Ds 7.5 "insomnia"!

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Hi ds has always been pretty good at going to bed and sleeping. He a
Ways wakes up at 7.10 however tired, late etc. however, in the last few weeks we have had a whole load of I can't sleep, with him staying awake until 9.30 on some occassions - which is way too late on a school night. We have changed the routine up to bed 7.30 read to one chapter and then read to himself until 8 then light off. But still not working, he doesn't seemed worried about anything, he doesn't get up and down, he calls out after hour or so

I don't know what else to do

Bump

My DD is 7.2. As a baby / toddler she was an amazing sleeper - always crashed out at 7pm and never woke before 7am. However over the last couple of years the time she goes to sleep has become later and later. This was causing a lot of aggravation as she would run around upstairs, keep her siblings awake, and generally cause havoc as she was bored and unable to sleep. We tried all sorts of things (music / story CDs / relaxation CDs / rescue remedy type soothing stuff), but nothing helped. I have really come to the conclusion that she simply does not need as much sleep as some other children her age. I have now changed her routine slightly to accommodate this and all of our lives are much much less stressful. When I take her two younger siblings up for their bed time routine she uses the quiet time downstairs to finish her school work or do piano practice etc or just fiddle around on her own. She stays downstairs until 8pm on the strict understanding that it is quiet time - i.e. she can read or potter around with puzzles or quiet toys but no TV, nor running around or bouncing about. At 8pm she goes upstairs and basically puts herself to bed (she does her own bath or shower, I just keep and ear out to ensure she's OK) and can read in bed until 9pm. It is not unusual for her still to be awake at 9.30 (if I am not careful she will turn the light back on and keep reading as soon as I've left her room). She is always up and bouncy in the morning whatever time she has gone to sleep.

I know that most children of this age sleep a bit more but I can't force her to sleep (believe me I've tried!). She is usually in bed soon after 8pm, so it is quiet relaxed reading time. Maybe your DS is similar and you have to work around what suits him. On the plus side her reading age is well beyond that of most of her class!

I had terrible trouble going to sleep from a young age. My mum bought me some storybooks on tape which I would listen too which helped me nod off (worked for a few years until I used to then stay awake to listen to the story an turn the tape over )

Thanks both - had busy weekend. Party, several hours of hwk, swimming, long walk with dog, karate grading. Wind down time this pm and later bedtime - ds crashed out