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How can I keep my 3 1/2 year old asleep all night??

2 replies

Emz2019 · 18/09/2020 07:23

My child is 3 and a half, he’s never been a good sleeper, he’s got a lot of medical problems and is waiting for an autism assessment, but he goes through stages of not sleeping well, he’s been put on a medication called melatonin and this helps him get off to sleep at night, it works well and he’s usually asleep within an hour at the most, now my older kids are back in school and he’s waking up, he’s has sever hearing difficulties so when he wakes up he shouts very loud so he can hear himself, he doesn’t talk yet, he has a couple of words but uses them out of context, so he’s been waking at 3-4am and he’s full of energy when he wakes up! Iv been told I can give him the medicine again but it doesn’t work the second time maybe because he’s got too much energy and over powers it, when he wakes up I have to take him downstairs he sits down there in his high chair watching tv, I stay close by often pop in the kitchen and make use of myself doing some washing and quietly pottering around so my older kids can get back to sleep for school, by 7-8am my 3 year old is then so tired and crying to go back to bed and back to sleep, I had him in a nursery but this wasn’t working as he was often falling asleep as soon as he got there and not waking up until after lunch time, Iv spoken to the doctor and the next medicine he can go onto is a tablet form that releases slowly all night to keep him asleep but he wouldn’t be able to swallow a tablet just yet, we are all exhausted he’s waking the whole house up and I don’t know what I can do to help him stay asleep all night. Has anyone been through this?

OP posts:
TigerQuoll · 18/09/2020 08:00

Maybe cosleep? What happens if you sit next to his bed and shush him and rub his back, will be go back to sleep?

TigerQuoll · 18/09/2020 08:03

Also maybe you could try keeping him awake much later in the evening so he'll be heaps more tired such might keep him asleep through the 3-4am normal wake up? Also do you force him to stay awake when he gets tired again at 7-8am? If he gets a snooze then that probably continues the cycle of not needing so many hours of sleep at night

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