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HOW I CURED MY TODDLER'S SLEEP DISORDER

Posted by Elaine on March 22, 1998 at 09:54:51:

My thirteen month old never slept more than two hours at a stretch since she was born. I tried everything I could think of. I stopped nursing. I carefully monitored her diet, tried with and without naps for periods of two to three weeks, as well as whether or not she ate/drank before bedtime, the time of night she went to bed, what clothing she wore, the temperature of the room, the lighting, the bedding, tried machines that made "womb" noises, crib toys, no crib toys, letting her cry for short intervals and increasing the times...

Nothing worked. There always seemed to be some reason she wasn't sleeping. She was constipated. She was teething. She had too much to eat...not enough to eat...had a change in schedule or routine...had an ear infection...had the flu...was over stimulated that day...you name it...

ANYWAY

After a year of this I'd had it and was literally going insane from sleep deprivation. I was going to my doctor over and over begging for help. He finally did a blood test on her and said she was enemic and I should put her on IRON.

I got some herbal iron from the health food store and started putting it in her bottle and within two nights, this child who had NEVER slept more than two hours SLEPT FROM SEVEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT UNTIL SEVEN THE NEXT MORNING!!!!!

After two weeks of this she got an upset stomach. I thought it was probably from the honey base that the herbal iron was in (it was purified honey so it should have been ok - I checked), so I took her off it completely. Immediately she started waking up again at night. After ten days of this I finally got around to going to the pharmacy and getting the regular over the counter iron that the doctor had suggested (Barre Ferrous Sulfate Iron Supplement Drops) and immediately she started sleeping ALL night again...

I don't think it was a coincidence. That was a month ago.

During the last month she has, at different times, had an ear inftection, constipation, a cough, and we have gone on a trip that should have thrown her way out of wack...and thru it all, she STILL slept all night!!!!!

Anyway...the doctors say they don't know what the correlation is...that iron shouldn't have anything to do with sleep, but for those of you out there that are going through the same nightmare I was, I figure it couldn't hurt to ask your own doctor or pediatritian for this simple blood test. It's a lot easier and cheaper (and more comfortable) than those masks, I'm sure!

Hope this helps somebody. And if anyone out there knows WHY this works, you might drop me a line.

Elaine

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  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


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