Our can of worms
For Lucy's 5th birthday she asked for a fish tank. We were thrilled that she didn't want a hamster or guinea pig. We thought it would be great to have fish in their room to watch and help them relax and fall asleep at night... we were so wrong. We have had nothing but sleep issues since these little fish joined our family.
I'm really not sure if it's the sound of the filter/water running or the fact that we had just returned from our big road trip, but Ruby has been coming in our room every night for the past several weeks. Some nights she just wanders the hall making little whimpering noises. Last night Lucy and Ruby were both on our floor when I woke up.
It has been so bad that I took Ruby to the Pediatrician last week and she counseled her for 45 min on the importance of sleep and putting yourself back to sleep when you wake up. She also said to give her Benadryl for a week to help her get her sleep pattern back on track... it's not working.
I'm ready to pull the tank out of the room, but I don't think it will help, I think Ruby has convinced herself that she really can't sleep.
Does anyone have any brilliant ideas?
6 comments:
Oh man. That sounds miserable. What time is it when she is waking up? We have a routine at night that the girls really enjoy (stories, warm bean bags in the bed, and a lullaby CD), but they know that after that, there is NO getting up. Does she have a comfort object like a blankie or stuffed animal?
If Veda gets out of bed before 6:30 am she doesn't get her morning ritual of cartoons and warm chocolate milk. Is there a reward you can give her each morning for a while if she stays in bed all night long? I hope she sorts this one out soon, for your sake!
She wakes up all night long. Usually around 2-ish and 4-ish. I will try to tuck her back into bead but about an hour later I will feel her hand on my back and she is back in our room.
As for comfort items she has her woobie, subbie (blanket) and a super soft teddy bear. We do have a nighttime ritual of baths, prayers and then after I tuck them in I spray them with Forever Frosting from Bath and Body. They love the sweet smell and they stop talking so they can smell it.
I love your idea of a morning reward. I had told her that if she could go 3 nights in her bed she could get something from the treasure box- I think I to do a reward that can be everyday.
Thanks KC
My solution is to give them a headlight and books and tell them they can read as long as they want, but they've got to stay in their beds. It works for us, but we haven't had many sleep issues.
Is she napping during the day? If so, stop those. Also, make sure she is not getting any hidden caffeine, like in chocolate. What we did with our 4 yr old who was getting up at 5 am, was write out 6:30 on a piece of paper and put it in front of his clock. We told him he was not allowed to get up before that. We did not do a reward, but that idea would be a great addition! Good luck, sleep problems are the absolute worst!
OK they above comment was from me. Peter is my husband. Not sure why it came up with his name.
We have a Heathcliff wandering the moors too. Let me know what works, especially before school begins.
We go through phases and last night she ended up with us....again.
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