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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Anyone else's kids just NOT SLEEP at night?

18 replies

colditz · 21/10/2009 22:12

Both of my children are still up, still running around maniacally. they are three and six. I have tried putting them,m to bed twice. Then I gave up and we all went to the shop, because they have trashed their room and they have trashed the living room, and they are runnning riot and tbh I needed to be in a public place to regain my self control.

They just are not tired. And I have tried turning all the lights and everything off, they just run around with toys in the dark.
I am shattered.

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Original poster

colditz · 21/10/2009 22:29

Nobody?

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Nyx · 21/10/2009 22:32

Much sympathy...you must be ready to drop. They will crash out eventually! It's bad enough with one, and you have two. DD went through a short phase of this but it seems to have calmed down now (fingers crossed). No advice but sympathy from me - sorry it doesn't help though!

Mummy369 · 21/10/2009 22:34

Yes!! Not tonight - well, actually 9 yr old still up, says not tired, messing around.. Also have 3 and 6 yr olds, thankfully in bed. Many a night still got them up, went through really bad phase during summer hols - just couldn't get them to settle in the evening. Since back to school and start of nursery, slightly better. Think the routine is helping. Unfortunately we get in from work/childcare about 6-6.30 many nights, so the children often think that's their cue to start having a ball! It's hard to be strict when you've missed them all day, too.

Original poster

colditz · 21/10/2009 23:02

It' really easy to be strict when they have been horrible little toads all day, but it seems to make no difference. My shrieks are as the whispering of the breeze

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Original poster

colditz · 21/10/2009 23:02

They are still up and still cheerfully being little sods, btw

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1dilemma · 21/10/2009 23:11

put the kettle on sit down and enjoy the fact they'll go to sleep much easier tomorrow night

Original poster

colditz · 21/10/2009 23:27

They are still going

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Original poster

colditz · 22/10/2009 00:02

ARRRRRGH STILLL AWAAAAAAKE

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TrinityHasAVampireRhino · 22/10/2009 00:06

seriously ??

I thought you were a hard nosed mummy

why cant you just tell them to go to bed and if they aren't sleepy then they must read a book and stay in their bed

Original poster

colditz · 22/10/2009 00:17

Cos they just DON'T.

And all the threatened sanctions in the world don't work at that time and I cannot be arsed with punishing at midnight. I'm just too tired

They have gone very quiet actually, I think at least one of them is asleep....

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Original poster

colditz · 22/10/2009 00:18

I am seriously going to have them both up and dressed at 7am tomorrow.

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TrinityHasAVampireRhino · 22/10/2009 09:15

how did the up and dressed at 7am go??

NellyTheElephant · 22/10/2009 09:46

How did this morning go? I had this with my DDs (2.5 and 4.5), it escalated over a couple of months from being a bit of chatting and giggling until they would be running and jumping and trashing the room and bouncing on the beds etc for up to a couple of hours (I think the latest they managed was about 9.30pm). Shouting at them, threatening, turning lights off had no effect. What really helped for me was separating them. I put the eldest in my bed with the light on and a stack of books so she could fiddle around and read for a bit, but under strict instructions to stay quiet and keep the door shut or I'd turn the light off. DD2 went straight to her bed with the light off. Without DD1 to play with DD2 would usually drop off quite quickly and once she was asleep it was safe to move DD1 back to the bedroom as she would stay calm and quiet with noone to play with and then eventually drop off. A week of this seemed to break the habit of them running around and playing for hours and for the last few weeks they have been fine both going straight to bed in their room.

Also, even though they just run around in the dark when you turn the lights off I'd still turn lights off. I found with my DDs that although they would still run around and play in the dark they generally tired of it pretty quickly (certainly sooner than with the light on). Have you tried story CDs?

MerryWifeOfWindsor · 22/10/2009 10:01

My DS is like this - fell asleep at 6 , up at 7 until gone 11, finally after much screaming went to bed but woke at 3. Every night he has woke at 1am/3am/4am and screamed and screamed when put to bed and forces his way out past me. DH is off for a week from Saturday, we are hoping to crack this, and potty training, and getting the baby to sleep in the bedside cot It's all so draining.

mathanxiety · 22/10/2009 19:38

I got a disco light at one point for one DC who is now a teenager and on her way to break the all-time-teenager-sleeping record. The light spun around and lit up the darkened room in a very dizzying and relaxing way. I found there was a point in the late evening where this particular child actually got her second wind and if I missed getting her to bed before this point she just got more and more wound up and energetic.

bigchris · 22/10/2009 19:45

gawd they must be knackered the next day. is this every night?
i would do the no talking put back to bed again and again ala house of tiny tearaways

Original poster

colditz · 22/10/2009 20:22

I took ds 2 up tobed at 7.30 tonight

he screamed and screamed and screamed.

So I put him in my bed, where he settled in about 45 secnds.

Ds1 is reading in bed now, although he was makingnoises about wanting to get up and tidy their room.

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daffodilli · 22/10/2009 21:14

I was like this when I was little , if my Gran was looking after me she would say that I didn't have to go to sleep or stay in bed as long as I was in my room, kind of a compromise, and apparently I always fell asleep! May be worth a try, good luck

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