Rainn Wilson on son Walter's bedtime excuses

Like many parents, The Office‘s Rainn Wilson and his wife Holiday Reinhorn have struggled with explaining to son Walter McKenzie that going to bed means it’s time to sleep. In an appearance on Jay Leno last week, Rainn, 42, shared that his son has come up with many diversionary tactics to avoid drifting off into dreamland.

Walter is a challenge. We’re trying to sleep train him now. He’s 3 ½, but we still have him in a crib. They say to keep them in a crib as long as possible — like a little prison. We put him in the crib and then we go downstairs and then we hear this very plaintive voice from upstairs, trying his damnedest to convince us to come back upstairs and get him out of bed.

We’ll hear, ‘I’m hungry!’ Then it will be a minute later — and we don’t respond — and we hear, ‘I’m cold!’ And then he’ll be like, ‘It’s morning! I can see the sun!’ And then, ‘Mama! Dada! I need a hug!’ Then he gets even more desperate, he’s like, ‘I need to check my email!’ It’s a lot like working with Steve Carell, actually, now that I think about it.

Source: The Tonight Show; Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

Comments

jk on May 21st, 2008

Good Grief, I think that they are mistaken…they have our son upstairs!!!!!!
Those are the EXACT words and excuses our 3 1/2 year old uses! Holy Cow! And, we just took one of the railings down from his crib and put up a safety rail…he still stays in his crib until we come and get him even though he can very well get out on his own. We have friends that put their children into “big kid” beds at 2 1/2 or even earlier and really, all the of them regretted it. They had kids walking around the house at all hours of the night or getting up to play, etc. Our 2 1/2 year old is still in his crib but just does this fake cry..he doesn’t know what excuses are and which ones will work but I’m sure he’ll get there very soon. Good luck to the Wilson family…

SJ on May 21st, 2008

The best part of the interview was when he showed a ‘picture’ of Angela Kinsey’s baby Isabel which turned out to be a picture of a baby mocked up to look like Dwight

Speaking of Angela. I’d love to see her baby

Hannah on May 21st, 2008

He is so stinkin’ funny! “I need to check my e-mail!” Hahaha!

Erin on May 21st, 2008

“I need to check my email!” LMAO!!

Sadie on May 21st, 2008

thats the first time I’ve seen his wife, she is really pretty!

Liv on May 21st, 2008

I actually thought 3 1/2 was getting a little old for a crib. I don’t know anyone who still had the kid in the crib at that age. They would usually have a smaller twin or I could understand taking one of the sides off(and possibly having a side rail like someone else mentioned). I think it would be harder to transition to a bed since he has been use to the crib for so long.

Rebecca on May 22nd, 2008

lmao that is priceless, i need to check my email!

as a live in babysitter the girls i babysit will have an excuse everyday to delay their bed time but they have YET to tell me they have to check their email.

thats priceless, gotta love a kid with a sense of humor

dippy on May 24th, 2008

they need to swap the crib for for proper bed with removable railings to avoid falling out of bed whilst sleeping

dippy

dippy on May 24th, 2008

their son walter need to have his crib swapped with child-sized single bed with removable railings that can be put around the bed to stop him from faling out whilst sleeping

dippy

Meghan on May 29th, 2008

I absolutely love Rainn & Holiday. And, I can’t believe Walter is 3 & 1/2 already! That’s too funny about the crib… because we are all about having our son (who just turned two) in his crib. We can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like to try to keep him in a “big boy” bed, so it’s good to hear that perhaps we have a bit longer to keep him in his “prison”!

They really are such a wonderful family (that includes their two dogs!) and deserve every bit of success and happiness that comes their way.

N on May 30th, 2008

My 2 year old is in a BIG boy bed….. He sleeps in a queen and never gets out.

jazzy on June 12th, 2008

My 3 1/2 year old still sleeps in bed with me. I sure hope he didn’t make his son cry it out when he was littler. that is damage for a lifetime.