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Original poster

I'm afraid I'm going to lose my temper soon

31 replies

NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 01:27

Posted on another thread about my son suddenly not sleeping.

Well, im not sure how much more of this I can take. He's hollering every 10 minutes. As soon as I go in he is silent. Sitting with him only has him bobbling around with excitement. Tried putting him in bed with me which resulted in giggling and bouncing around.

If I don't go to him he just screams at the top of his very healthy set of lungs until I do. I haven't tested this for too long as I have a second (very stoic) child who needs to sleep... And neighbours who are probably wondering what the hell is happening...

He is utterly exhausted. His behaviour is shocking as he rampages around with grey/purple circles around his eyes... I'm not sure which is harder... Days or nights.

I'm so exhausted I can barely string a sentence together. I admit I don't handle sleep
deprivation very well and am VERY short tempered. I'm so very conscious of it but this 24 hour, non-stop (he's started AGAIN!!!) shit of dealing with not sleeping at night and then over-tiredness during the day... He did have a short nap today which gave me 45 minutes respite...

No questions but trying to distract myself... I'm fed up.

OP posts:
LovelyWeatherForDucks · 14/12/2014 01:34

Nothing constructive to add but also awake with 2 year old who has been awake since 11.45. Won't let me leave the room but won't sleep if I'm there!

HemanOrSheRa · 14/12/2014 01:40

Ooof. Can you put him on the sofa, give him some warm milk, snuggle him up and just sit separately but close quietly watching some boring shit on the tv. It's not ideal. I know. But you really need some rest and down time before you can deal with this however you choose to x

Isabeller · 14/12/2014 01:45

Hello :)

sending empathy and more company to OP and Lovely

where is the smiley with eyebags?

Pancakeflipper · 14/12/2014 01:47

It's like late night hell. And there's so many reasons why it's trial and error.

Dehydration is a common cause of children not sleeping.
Some children (past toddler age) sleep better with weighted blankets (Google them)
Perhaps a cranial osteopath can help?
And maybe a food diary?

Some children need time prior to bedtime when there's no stimulation like TV or gadgets when they can calm down naturally.

Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 01:54

This sounds so awful but I really cannot be dealing with being poked and giggled at.

I don't even know how to start dealing with it as up until a week ago he slept fine.... 7-7. I guess the first thing I will do on Monday is try to see a doctor to rule out anything I'm missing... Eating fine, peeing and pooing fine, no indication of pain anywhere, no fever, drinking fine... They can get the 'neurotic mum' stamp out but at least I can tick that box...

I want my happy little man back??.

I'm feeling so guilty for being so short tempered... What if there IS something physically wrong and I've not taken him to a doctor...? Oh jeez this parenting malarkey is the hardest thing ever.

I'm rambling now...

OP posts:
Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 01:58

For me a snarly with eye trunks ?? would be more apt. Along with a guilt ridden emoticon.

Thanks for the moral support...

OP posts:
HemanOrSheRa · 14/12/2014 02:07

do not feel guilty!!!!! Sleep deprivation makes you feel horrible. How old is your ds? I haven't read the other thread.

Adarajames · 14/12/2014 02:07

Give him some diluted chamomile tea, sweetened with a little honey if he doesn't like the taste?

Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 02:15

Almost 2.5 years old.

OP posts:
LovelyWeatherForDucks · 14/12/2014 02:23

Any progress Near? My DS has finally conked out, after me lying on his floor (freezing feet now!) and eventually commando crawling out!! Urgh. It's exhausting. Hopefully just a phase? Fingers crossed he sleeps in a bit.

Interesting point on dehydration - I've not heard that before, and DS drank a huge bottle of water when he first woke up. Might try encouraging more daytime drinks tomorrow!

dionne13 · 14/12/2014 02:34

Kids dont get upset. Cuddle up on sofa just remember these are the good days. Still young i understand i have three under 5 i think always one up lol roll on when they all teenagers xx

HemanOrSheRa · 14/12/2014 02:42

Well done lovelySmile
Have you a little night owl near? Frightened he's going to miss something? I have one of those creatures. He's 9 now. Used to sleep like a good 'un, 12 hours, from when I put him to bed. You have to make things as boring as possible.

Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 02:47

Well, have had about 20 minutes of quiet so maybe...

Yay Lovely!!

OP posts:
HemanOrSheRa · 14/12/2014 02:47

I agree dionne13. Snuggle em up and get them to sleep. Wherever. Like I said in my first post. You can do all the other stuff if you want to WHEN YOU HAVE HAD SOME SLEEP

HemanOrSheRa · 14/12/2014 02:51

Well done near. I raise my cup of tea to you. Do not go in and look at your ds!!!! He'll be fine. And......relax........

Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 02:53

Snuggling is great Smile. Not so much when little fingers are investigating the inside of my nose with accompanying giggles at some ungodly hourGrin.

Normally it's funny and cute but right now my sense of humour has failed me.

I will be keeping the dehydration tip in mind too and offering more water in the day rather than relying on him to ask (which he does regularly so I would never have thought of it)

Thanks for the moral support... Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 02:55

How did you know that having a look was next Heman? Grin

OP posts:
HemanOrSheRa · 14/12/2014 03:08

Don't. He'll be fine. Trust me. He will most definitely tell you if he's not. DON'T POKE THE SNAKE

Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 10:29

Well a grand total of 5 hours sleep. Tried to cuddle him in my bed but he wouldn't sleep, tried laying on the couch, tried laying on the floor beside his bed. It's now 5:30 and I

OP posts:
Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 10:32

I just sent him down to play... I give up.

OP posts:
Original poster
NearTheEdge · 14/12/2014 10:40

Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated. I'm starting to lose it. And not in a good way. I was just downright nasty when I let him out of bed. This cannot continue. I'm a terrible parent??.

OP posts:
LaPetiteCoccinelle · 14/12/2014 10:50

Can you try explaining to him in the day that he must sleep? Sounds odd but sometimes at that age DS would tantrum over something. The next time the situation arose I warned him that he must not cry and scream this time and kept repeating it. To my amazement it worked.

Having said that it didnt stop him waking at night but hes always been a terrible sleeper. Maybe as yours was good before this might work.

Recently we ve been reduced to going on LONG bus journeys so DS would sleep when he was in a cycle of being overtired, refusing to nap and sleeping horrendously at night.

HemanOrSheRa · 14/12/2014 11:31

Near You're not a terrible parent. You're an exhausted one. I was thinking, if this problem started a week ago, could it be that he's excited about Christmas?

Original poster
NearTheEdge · 20/12/2014 01:01

Well I'm now feeling pretty crap. After over a week of screaming once put to bed (never mind the every 1-2 hours through the night). I've just gone in, picked him up, plonked him down and left. Nasty Sad

There is a reason sleep deprivation is a torture method. Doesn't make losing my temper okay though Sad

OP posts:
Boysclothes · 20/12/2014 01:14

We had phases of this in an otherwise brilliant sleeper. It was weird, it's like he woke randomly one night, got something out of it and then it became a habit for a bit.

Gro clock worked a treat, he really took on board the fact that when it was blue it was night time and he should be asleep.

The other thing that worked, and I hate to say it but it did every time, was getting really cross. After going in x amount of times, I would "lose it" ( not really, I was still in control, but cross enough to make it convincing). I'd pick him up, hold him in front of my face and be REALLY stern, borderline shouty about how this was naughty behaviour, he had to go to sleep etc etc. if he cried, I knew it had worked and he would be quiet and then asleep within five minutes. If he giggled, I knew I hadn't been cross enough and he thought it was still a joke.

It wasn't nice and I don't like shouting, but weirdly, if I did, it had a 100% success rate? DH asked me why I just didn't do it first time when he woke up instead of going in and out ten times but I would try all the other stuff first.