Last night was a long one. My little girl didn’t go to bed until midnight, when she finally fell asleep (probably after my hubby and I passed out) and then we moved her to her bed. I’m not sure what’s been going on with her sleep lately but it’s got to get fixed!
While we were all in bed with the lights out, she asked to go to the potty 3 times. Since potty training is new for her, I took her all three times even though I thought she was lying to me – she wasn’t. Then she told me she was hungry – after having her entire dinner (which never happens) and a bowl of cereal right before bed, I didn’t believe her. She cried and begged to eat, so I told her she can have a banana and nothing else. She wanted peas and carrots and insisted. So I rolled over and continued to ignore her, believing it was a ploy. A minute later she asked for the banana and only took a few small bites while playfully jumping and smiling in bed. I feel like I’ve been conned.
How do you know when your toddler is telling the truth? I never have issues with her lying, she’s only two. But to hear that your kid is hungry before bedtime is heartbreaking. When I was a kid, I would use food as an excuse for everything I didn’t want to do, but I was older!
Would you cave into your toddler asking to eat at bedtime after you know they ate well all day? I’m still not sure if she was truly hungry or just wanted to get out of sleeping!!
Wow! My oldest didn’t start this till he was 3 or 4, and my 2 year old doesn’t do this at all yet! I think your DD is a little older than Sophie, though. Sounds to me like she’s a smart little cookie! What I did when Kyle was little is this…Yes, it’s a little bit wrong, but it nipped lying in the butt early on… I told him that when he lied to me, a big brightly colored dot appeared on his forehead. It’s a dot that only Mommies can see, and it’s called a “Mommy Dot.” From then on, when he tried to fib, he would walk up to me with his hand over his forehead, which was a dead giveaway every single time! lol
My son always had a million excuses to get out of going to bed. He still does, and he’s six! I think at your daughter’s age, she’s at the point where she’s terrified she’ll miss something really spectacular. Plus, toddlers are just fickle, she may have been hungry until she actually got the food, then just changed her mind. They’re fun, aren’t they? LOL!
I don’t like to think of it as lying. That sounds too evil for a two year old. I like to think of it as pressing the envelope to see how and what they can make happen. They’re trying on their power. If you let them have what they want, but show very clearly the emotion you feel at being manipulated, it can be a good lesson. “Susie, I am tired and sad. I went and got you a banana and you really weren’t hungry. I think maybe you weren’t telling the truth. That makes me feel bad. How do you feel?”