AIBU to be annoyed by the fact dcs sometimes take an hour to go to sleep

[ConfusedWife1234]

I think it is pretty normal isn‘t it for kids to sometimes take that long.

I hoped DS would sleep early today so that he is not when we visit a friend...

I am really lucky with my kids, the are smart and loving and just good kids... but this...

My 1 and 4 year olds are nightmare sleepers. 2 hours is a reasonable time for me sadly. It's breaking my spirit.

My nine year old drops off around 11pm every night regardless of what time she goes to bed. Sometimes I put her to bed at 7 as she is just so tired and unreasonable and on those days it will take 4 hours

I would be happy if it only took an hour to get mine to sleep.
2 bad sleepers here

As long as you are just annoyed about the situation generally, and not annoyed AT the kids. I had insomnia as a child and it's miserable. Adults are advised to get up after an hour or two if they haven't managed to get to sleep. Kids have to just lie there for hour after hour after hour because they are naughty if they get up.

I'm sure they would go to sleep if they could!

An hour would be a dream here. (No pun intended 😂)

My DS (4) drops off within minutes of being in bed. DD (6) takes much longer, sometimes 1-2 hours but luckily is well trained to stay in her room and read her books/listen to the radio or a CD. We've tried varying her bedtime and getting her up earlier etc but she still takes ages to go to sleep. We just let her get on with it now.

I think it's pretty normal, they're all different.

DS can take an hour or two to go to sleep and won't go to sleep on his own. We started letting him go to bed a bit later than is maybe normal for his age (he's nearly 6) as it means calmer evenings all round, and he just seems to need less sleep than average.

Neither myself nor DH are good sleepers though.

Four hours is really, really long.

Dh has insomnia (but I hope that it is not heritable...).

Should I be honest. I have not yet found a better way to help my kids sleep than laying next to them. I first read to them and then I lay next to them in darkness and silence... and then they want to have a glass of water...they need to go to the lavaratory... the want to drink again. You get it.

I always found it hard to drop off to sleep as a child. Could you not leave them in bed to read or listen to an audiobook until they drop off naturally?

My dad always said he had memories of going up to check on me and I normally was fast asleep with a book in my hand or over my face!

Mine take up to 2 hours to fall asleep sometimes. They are 4 and 5 and share a room. I just leave them to it amd go downstairs.

Sounds like they aren't tired enough at bedtime, or too stimulated to sleep: Could you put them to bed a bit later? Avoid screens 2 hours before bedtime. A bath before bed to relax. Then rather than just lying in silence, try an audiobook left on quietly, relaxing music or white noise.

My 2 year old has never slept longer than 2 hours at a stretch without waking to at least feed. Sympathy from me it’s awful

How old?

I used to lie with them. But as they got older I gradually stopped. It took a while but they got used to the change and now, while sometimes they might take ages, it bothers me less

They cannot read yet, oldest is six...
And this ds6 is really afraid of the dark... night light does not change it. That’s the reason why I stay in the room. It is also the reason why Alford dcs sleep in one room.

I have a daughter age 11 who has asd and five nights a week sleep meds, even with this it is hit or miss.
Last night because people were setting off fireworks she didnt fall asleep until half past four this morning and came into me or called me in over 20 times because of this. She is now asleep but i am not and feeling shattered.
She has slept fairly ok last week or so ie abt 6-7 hours. But the month before that we had broken sleep for a month and two days of that because she could not sleep, i was awake with her all night.
She can also be physically aggressive when she cant sleep.

An hour seems normal. Please dont stress too much. Also winter kids are not usually running about as much and maybe not so tired.

*“all four of our“ not “Alford“

I would leave a hallway light on and Potter around. Also try audiobooks if you can. The aim is to get them used to the dark in short bursts.

Then I would leave a hallway light on outside and put an audio book on for them to listen to - wasting hours of your life lying in the dark waiting for your DC to fall asleep is daft!

Either try putting them to bed later or leave them to it and go back downstairs! Six is quite old enough to play with dolls or listen to a story on her own at bedtime.

Gosh isn't all four sleeping in one room making it worse though? Mine definitely slept better when I was able to put them in a room on their own?

I am annoyed now dd age 11 been trying to sleep for two hours but is constantly calling out or yelling or demanding my attention. I havent stopped all evening with her.

Wow I am so glad I am not the only one who has this problem. My boys share a room and have always been fab sleepers. My girls share a room they are 3 and 4 and take upto 3 hours to go to sleep. They have a toy box and a drawer full of books so tend to read stories to their toys (the older one knows going on a bear hunt by heart haha) but the eldest has just learnt to open the stair gate so they are now constantly up and down the stairs with questions and requests. I try everything to tire them out but seems they just don't need as much sleep. Regardless of wether they go to bed at 7 or 11 they still always get up at 7

People lie next to their kids for an hour every night til they sleep? and op with a 6yo!

Wow. I just pop him in the cot and he chats a bit then sleeps.

Teach them to sleep alone!