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Lillykat
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4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Does anyond have a kid who takes forever to go to sleep? I am stuck....she is 4.5 and yes has as ton of energy. It is not new but got better and then worse again. I am talking about falling asleep in 40 mins is a good night. Most nights are 60-over 90 mins to go to sleep. She is still scared of the dark, we had a night light I think it was keeping her up we got rid of it. Now we have to keep her door open to get her to sleep. She is a super light sleeper. We have a noise machine that helps with neighborhood dogs etc. She has a very independent but determined personality. As a baby CIO did not work bc she would never give up...think 2-3 hours, bang her head on the crib hard until someone came in.
I am at a loss. I try to keep bedtime the same but DH works late during the week and mainly sees the kids weekends and is very laid back so she goes down at like 8 on Saturdays. I have put my foot down but that made no difference if shr goes down same timr weekends or not.
I have tried reward charts, taking things away (normally she responds best with positive reinforcement). Nothing works fo for more than a night at best. I even tried making it a game.
I hate taking away her lovely stuffed animal bc she will sing and talk without it. She gets very upset without it.
She was never a good sleeper as a baby waking frequently even at 3 she would wake 1x a night.
She does not get out of bed 98% of the time (once in a blue moon for bathroom break or needing cream bc she licks her lips). She will stay in her bed. She just tells stories, sings, makes up poems, flips around, waves legs in the air etc. Btw sings top of her lungs.
Generally I would not have that much of an issue IF she was nit exhausted the next morning and super cranky. The nights she goes down quickly she wakes on her own very happy, very cooperative. The nights she has trouble and goes down 815-9 we have to literally drag her from bed and push her to eat and dress while she cries she is tired. It sets the whole day up for cranky kid. She is fine st school but then is tired at her after school activity that day. Tired also equals hyper for her. She does not nap and hasn't in years. If she happens to fall asleep in the car after a full day at something like the zoo even for 5 mins she is up until 11.
I put her down at 7 bc I figure she won't go down until 730-9. I have tried putting her down later but she just stays up later. I am concerned bc she needs 11-12 hours to function normally. I want to find a better method bc next year she will need to be up much earlier (closer To the time she gets up on her own when she crashes early.)
I am open to trying any new suggestions. Tricks?
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Posted 2/9/14 9:00 PM  |
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jaysee00
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Member since 3/06 1647 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
My DD is similar in that sometimes she can not just fall asleep right away. She is 5 and we put her to bed around 7:30/ 8 each night. She has a lot of energy and I think needs a wind down period some nights. She will tell me if it's a night when she doesn't feel tired. I let her take books to bed on those nights or some small toys to play with, like her tiny princess dolls. Then I just tell her she will fall asleep when her body is ready. I think she usually falls asleep about 20 minutes after that. Sometimes I tell her to tell her bear all about her day.
Maybe try letting her bring some things to bed to see if that helps her to unwind or maybe make her bedtime routine longer to allow downtime. Does she know that you're stressed about her falling asleep? She might feel "pressure" to fall asleep. I only say this because when I was little, my mom used to continuously check to see if I was asleep and she would ask me about and I always felt like I had to fall asleep fast. Just throwing that out there- like just not make it a big deal. Going back to that- your body will sleep when it's ready.
Good luck! 
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| Posted 2/9/14 9:46 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by jaysee00
My DD is similar in that sometimes she can not just fall asleep right away. She is 5 and we put her to bed around 7:30/ 8 each night. She has a lot of energy and I think needs a wind down period some nights. She will tell me if it's a night when she doesn't feel tired. I let her take books to bed on those nights or some small toys to play with, like her tiny princess dolls. Then I just tell her she will fall asleep when her body is ready. I think she usually falls asleep about 20 minutes after that. Sometimes I tell her to tell her bear all about her day.
Maybe try letting her bring some things to bed to see if that helps her to unwind or maybe make her bedtime routine longer to allow downtime. Does she know that you're stressed about her falling asleep? She might feel "pressure" to fall asleep. I only say this because when I was little, my mom used to continuously check to see if I was asleep and she would ask me about and I always felt like I had to fall asleep fast. Just throwing that out there- like just not make it a big deal. Going back to that- your body will sleep when it's ready.
Good luck!
We do quiet time for both girls for 30 mins before bed, turn lights down , read or snuggle and talk. So we do have quiet time. She has two dolls with her at night. She needs them, but even if she didn't she still would sing, talk etc. she is very imaginative and has "parties" every night. I would think she would go down quicker bc she says she needs to go to sleep to "party". The only way I know she is up or what she is doing is that she still uses the video monitor. She insists I use it. I was happy to get rid of it a while back. She says she feels safer knowing mommy can see her if she needs me at night.... she comes into my room if she needs me so not sure about that...but she insists I put it on and asks me to when I don't.
See I agree about being ready. My older one I want to put down later but she begs to go to sleep by 730 if she stays up. She is happy going down at 7 and is out I think by 715 or so bc it is very quiet early in her room. She wakes herself most days and is happy to get up. I would let the younger one stay up later if mornings weren't such a problem. Once she is down I rarely say anything bc I hope she will go out shortly. Even she says she feels better with more sleep. You can see the huge difference 30+ mins makes. Asleep before 8 happy kid, after 8 is rolling on the ground saying how tired she is. Seems like an easy fix right? But getting her down is frustrating. But no she does not know. I read in my room or catch up on DVR stuff while she is going down. She will get out of bed looking for me if I go downstairs. Seems that it is comforting to have me in the next room.
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| Posted 2/9/14 10:19 PM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15657 total posts
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4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
The only suggestion I can offer is to talk to your ped about giving a low dose of melatonin. I have to give 3mg most nights since my child doesnt fall asleep otherwise. It doesn't make them stay asleep..just fall asleep easier.
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| Posted 2/10/14 9:18 AM |
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GraciesMom
LIF Adult
Member since 7/05 1636 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
My son just turned 5. Same thing, except he would get out of bed also. Most nights he was until 11 and we put him in bed by 8. We tried everything. Most nights I would end up falling alseep in his bed just to keep him put. He was waking up so cranky and I felt like it was really starting to affect so many more aspects of our lives. After speaking with my ped I finally gave in and tried 1mg of melatonin. I was so hesitant to do this but I tried it last week a few nights and it truly has been a miracle. My ped said to work up to 3mg if needed but 1mg seems to be fine. My son just winds down now. Doesn't seem groggy just will settle down and watch TV then falls asleep peacefully. As of right now I am hoping to just get him in a routine where he feels relaxed for another week then skip the melatonin.
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| Posted 2/10/14 12:04 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by BargainMama
The only suggestion I can offer is to talk to your ped about giving a low dose of melatonin. I have to give 3mg most nights since my child doesnt fall asleep otherwise. It doesn't make them stay asleep..just fall asleep easier.
I will definitely do that next time we go. I have mentioned it to them before but the just kind of shrug and say some have trouble falling asleep or need less sleep. If she is tired she will go out
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| Posted 2/10/14 1:43 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by GraciesMom
My son just turned 5. Same thing, except he would get out of bed also. Most nights he was until 11 and we put him in bed by 8. We tried everything. Most nights I would end up falling alseep in his bed just to keep him put. He was waking up so cranky and I felt like it was really starting to affect so many more aspects of our lives. After speaking with my ped I finally gave in and tried 1mg of melatonin. I was so hesitant to do this but I tried it last week a few nights and it truly has been a miracle. My ped said to work up to 3mg if needed but 1mg seems to be fine. My son just winds down now. Doesn't seem groggy just will settle down and watch TV then falls asleep peacefully. As of right now I am hoping to just get him in a routine where he feels relaxed for another week then skip the melatonin.
Thank you! I will ask my ped. I have mentioned it before but they kind of blow it off. Glad to hear it is not just mine! I get the impression her brain is just on Go all the time. She is a sponge and always wanting to learn. Plus very imaginative so I think it harder to turn it off at might.
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| Posted 2/10/14 1:59 PM |
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
My DS is the same way and he is almost 8 now. Honestly, I put all 3 to bed at the same time, around 8:30 and he falls asleep when he does. Some nights he is out in 15 minutes other nights is over an hour. He never leaves his bed and I have given up on forcing him. As much as I hate it, he really doesn't need the 10-11 hours of sleep like my girls get. I am the same way so I know he gets it from me.
I wouldn't make an issue of it and just let her know that it's fine if she wants to stay up but lights out and she has to stay in bed. I also gave him flash light and he is aloud to read in bed. When my older DD can't sleep this is she does.
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| Posted 2/10/14 2:02 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by JerseyMamaOf3
My DS is the same way and he is almost 8 now. Honestly, I put all 3 to bed at the same time, around 8:30 and he falls asleep when he does. Some nights he is out in 15 minutes other nights is over an hour. He never leaves his bed and I have given up on forcing him. As much as I hate it, he really doesn't need the 10-11 hours of sleep like my girls get. I am the same way so I know he gets it from me.
I wouldn't make an issue of it and just let her know that it's fine if she wants to stay up but lights out and she has to stay in bed. I also gave him flash light and he is aloud to read in bed. When my older DD can't sleep this is she does.
I think the difference is that you said he doesn't need it. I think she does need it as the nights she goes down better she is much better than the days she goes down later. If she was fine either way I wouldn't stress the time.
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| Posted 2/10/14 2:17 PM |
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LSP2005
Bunny kisses are so cute!
Member since 5/05 19458 total posts
Name:
L
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Your DD and mine can get together to have an imaginative tea party. We have the exact same issue in our house too. I could have written your post word for word, except she has never been a good sleeper. Bedtime here is 8 pm as well. We have dinner, clean up, relax, bath, brush teeth, read, snuggle/kiss good night and bed by 8-8:30. I too am at a loss for what to do to encourage her to go to sleep.
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| Posted 2/10/14 2:48 PM |
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GraciesMom
LIF Adult
Member since 7/05 1636 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by Lillykat
Posted by GraciesMom
My son just turned 5. Same thing, except he would get out of bed also. Most nights he was until 11 and we put him in bed by 8. We tried everything. Most nights I would end up falling alseep in his bed just to keep him put. He was waking up so cranky and I felt like it was really starting to affect so many more aspects of our lives. After speaking with my ped I finally gave in and tried 1mg of melatonin. I was so hesitant to do this but I tried it last week a few nights and it truly has been a miracle. My ped said to work up to 3mg if needed but 1mg seems to be fine. My son just winds down now. Doesn't seem groggy just will settle down and watch TV then falls asleep peacefully. As of right now I am hoping to just get him in a routine where he feels relaxed for another week then skip the melatonin.
Thank you! I will ask my ped. I have mentioned it before but they kind of blow it off. Glad to hear it is not just mine! I get the impression her brain is just on Go all the time. She is a sponge and always wanting to learn. Plus very imaginative so I think it harder to turn it off at might.
Yes, always on Go! I totally get it. My son would play all night if we let him. Last night he actually said to me I think I want to clean up my toys now and sit on your lap . Fell asleep 20 minutes later. Its amazing. I have also been giving him positive reinforcement the next day, like you got ready so nice for school today, see what a nice day you had today, you did this, you did that. Isn't it great to get a good night sleep and he always agrees. If it takes a few weeks of melatonin to break his (and my) bad habits I think its worth it. If I need to continue it longer then I probably will. Good luck.
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| Posted 2/10/14 3:19 PM |
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aliwnec10
mom of 3 boys
Member since 4/06 11426 total posts
Name:
Ali
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
just curious, but have you tried putting her down at 6:30pm? i know thats super early but she's still young. My son will be 6 in june. We stopped having him nap the summer before K. When he doesn't nap, he goes to bed at 7pm. If he naps on the weekends, he stays up until 8pm.
also when is the last time you tried to see if she'll nap? they all go through phases and sometimes need them now and then to catch up.
at 4 1/2 if my son didn't nap, he'd be in bed by 6:30pm. No joke. He just needs his sleep. Always has been.
Sometimes depending on the day my son can take up to an hour to fall asleep at night and that's okay with us as long as he doesn't come out of his room. He often reads a book with a flashlight. 
Otherwise i'd just majorly try a night time routine with her. Quiet time. Lay on the couch and watch a little tv/movie or read a book.
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| Posted 2/10/14 7:56 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by aliwnec10
just curious, but have you tried putting her down at 6:30pm? i know thats super early but she's still young. My son will be 6 in june. We stopped having him nap the summer before K. When he doesn't nap, he goes to bed at 7pm. If he naps on the weekends, he stays up until 8pm.
also when is the last time you tried to see if she'll nap? they all go through phases and sometimes need them now and then to catch up.
at 4 1/2 if my son didn't nap, he'd be in bed by 6:30pm. No joke. He just needs his sleep. Always has been.
Sometimes depending on the day my son can take up to an hour to fall asleep at night and that's okay with us as long as he doesn't come out of his room. He often reads a book with a flashlight.
Otherwise i'd just majorly try a night time routine with her. Quiet time. Lay on the couch and watch a little tv/movie or read a book.
I do not allow tv at night I read tv and kindles etc can make sleep time harder. We do quiet time and stories. I try for 20-40 mins depending on the night.
No unfortunately that just can't happen. At least two nights a week my older DD takes a class that ends 515 or 530 so I am walking in the house 15 mins after that. As it is that leaves me with less than 90 mins to get both girls dinner on the table (cook) and both kids showers and ready for bed. No way I can do that in less than an hour (esp both girls are slow eaters). I have to tell her it is bed time as it is. She will only go down when her sister does. She would not stay in bed if she thinks her sister is up and around. She is willing to go at 7 bc her sister goes to her room and goes to bed. Remember I am alone at bedtime as my husband on a good night gets home at 830...most nights 9-10. I am therefore all alone from pick up on. A good night my mom might take my older one to her class and drop back home allowing me to cook, and shower the younger one. But I do not have a person to rely on. No devide and conquer. We have a very set schedule ( DD#2 is very much in need of routine, does not do as well with change). Trying to get her down at 7 is tough as she says do I have to go I am not tired. If I say yes, she goes. But I foresee her saying it is too early for bed.
As far as naps. She is a go go go person. Her sister gave up naps around 3.5 and at that time she was last in her nursery school and last of our friends to give them up. Even her teachers couldn't believe she napped. Younger DD gave them up at the same time. She climbed out of her crib at 18 months and was in a toddler bed at 20 months (older one was in her crib until 3.5 and never climbed out). Once she was out she never wanted to stay in bed. It took a long time to get her to stay in her bed and not need me to go to sleep. But she has gone down alone for at least 2 years now. Naps went out the window once she was out of the crib.bc she wouldn't slow down to sleep. She might hang out in her bed 1-2 hours but played or cried did not sleep. If she falls asleep for a few mins ever...she won't go down until 11-12 am. Even now if she is sick and naps she is up most of the night. So I don't think naps will help. Afraid it might make things worse. Also not sure since she is starting kindergarten in the fall that I want to reintroduce naps bc it might be a disaster next year. Both my kids get hyper from Benadryl not sleepy. Same reaction when tired.
She is a good kid...teacher says she is a sponge and she is the student that the teacher says she uses her work as the class example. She is the type though that bored means she tunes out. She loves reading, math, building etc. what concerns me is nights she stays up, the teacher lets her sit in a chair for open calendar time bc she lays down and says she is tired (although after that teacher says she seems fine) but she can tell when she gets less sleep. I just find her listening skills, and overall much happier when she gets that extra time. She is big on schedules, more so recently. Trips are rough bc we have different schedules. We have a lot of melt downs so getting that 11-12 hours is kind of important for her. Light in the mornings actually helps a lot. She gets up easier but then an hour after getting up those mornings crashes a bit.
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| Posted 2/10/14 9:52 PM |
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luckybug78
LIF Infant
Member since 7/08 246 total posts
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4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
I give my ds the ozzzz sleep aid for kids. I got it on amazon. It's a chamomile/melatonin blend. It really helps him yo fall asleep.
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| Posted 2/11/14 9:18 PM |
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saraH
happy birthday sweet kate!
Member since 5/05 16555 total posts
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I know that God exsists, I held her in my arms...
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
My oldeest is similar. But will come downstairs for potty, a drink, another hug and kiss, you name it. If I am home,,it's worse. When she's tired, she can pretty much go,right out.,,some nights, it's hours, like you.
We let her play, talk,,sing, whatever. She wears herself,out that way. And she likes to clean her room then, so it's win-win.
I know it's frustrating. Can you try an earlier bedtime?
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| Posted 2/11/14 9:45 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by saraH
My oldeest is similar. But will come downstairs for potty, a drink, another hug and kiss, you name it. If I am home,,it's worse. When she's tired, she can pretty much go,right out.,,some nights, it's hours, like you.
We let her play, talk,,sing, whatever. She wears herself,out that way. And she likes to clean her room then, so it's win-win.
I know it's frustrating. Can you try an earlier bedtime?
See I wouldn't object to later bedtime if it didn't effect her the next day. She is being good...not getting out of bed to delay going. She just is cranky and tired the next day and overall not the same kid as when she is not tired. That really is my only concern. Plus tired for my kids = hyper.
No I mentioned above she gets in bed at 7 now. Tonight for example we got home at 520. I still had to cook dinner, shower two kids and get quiet time in, and I have no help. I am alone until well after the kids go to sleep. She also won't stay in bed unless she knows her sister is going to bed soon. The funny part is my 6 year old asks to go to bed if I keep her up until 730 or 8 but my younger one would stay up all night if she could.
To be honest I would love a 730 or 8 pm bedtime bc I feel everything is rushed and go, go, go at night. I have less than 90 mins to cook, shower and eat. My girls are slow eaters so meal can be 30 mins+. They go down early now bc they need it. Frustrating.
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| Posted 2/11/14 11:45 PM |
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JandJ1224
Member since 6/06 5911 total posts
Name:
Jannette
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
My 5 yo DD is the same way. Except that she doesn't just lay in her bed I need to lay with her. There is only so long you can lay in a dark room without falling asleep yourself and then my night is shot. It is very frustrating. She is similar to your daughter and has a hard time turning off her brain. She will lay there asking me questions talking. It wasn't an issue before but now she needs to be up for school and its a nightmare every morning. She just isn't a morning person.
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| Posted 2/12/14 9:40 AM |
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WhatNow
Say Cheese!
Member since 1/06 8033 total posts
Name:
A (formerly WhatNow?)
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Try to have a day with absolutely NO electronic devices at all, not even for 5 minutes! Nothing with screens: no TV, no nintendo, nothing!
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| Posted 2/12/14 10:58 AM |
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by WhatNow
Try to have a day with absolutely NO electronic devices at all, not even for 5 minutes! Nothing with screens: no TV, no nintendo, nothing!
No offense, and I'm not the OP, but I don't know how this would help in the grand scheme of things. She can't do it all the time. And I know my DS has to even do his homework on the ipad.
OP, my sister was the same way, it did effect her the next day as well, but my parents found forcing her didn't help either and to just let her set her own routine
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| Posted 2/12/14 12:23 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by WhatNow
Try to have a day with absolutely NO electronic devices at all, not even for 5 minutes! Nothing with screens: no TV, no nintendo, nothing!
We really don't watch tv anyway. Only weekends she might watch part of a movie. Personally she would rather do arts and crafts, build a town for her dolls with blocks or do a marble run rather than watch tv. . We are generally not home during the week and she prefers free play, doing math or reading. If she does 15 mins 3 days on kindle that is a lot...mainly she reads or plays a math game on hers. We also do not do it near bedtime - she basically does it in the 10-15 mins when she is dressed early before we leave for school. We have wii...but only do it weekends in bad weather. She does dance games or sports. But we don't do it during the week. I have done the above and noticed no difference.
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| Posted 2/12/14 5:27 PM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15657 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by Lillykat
Posted by WhatNow
Try to have a day with absolutely NO electronic devices at all, not even for 5 minutes! Nothing with screens: no TV, no nintendo, nothing!
We really don't watch tv anyway. Only weekends she might watch part of a movie. Personally she would rather do arts and crafts, build a town for her dolls with blocks or do a marble run rather than watch tv. . We are generally not home during the week and she prefers free play, doing math or reading. If she does 15 mins 3 days on kindle that is a lot...mainly she reads or plays a math game on hers. We also do not do it near bedtime - she basically does it in the 10-15 mins when she is dressed early before we leave for school. We have wii...but only do it weekends in bad weather. She does dance games or sports. But we don't do it during the week. I have done the above and noticed no difference.
She sounds like mine. Loves her arts and crafts, and playing. Screen time is very limited, in fact she rarely watches TV and rarely plays on the tablet.
No matter what I've tried, nothing makes her ability to fall asleep easier. She will lay in bed and read books, write in journal, arrange her stuffed animals, etc. She says she is just not tired. But we see the effect the next morning when she is struggling to get up for school.
Message edited 2/12/2014 6:02:21 PM.
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| Posted 2/12/14 6:02 PM |
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itsbabytime
LIF Adult
Member since 11/05 9644 total posts
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Me
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Both of my kids are like this - My DS more so than my DD. I will say that on breaks from school and summer vacation this problem disappears. I will tell you why. I truly believe some kids are born "night owls" and others are born "morning people" LOL. My kids do MUCH better on a schedule of going to bed later and waking up later. Actually, the later they go to sleep (within reason) - the longer and better they actually sleep. I've tried everything and it has gotten better but, I don't think either one of my kids is really getting the sleep they need. Based on the time they wake up they both should really be asleep between 7 and 7:45 and,despite my best efforts we average around 8:30 actually falling asleep - give or take 30 minutes in both directions. Wish I could be of more help!
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| Posted 2/15/14 9:33 AM |
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Cailen is almost 7, and never slept well. He finally is an awesome sleeper.
But once his sleep became more consistent at around 4, He always stayed up for an hour playing with his stuffed animals. He still does. I sometimes glanced in and see him shooting his fingers at each other probably at the time imagining Star Wars fights so even if I wanted to remove toys (I didn't) he'd still be up imagining. I was the same way! Up for hours at bedtime with my stories. He still does this with his animals.
I personally think kids relish that late night time to get their thoughts out, enjoy their exclusive alone time, and let out some steam before bed. Night time is so magical at that age! Nothing else interferes with their imagination. No distractions. I know they are tired, but I feel that cycle evens out. There are nights where Cai does it for 15 mins when 2 nights ago it was over an hour.
However, I try to have Cailen do some of that playtime before bed. TV off, and 10-15 mins of just free play where he can use his imagination. Maybe if she had private dolly time where they can play party before bed, it'll be less intriguing after the lights are out?
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| Posted 2/21/14 10:28 AM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
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Re: 4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
Posted by lipglossjunky73
Cailen is almost 7, and never slept well. He finally is an awesome sleeper.
But once his sleep became more consistent at around 4, He always stayed up for an hour playing with his stuffed animals. He still does. I sometimes glanced in and see him shooting his fingers at each other probably at the time imagining Star Wars fights so even if I wanted to remove toys (I didn't) he'd still be up imagining. I was the same way! Up for hours at bedtime with my stories. He still does this with his animals.
I personally think kids relish that late night time to get their thoughts out, enjoy their exclusive alone time, and let out some steam before bed. Night time is so magical at that age! Nothing else interferes with their imagination. No distractions. I know they are tired, but I feel that cycle evens out. There are nights where Cai does it for 15 mins when 2 nights ago it was over an hour.
However, I try to have Cailen do some of that playtime before bed. TV off, and 10-15 mins of just free play where he can use his imagination. Maybe if she had private dolly time where they can play party before bed, it'll be less intriguing after the lights are out?
Thank you! She does get that when I cook dinner and when her sister does homework. But she is one who is happy to sit all day in her room with dolls and blocks and books. She is one who we say "come get dressed and we will go to the zoo, playground etc" she will say not now I am in the middle of x we can go in 2 hours  I will give it a try. We usually try to do some mommy/sister quiet time before bed bc when we don't she keeps coming in asking for snuggles...lol
Etd to add that if it is a cycle it is year 2 of doing this. It got shorter in Sept and Oct. then back to late again.
Message edited 2/21/2014 1:51:15 PM.
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| Posted 2/21/14 1:47 PM |
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KarenK122
The Journey is the Destination
Member since 5/05 4431 total posts
Name:
Karen
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4.5 yr old takes forever to go to sleep. any suggestions?
DD is 7 and never sleeps. She is in bed by 7:30 and is up to all hours talking to herself, playing in her bed, singing, telling stories to herself. I have basically just given up and figure she'll sleep when she's ready. The only rule I have is that lights have to be out and she has to be in her bed. I figure as long as she is resting, I can't demand much more. On the rare nights that she falls right asleep, she'll wake up at midnight or 1 am and just start doing the same thing. Tuesday she came in my room at 3 am and asked me if I remembered when she did something on the last vacation we were on. She was totally alert. Last night she ran in my room at 1 am and gave me her tooth that just fell out. She said she woke up a while ago and just felt like wiggling it for a while. lol. So basically I have no advice, just wanted you to know your not alone : ).
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| Posted 2/21/14 10:53 PM |
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