyce, even when it's raining, he oso wants it on.
ReplyDeleteFussy mum, we sometimes hv the A/C n fan on at the same time too. :)
Serene, we used to do that, but not for now.
Doreen, *hi-5* Use it against them. hahaha