How can I stop them??

[MrsCWillcox2012]

Hi,

I have 2 children, F8 and M12

They don't sleep properly at night, have regularly found them awake until 3-4am and they are impossible to wake in the mornings. I work from home but during the holidays in particular I really struggle to keep them in any kind of routine due to working and not being able to get them up and out for some time.

While the sleeping is an issue in and of itself the worst part for me in particular is that during the night they will help themselves to junk, sweets I bought for them the following day, snacks because they are bored... that kind of thing. Then they hide it, they will keep the rubbish in their rooms, hidden under beds, in cupboards, even in some cases inside their pillow cases...

We live in a HOT country so I don't want to lock the kitchen door as I want them to be able to get cold drinks at anytime of day, but how do i impress upon them the importance of not 'stealing' so far it doesn't matter what I say they just nod/whinge/deny until the cows come home.

I just don't know what I can do, I have tried denying them internet time, screen time in general, hiding the treats... if they don't find anything in the kitchen they head to my work desk and rifle through that...

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated regarding the stealing. The sleep I have spoken with multiple professionals about and not much I can do about it except medicate them which I wish to avoid if possible

What are they actually doing until 3-4am? Turn the internet off/remove tv’s or whatever if they are watching stuff.
Do you have childcare for the day? If they were up & out & active they wouldn’t still be awake until the early hours. If you haven’t got childcare then you should have really, you can’t work and supervise children. Are you meaning they just lie in until you finish your work and then can get them out of the house? If you worked in an office/shop you would need childcare, working from home should be no different, especially it’s to the detriment of their sleep/activities.
Stop buying junk and snacks. If there isn’t any in the kitchen or your desk they can’t have them. Or keep them locked in the boot of your car and bring one item out each at a time.

Lock the cupboard with the food in it turn off the Internet or take the light bulb out

I would sit down with them both and go through the rules together - stay in bedroom all night unless for the toilet, no taking food to bedroom etc - get them to help write the rules. Then I would decide on consequences for breaking the rules together.

Then I would stay awake - sit outside their door and send them back to bed if they get up and follow through consequences.

It will be tough for first day or two but hopefully it will stick.

We locked sweets /junk cupboard when DC were little. I think that started when 3yo (DC3) started sneaking stuff.

Gosh can't think when we finally took lock off. Probably about 7 years later!!

Don't buy it?
And if it's chocolate- the caffeine will be keeping them awake.