5 yr old insomniac?

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, May 27 2015, 6:20 pm

My almost 5 yr old hasn't fallen asleep before 9:30 or so for months! He is generally in bed by 7:30 or so, some ins and outs (bathroom, drinks, wandering etc.). Then he usually ends up lying in bed for an hour or so quietly and coming out again, until he eventually falls asleep.
He is groggy in the morning and wakes up late, so I really don't think he is getting enough sleep.

Should I just start bedtime later and give up on the early bedtime?
I really don't want to try melatonin, but could it work to adjust his schedule?

seeker

Wed, May 27 2015, 6:38 pm

Following. Similar issue here, except going on for much longer and it's started to disintegrate into bedtime battles... we didn't use to have that but I guess if you're not falling asleep and parents are exhausted already something's going to happen Sad

miami85

Wed, May 27 2015, 7:15 pm

I have the same problem. FWIW, if he's going to bed at 9:30 and waking up at 7:30--especially consistently that's 10 hours. According to the AAP, normal amount of sleep for preschoolers is 10-13 hours. So he may actually be getting enough sleep. I personally have found that melatonin only works if the kid is tired to begin with--I once gave my son 5mg of melatonin and he still didn't fall asleep for 3 hours.

Bsimcha

Wed, May 27 2015, 8:19 pm

I used Melatonin from Maxi Health, I really didn't want to, but my 6 year old was up until 10-11 and then exhausted in the morning and cranky all day.
I finally gave in and was great, she slept well and was pleasant all day! I did wean her off after a couple of months and she's been totally fine. I don't know why she had insomnia and if the melatonin is the reason she doesn't have it anymore.

FranticFrummie

Wed, May 27 2015, 10:27 pm

I went through epic bedtime battles at that age, too. Melatonin saved our sanity!

Start with the lowest possible dose, as close to bedtime as you can. Plan to read a few books together while the melatonin goes to work.

DD is 11 now, and still takes 1.5mg every night. Her body doesn't make enough on it's own, so she NEEDS the supplement. We do this with her pediatrician's full support.

Other kids may just be going through a phase, and they'll need the melatonin short term while they retrain their bodies. A growth spurt can really throw a kid off schedule.

Believe me, it's not "taking the easy way out". Bedtime battles can become a habit that is extremely hard to break, not to mention disrupting the whole family. It's best to stop it as soon as possible, and if a supplement is what it takes, then go for it.