Tv in the room of a 5YO

Thank you. i apologise, I swayed with the idea ATT but was reassured that it was the better option longterm. It’s amazing.

OP I hope the melatonin helps and I'd give the toni box a try too. If all else fails and watching a bit of Kipper or whatever settles him, then go for it. Anything that saves your sanity is worth it, you can't pour from an empty cup! Have you tried a weighted blanket? They're apparently calming for some people and can help with emotional dysregulation.

You sound like a lovely mum and I hope some of these strategies help your little one 💐

Speak to a consultant anyway or any professional you are involved with as there is different types and doses. My sons is the type that puts you asleep and keeps you asleep slow release, 5mg, he was on 3.5 as a younger child, he’s 10 now.
They are melatonin 5mg tr capsules ulm poa.
if you are getting a tv, turn on night time mode, it reduces the lights.

I think you may have misread.

I didn’t use it as at the time I didn’t believe in medicating my child just because she was a little different and I always felt natural is best.

Now I know better and would absolutely use it if I had my time again.

Similar DC though we haven't had as much struggle with bedtime but wanted to second the audio books as that has worked well for us (at bedtime and tricky situations for DC in the day) and massage has also been really good (quite deep firm pressure)

Could have written this when my eldest was struggling so much to sleep but my toddler had asthma not eczema. I felt like I lived at the children's hospital to be honest. It's a rough rough stage. It gets better, it feels like it never will but I promise it does. Look up low demand parenting for your eldest, ask for an OT referral to help you meet his sensory needs, if a TV in his room helps get one. My eldest settles as well with a screen as without, youngest who is neurotypical doesn't.

We don't have screens on melatonin nights as it doesn't work for us, he still can't get to sleep and becomes aggressive. So those nights he uses yoto player or we read to him now he's 7 whichever he prefers and 2 nights a week he is allowed to watch a movie or gentle cartoon. No scrolling or YouTube or anything like that

You can get melatonin from piping rock - it’s much nicer than biovia and they do a kids one . Do not tell anybody about it !

It’s extremely difficult. I done a parenting course on sensory processing disorder, it made me more aware of why he was reacting to me and how to defuse the situation, so much of it is fear based with an unsettled mind even as a toddler. ❤️ the rewards when they do settle make it worthwhile. Hang in there. ❤️

Get melatonin from Biovea.

My DS was prescribed melatonin at 2 years old, he could stay wake screaming with frustration all night , never slept over 30 minutes, even as a tiny baby.

My eldest has melatonin on prescripton now but prior to that we got it from piping rock.

Id just say whatever works.. my only concern would be a screen may actually make it worse and would be difficult to then remove. Mine has audiobooks which helps her be occupied enough to stay in her room. Good luck.

Melatonin is a game changer. I never used it as I didn’t want to ‘drug’ my child but I wouldn’t think twice now I’ve seen how much it improves things.

Shocking judgemental, so you think it’s better to completely deregulate a child who suffers, impacting their body, mind, health from sleep deprivation while causing parents to have a breakdown, sleep deprivation impacts diet, concentration and anxiety.
Would you feel the same about antibiotics? Medication is monitored and administered by a consultant, it’s hardly street corner stuff and avoiding it for a stigma is detrimental to the already anxious child’s wellbeing.

I haven't said anything offensive, I don't think, no idea what had set HQ off to review, but best of luck!!

You need to make bedtime later and fill the 2/3 hours you're currently spend on bedtime doing physical intentional sensory activity. I'm speaking from experience.

My son wasn't sleeping until 10/11pm and after an hour trying to get him to sleep would get aggressive. We had input from neurology for seizures and neuropsychology for development and still losing our minds. On a call to neuropsychology I said I felt like I needed to accept the later sleep time because the prolonged bedtime was hell and she asked what was stopping me and the answer was the expectation of a sensible bedtime. So that night instead of up to the bath at 7.30, I put our trainers on, out my then toddler in the pram in her pyjamas and we walked the dog in the dark for an hour. When we got home toddler was asleep and popped into bed, eldest went straight into the bath and into bed and was still asleep at 10 but happily. Not aggressively.

We signed up for a local trampoline place and when weather was too bad to walk we went there and bounced for an hour.

And screens, to help him stay in bed we did use a tablet with brightness on lowest setting because it calmed him and didn't make sleep time later but I hated it to be honest. We got a yoto player and it was a game changer (he wouldn't let us read then. He'd try to take the book and kick off) so we ended up in a position whre he'd lie in bed listening to stories while I cuddled him.

Around 6 we were finally given melatonin and now he's asleep for 9 on a school night, he's 7 and happy to be read to until he falls asleep. But he only get melatonin 5 days a week to stop him building a tolerance. The other 2 nights we do allow 'movie nights' where he can fall asleep to a gentle video on his tablets ame as before and again settles him, means he knows he only gets movie nights if he cooperates with his medicine ons school nights. It's saved our lives.

However even before melatonin the extra exercise made a huge difference.

Yanbu

my dd is 6 and autistic. We are very lucky that she’s quite mellow, but she is a TERRIBLE sleeper

I used to put her down to bed at about 7 or 8 and it would take at least two hours for her to drop off. She would babble, roll around, giggle, try to get up

she just wouldn’t sleep. And I tried perservering but it didn’t change. I would sit, for two hours, in the dark, listening to the radio on low

eventually, I’d done my two hours, she dropped off and I got up to go to bed - she walked past me to my bed 😅😅😅😅. I gave up

now, she sleeps with me!!!

She has book and cuddles and then is put down while I have the soaps on low, and use my phone. She falls asleep quicker and if she doesnt, I can at least be entertained 🙄🙄

do it, life is too short for judgement, you need to sleep!

You say he doesn't focus when you read, but honestly, my son is constantly on the go and doesn't look like he's listening, but he really is.

It's like he has a need for stimulation, so his brain needs the sensory feedback from doing something physical to allow his mind to focus. What about giving audio books on a tablet or a phone, without the screen being active, and see if helps?

Also, have you tried magnesium? I'm not sure if that actually helps, but DS seems better since taking a supplement. You can get gummies from amazon.

Best of luck, its really hard

My DS won’t sleep, he acts like he is being electrocuted repeatedly with sensory ticks. With the melatonin he relaxes and sleeping by 9pm without it, he can stay awake all night jerking but usually around 1/2am without it.
He cannot wake up properly for school so it starts more drama in the morning. It’s very bad for the moods.

That sounds like ADHD.
Its very common to have ADHD and ASD.

My DD is ADHD and never slept so I used to put on audiobooks and she’d have books to read and a torch and a couple toys to play with.

She didn’t sleep much but she doesn’t have PDA and so I told her it’s bedtime and she only comes out for the toilet or if she’s feeling poorly etc.

Most of the time she stayed awake but was good to pretend to be sleeping lol.

If I put a tv in there she would have never slept.

She would only sleep on the floor though.

What would happen if you put him to bed and came downstairs?

Melatonin is a game changer. I never used it as I didn’t want to ‘drug’ my child but I wouldn’t think twice now I’ve seen how much it improves things.

Have you tried a yoto player? Its helped massively with DS age 7. We can't get a diagnosis, but I am positive he has ADHD. Nursery agreed and so does school, but we can't even get him added to the waiting list for CAHMS, and I don't really know what to do with that.

But yes, yoto, no screens as the light from then messes with your brain, but the yoto is audio books and its helped so much. You can even record your own voice reading books if he enjoys that

We got adult and kids melatonin gummies from piping rock. They also do other vitamins and supplements too.