My 5 year old won't sleep!...

[MammaOf4]

My 5 year old son stays up till 2 am almost every night! If he is asleep by midnight i consider it early! He has always been like this and nothing works!
I have tried the bedtime routines and waking him up early and so on!

Even on a Busy day when we go to the park, ect, It is impossible to get him to sleep at night!
He just sits in there and talks and gets up a million times to go to the bathroom or because he needs a drink or he needs to tell me something!
Like I said I have tried pretty much everything!

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[Kaytee]

I don't since mine is 2. But a few things you didn't say:
What time does he get up in the morning? What type of routine do you use? and for how long? and why do you let him get up to tell you things?

 

[MammaOf4]

As for our bed time routine, we eat dinner at 6pm then we start bathtime. The youngest 3 are all tucked into bed at 8:45 pm. I read him a story of his choice then I kiss him goodnight. We get up at 7am every morning his older siblings have to be taken to school.
Believe me I try not to let him come out of the room to ask or tell me things! lol
I always send him back to bed immediently and tell him we can talk about it in the morning. After a while he stops getting up but proceeds to yell things to me from his bedroom!.........Mamma tomorrow can we go to the park in the morning, Mamma can i get just a little drink, Mamma I want to watch power rangers! You get the point!

This goes on for a while and stops, he then kicks his feet on the wall or builds a tent with his sheets and so on until he is back to talking to me from his room. i try to ignore it, but he keeps yelling Mamma,,, Mamma ,,, Mamma Till I answer him.
Im sure every parent can relate to that one! lol

 

[Kaytee]

lol yep!!!
So he is only getting 7 hours of sleep a night? Does he take naps? Thats very unhealthy to be getting so little at such a young age.
Not sure if this would work at all, but one thing that popped into my head is maybe to buy him a notebook and every time he goes to bed, he can write in it anything he wants to tell you in the morning. You will have to realy satick to your guns though and not talk to him through his door.

 

[Kaytee]

another suggestion if you really have tried everything and not just for a night or two but really TRIED for a few weeks each technique, then you should talk to his doc, maybe do a sleep study on him.
Maybe he is having anxiety to sleep due to bad dreams or something

 

[Left Foot]

My six year old would stay up to 11 or 12 every night if allowed. It stems from his mom having a job that goes later into the evening and he became used to waiting up for her. This really all changed when school started and we needed a more enforced regiment to the evening. He now goes to bed at 8:30 and talks with his brother till 9pm. It seems that the schedule helped out a lot, but I will say that weekends are back to the old schedule

Quick question: if allowed, will he fall asleep in your bed with you more easily? Could it be a little bit of separation issues?

 

[musicmom]

Put him to bed early. I am talking about 7pm. Sounds like you have a routine which is great. I'd tell him "go to the bathroom and a sip of water and you are not getting anything else so don't ask" Do you have the light on in his room too bright?
My daughter who is a bit on the hyper side has a hard time falling asleep too. At night we all sit in the dark and watch a movie together so they are calm and relaxed. They all go to their beds and not allowed out or I will turn off the nightlight which they don't want.
Mine go to bed at the same time every night, we get up the same time. So I have their little bodies on a clock. They start yawning right around bedtime.
You could try a box fan which is soothing, it doesn't have to be directed at him..use it just for the noise. Just keep him on a routine. At five years old...he should be in bed and asleep. If he has add or adhd then you may have to try a few different things. It's hard for them to settle down.

 

[MammaOf4]

Cody is by no means a hyper child, he is a polite mild mannered child, the calmest of the 4. He shouldn't have any seperation anxiety problems being that I am with him most of the time. He plays well on his own during the day and other than at night he is an amazing child.
Lol on the sleep study! I'm positive its not bad dreams or anything like that, Its just as if he is not tired.

And no he does not perfer sleeping with us in our bed. He loves his bed and his room, the only time he wants to sleep with me is if he is sick.

 

[Kaytee]

Wel only you know your child, so I say if you think he is getting the appropriate amount of sleep, then there is not much you can do. i would sugest telling him that he can stay up but he has to remain in his room and can only do things like read. No tv or playing

 

[MammaOf4]

I don't know if he is getting enough sleep. It bothers me of course because i can't sleep till he does. And i can't relax until he is asleep because he keeps calling my name! LOL
I guess maybe my child is the only child with this problem! Maybe he will outgrow it! I hope so anyway!

 

[Kaytee]

I doubt your son is the only one with this problem. I am sure there are many more like you.
I would seriously try to have him go to his room and he is not aloud to come out at all. Tell him you will not anser him if he calls you (unless emergency) and then tell him you will come back every 10-15 minutes to check on him. Do not give in to the "I gotta go potty, I need a drink of water" bit he is just trying to prolong going to sleep

 

[musicmom]

Question
my son is five and about 2-3 times a week he refuses to go to sleep, and will be awake all night. He will then sit and be extra cranky the next day and refuse to close his eyes. This is very hard for me to deal with and i am at my wits end, what should i do.
Answer
He must go to bed and awaken the same time every day regardless of how much or little sleep he got the night before. 3 hours before his bedtime stay away from caffeine, caramel colored soda like coke andpepsi, and chocolate and exercise all these interfere with sleep. When you put him to bed if he twist and turn do it for no more than 20 minutes then go into a different room and make him look at a book, no computer the minute he dozes put him back into the bed. 30 minutes before bedtime give a hot bath, this relaxes him.l5 minutes before sleep give a warm glass of milk.Milk when heated contains tryptophan a natural amino acid inducer. Go to sleepnet.com click on childrens sleep. You also can try just keep putting him back in the bed and let him cry, it may be hard. If all else fails consider an evaluation at a sleep center. On sleepnet.com click on public sleep forums you will then see childrens sleep forums, many people write in with all types of problems. You also should consult your pediatrician.

NOt sure if this will help but I found it and thought maybe it could be useful.

 

[Kaytee]

eewwww arm milk! Blachhh

 

[CJ's mom]

My 9 year old askd for a glass of warmed milk every night before bed....he falls asleep. But , I agree....does not sound appealing.....

 

[MammaOf4]

Thanks for all the advice, I know It's obviously not normal! lol
I tried being very stern with him last night , gave him a small drink of water and let him use the bathroom and he was asleep by 11:55pm! Thats great for him, gonna keep trying for earlier and earlier every night!

 

[Kaytee]

Stick to your guns mom, and you are right a little at a time is good!! It can also take a month of consistent routine for him to get on a new schedule so don't give up!

 

[jenilouise]

Stick to your guns and if it doesn't work talk to the doctor. There may be a sleep issue.