Hi all,
I am in need of help for getting my 25 month old to sleep at night. The
past few nights he has been up past midnight and then of course doesn't
want to get up in the morning. He has always been easy to put to
sleep.
He is diagnosed PDD-NOS, very bad receptive and expressive language,
sensory seeker but under responsive. Also has seizures which he
has been having very very short episodes while falling asleep the past
2 weeks. This is why I can't leave him alone in the crib.
He walks the crib and falls and bangs his head on the sides. Not
a good combination.
Here is our routine:
Bottle of milk (only way he will drink milk) and video
Brushing and Joint Compressions
5-7 Books which he loves and they are very relaxing to him
Music
Me or dh walking and bouncing him, rocking in the glider alternating these
until he falls asleep. He is 34 lbs and 38 inches. He is getting
too heavy and big (I am 5 ft. 1) for me to continue with this.
He sleeps on me for about 20-25 minutes to see if he is having any seizure activity
Put in crib and sleeps through the night.
He just seems to be having a hard time settling in. At naptime we
do about the same thing and he goes out in about a half an hour.
The past few nights it has taken dh and I taking turns of about 2 1/2
hours to put him to sleep.
Thanks,
Nothing is being done about the seizures?
I don't know what to say. I would like to say--leave him in the crib and leave, but---you don't want him getting hurt.
Personally, if he is having seizures and the Dr says they are OK, I'd leave him. He will have seizures if you are there or not. I'd be more concerned about the head on the crib. Try padding it really well and when he's asleep, take the padding out.
You better ask the Dr about this one!
Holly
Thanks, he is on meds for the seizures and he is back to the neurologist tomorrow for a checkup.
He finally went down tonight at 12:00 almost 3 hours after we started to go to sleep.
Could it be the milk? Just a thought. Milk makes my kids very hyperactive. LizMy kids hated the crib, so I let them be in a toddler bed at 18 months. He is already 34lbs, so he may even need a regular mattress. I think the little crib mattress gets uncomfortable. You can find a bed close to the ground and get those side rails. It worked for me when my kids kept waking all the time, but liked to take naps on my bed. Plus it is safer to have their own bed.
At the age is when all teh sleeping problems got severe with my son. Since he was 2 all the way through 3, he couldnt sleep teh whole night. He would take a nap at 1pm and wake up in 2 hours, then go to sleep around 9-10pm but he was waking up at midnight and staying up until 5-6am. Was driving me crazy and i was sleep depreived. Nothing would put him to sleep.
General Recommendations:
Make sure your child is screened by his physician for any medical conditions that may interfere with sleep (allergies, asthma, pain, sleep apnea, etc.) prior to beginning any of these recommendations. Part of the bed-time routine should include a cessation of exciting activities about an hour before bed time.
Give your child a warning before starting the bed-time routine (e.g., "Bobby, in five minutes it will be time to get ready for bed."). Remember, children with autism may have difficulty shifting from one activity to another, so warn him when one activity is about to stop and another begin. Make sure there are no sensory distractions to bed time.
Check out unusual smells, sounds, sights, the feel of the sheets and blankets, the temperature, etc. to be sure they are not interfering with sleep - correct any problems. Set a time to go to bed and a time to get up - oversleeping one day may lead to difficulty going to bed that night. Avoid caffeine in drinks and food.
Limit fluid intake after 6:00 pm or so. Keep track of successful bed-times and praise your child for going to bed so well, for staying in bed all night, etc. Make sure your child has an active day-time schedule to include periods of vigorous exercise.
Make the bedroom sleep-friendly by removing exciting toys, televisions, etc. and adding favorite blankets or stuffed animals (not too many). Use a night light if necessary but generally keep the room dark with the curtains drawn. Night-night! ;-)
Have you tried body brushing. ?
[QUOTE=onlinedizzy]Could it be the milk? Just a thought. Milk makes my kids very hyperactive. Liz[/QUOTE]
I am not so sure because he has been having a bottle of milk before
bedtime for as long as I can remember. But maybe we will try to
give it to him earlier.
Thanks
[QUOTE=John]Have you tried body brushing. ? [/QUOTE]
Yes, we have been brushing for about a month now and doing joint
compressions. He loves the compressions but only tolerates the
brushing. I am going to try doing compressions after we read and
when I start walking him. Maybe that will help.
Thanks
[QUOTE=MiMom3]My kids hated the crib, so I let them be in a toddler bed
at 18 months. He is already 34lbs, so he may even need a regular
mattress. I think the little crib mattress gets uncomfortable. You can
find a bed close to the ground and get those side rails. It worked for
me when my kids kept waking all the time, but liked to take naps on my
bed. Plus it is safer to have their own bed.[/QUOTE]
Ds loves his crib. He puts his stuffed animals at the head of the
crib and then sleeps with his head against them. It is so
adorable. He doesn't have the language skills yet to understand a
bed maybe in a few months. Thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I took ds to the
neurologist this morning and she wants me to continue walking and
rocking him because she doesn't want him to be banging his head on the
crib either.
He is up to 39 lbs. I knew he got heavier.
Thanks again.
Paws1129 - I have posted several times here on the sleep issue. My therapist's recommendation has worked like a miracle - I put my daughter inside a pack n play - bec just like you I CAN'T put her in the crib - she will bang her heads on the sides of the crib.
The Pack n Play is safe - just take the mattress off and line it with a comforter and put him down - he wont be able to climb out and even if he bangs his head on the sides - its netted - so it is nothing but a bouncy feeling!! My daughter needed to feel that level of restriction and kock on wood, she has been sleeping very well....
I was unwilling to try this/.. but it has worked out so well... My daugter went from sleeping on a big queen mattress to a contricted pack n play!!
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