Trouble going to sleep

amother

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 10:43 pm

I really hope somebody can help me. Ds, 5, takes forever falling asleep. He usually comes out of bed for many unimportant reasons and then when he finally settles down he can’t fall asleep for hours. I tried later bedtime, but that didn’t change anything. It doesn’t seem like anything is bothering him either. This past week I was sick and my husband was in charge of bedtime. He gave my son melatonin gummies, and my son fell asleep really quickly each night. In the morning he was a different person. Now that I’m feeling better I don’t want to continue giving him the gummies, but I really want him to be as well-rested as he was all week! I would love to hear advice from experienced moms hon how to deal with this. TIA!

amother

Antiquewhite

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 10:47 pm

How long has this been going on? Does he spend time outdoors every day? Does he have an opportunity to run around in open spaces and let out his energy?

amother

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 10:49 pm

amother Antiquewhite wrote:

How long has this been going on? Does he spend time outdoors every day? Does he have an opportunity to run around in open spaces and let out his energy?

This has been going on for many weeks. Till now I didn’t realize how much it impacted him, until I saw him last week. He has lots of outdoor fun and camp really gives him a lot of physical exercise

amother

Antiquewhite

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 10:57 pm

Does he have any sensory processing challenges in general? Does he tend to be hyperactive?

Just as an fyi, the melatonin gummies almost always come in a dosage much higher than a five year old needs. You can cut them for a more appropriate dose. No more than half a mg.

amother

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 10:58 pm

amother Antiquewhite wrote:

No, not at all. He’s a calm, happy child. My husband says he only gave him a little piece of the gummy, but I really don’t want him to fall asleep only on that

amother

Valerian

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 11:00 pm

amother OP wrote:

No, not at all. He’s a calm, happy child. My husband says he only gave him a little piece of the gummy, but I really don’t want him to fall asleep only on that

Try magnesium lotion on his feet.

amother

Antiquewhite

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 11:00 pm

Okay! Make sure the room is a comfortable temperature. Some kids do really well with a weighted blanket even if they don't usually have special sensory needs.

amother

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 11:02 pm

amother Valerian wrote:

Try magnesium lotion on his feet.

I’m usually quite skeptical about these things, but I’m truly desperate so I’ll give it a try. Thank you for taking the time to respond!

amother

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 11:02 pm

amother Antiquewhite wrote:

Okay! Make sure the room is a comfortable temperature. Some kids do really well with a weighted blanket even if they don't usually have special sensory needs.

I’ll try this, too. Thank you!

amother

Vanilla

Mon, Aug 15 2022, 11:50 pm

You said he keeps coming out, maybe he is anxious or just bored with no one in his room? What if you tried sitting with him in there but make a strict “no talking” rule?

amother

Blushpink

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 12:39 am

Don’t know if this would help or hinder, but my 6 year old son loves listening to story CDs. Might keep him in bed, don’t know if it would keep him awake though.

amother

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 2:06 am

amother Vanilla wrote:

You said he keeps coming out, maybe he is anxious or just bored with no one in his room? What if you tried sitting with him in there but make a strict “no talking” rule?

I’ve tried it before but he just lay awake for hours until I either fell asleep or gave up. Banging head

amother

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 2:06 am

amother Blushpink wrote:

Don’t know if this would help or hinder, but my 6 year old son loves listening to story CDs. Might keep him in bed, don’t know if it would keep him awake though.

Doesn’t help at all in our case. He can go through one album after the other, wide awake