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Takes hours to fall asleep!!!

4 replies

Coffeeonadrip · 27/11/2022 22:16

Can I ask for tips to get my little one to fall asleep please? She's 6. She has a good bedtime routine, screens off a couple hours before goes to bed. Bath, book, the usual. Quiet time in her bedroom with her teddies, colouring etc before "lights out". And still it'll be 10pm before she falls asleep with a lot of back and forth, questions, thought, musings. It just seems her brain does not switch off until she crashes. She's an anxious child and all that laying in bed for an hour just causes her to think sad thoughts and worry more. She gets up for school fine, at weekends is up by 8am by herself so gets 10hrs or so. No problems in school, with learning or behaviour.
She wakes up few nights a week for no reason (she's newly dry at night so maybe her body wakes up for a wee? I take her to the toilet before she goes back to bed).
She was never a brilliant sleeper. Didn't start sleeping through till she was past 3yo.

Any tips how we can help her fall asleep quicker that doesn't involve one of us staying in her bedroom with her and keeping telling her to keep her eyes closed? We've tried white noise, rain sounds, reading to her in the darkness in a quiet voice. What are we missing?? Don't need to add that we don't get wind down time ourselves in the evening which is taking toll on everyone. Thank you!

OP posts:
SheWoreYellow · 27/11/2022 22:35

What time are you doing lights out? I’d be tempted to make it an hour later.

Coffeeonadrip · 27/11/2022 23:15

9pm ish

OP posts:
skkyelark · 29/11/2022 20:53

Would she listen to audiobooks? You could get her a child-oriented player like a Yoto, or possibly set up a playlist of them on a phone or tablet you've already got and just set it playing for her (with the case closed). If it works, she could wind down at her own pace, has the story to distract her from worries, and you still get an evening.

ZebraKid71 · 04/12/2022 19:11

My 5 Yr old is similar, I leave him with audiobooks and just potter around upstairs so he knows I'm close by. Not ideal but I just think he doesn't need as much sleep, he is rarely overtired.

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