Posted by kcmura on July 05, 2009 at 21:17:49:Our son believes that he does not sleep and fights us on going to bed every night! He just turned 5 and for the last 3 years we have been dealing with him not going to sleep. We have had a consistent bedtime routine since he moved from his crib to his bed at 18 months. We have tried everything...consequences, incentive charts, music, more stories, less stories, no television, tough love, flashlights in bed, sharing a room with his brother, a room to himself...you name it. We've given every strategy a try for at least a few months, sometimes longer. They may work for a but, but eventually he finds another reason not to go to bed. Often when he does go to sleep, he'll wake in the middle of the night in a terrible state of sobbing. He'll say that I didn't check on him (and of course I had at least 3 times) and his tantrum will often go on for over an hour!
We've seen his doctor who said that he seems to be a normal, well developing little boy. He referred us to a psychologist whom we've been seeing for about 2 months now. She is nice and our son enjoys seeing her, but we're not getting anything out of it that actually helps.
We recently moved our son into his own room. He had complained that his bed was uncomfortable and the guest room bed is really the best in the house. Additionally, he was keeping his younger brother awake. Our little one has always gone to bed so well and he is beginning to pick up on his brother's behaviors and try them himself to get our attention. We made a big deal about his room and he helped to pick out the bedding and some new decor. He does love having his own room...but it doesn't help him to sleep.
My mother is an insomniac and my father suffered from night terrors and sleep walking. I have inherited ALL of their sleep issues and I understand that sleep problems can be handed down. The television helps me to fall asleep, so we gave in with the new room and left the 13" TV in the room and allow our son to watch the PBS kids channel only as he goes to sleep. It seemed to work the first few nights, but now he just watches all night. He'll be up until anywhere between 11pm-2am and rises with lat around 6:30am...sometimes he is fine with little sleep, and other times he's a mess. Before actually falling asleep he is up and out of his room over and over again!
We haven't had a decent night's sleep in three years! Tonight I told him I'd take his babies (the little loveys he sleeps with). I took nearly all of them when he got up the first time and had to threaten to take the last few if he got up again. I feel awful doing this. He hasn't gotten up, but he is in there watching TV and wide awake. He starts kindergarten in the fall and I am a wreck over this.
I'd like to consider Melatonin but have found no studies of it being used on children as young as 5 and don't want to use something without knowing it is safe. His doctor had no recommendations other than the standard routine stuff we all already know and do.
Help??
- Re: Our 5 year old son will not sleep waningmoon 08:35 9/01/09 (0)