General Chat

hi fee i do feel for you my eldest was 4 1/2 years before she slept longer than 10 mins at a time. Some kids are just to afraid that they will miss something if they sleep. The only thing i can suggest is if he cries go in reassure him and leave the room again, try not to give eye contact and just say sshhh sleep time and lie him back down, leaving the gap inbetween entering the room longer each time. if its any consilation my grandaughter katie is coming up for 7 months and she is going through this stage in the daytime when i have her during the week and this is what i do, and it seems to be working sandra

From time to time we have the same problem with our little boy who is 18months and ever since he started cutting his teeth (which he almost has them all through now thank god) he wouldnt settle and sometimes still doesnt. Sometimes he takes ages at going to sleep, other times he's straight away. He goes up at 8pm when the other two go up. It can take him upto an hour before he's finally asleep and to settle in his cot (fidgiting, rummaging for his ted to cuddle etc) and he sometimes wakes up at 230am sobbing in his sleep, like he did the other morning, and was awake till 5am, dropped back off and our alarm went off at 7am ready for getting up for school! so we know how you feel. It doesnt help that there's a baby next door too, who's a month old, and constantly keeps crying when the kids go up to bed (think he may have got colic? bless him). But we get up at 7am with our son, he has his breakfast and i try if he will, to see if he will have a sleep after he's had his dinner but before 2pm otherwise if he's asleep after that and still asleep at teatime, ive got no chance of him going to bed later. After 2pm onwards i try and keep him awake no matter how ratty he is, probably go to the park after tea etc then give him a bath and put on Johnsons 'bedtime camomile and lavender lotion' take him up at 8pm usually the park wears him out letting him run about, kicking the ball and the lavender soothes him. He may wake up once or twice in the night but soon goes back off then. :-) x

When one of ours was restless I used to put him/her in a carrycot, on the back seat of the car, and go for a drive. Usually they were asleep after the first mile or so.

For some reason,in the last two weeks,he hates going to sleep,be it in his pram or cot or anywhere.The only think we can think of is that my parents were here for a week and since they left,he refuses to go to sleep,maybe he misses them,who knows?he has never slept a whole night through but he has never been so unsettled.It could be just a phase.

Hello Fee, Linda's idea is a good one - use a camp bed if you are concerned about him falling out - it's not so far to fall! Come to that, you could even put the cot mattress on the floor to see how he gets on before you buy anything. Then, if he wakes, you can at least lie with him and hope that he goes back to sleep rather than letting him get up. You'll need an extra gate at the top of the stairs though. Does he still have a nap during the day? You could try cutting down on his nap(s) Magsx

Our son wouln't sleep through either for a long time. Sometimes we took him a drive in the car to get him off again. My wife and I used to take it in turns - that was fair for us. The worst thing is when they're active and happy the following day and you're looking for matchsticks... We saw the sleep nurse in the end.

Sending utmost sympathy, to you Fee, you must be exhausted.. Linda, Why are you not asleep, look at the time, hee hee

I know,I havent had a full nights sleep in a year and it gradually wears you down.I love him to pieces but I wish he would sleep,daddy is asleep in bed and we are downstairs letting him get some sleep x

What do you do with a little boy who wont sleep?