DD can’t sleep?

[holymosquito]

DD 6 is getting harder and harder to settle at night. Every night this week she has still been awake at 10.30. She is also waking several times a week with insomnia

We have a long standing bed time routine but have rcently moved her bed time from 7 to 8 as she wasn’t settling. Recently though she is not settling at all. TV goes off at 7 and she gets into PJs and does her teeth then, then plays in her room until 8. Then its a story and she is supposed to settle down. She can read if she wants until 8.30.

Now though she is contantly getting back up, lights on, filling her bed with toys and books etc.

We have tried playing relaxing music etc but she is still fighting sleep. We wake her in the morning by 8 and try and make sure she has plenty of exercise everyday.

Any suggestions please?

Lockdown, change in routine, lack of organised sport and missing the normal school routines are all things which affected my nearly 6 year old.

I would be inclined to stop all bedtime "playing", even in the run up to bedtime. So make it a rule that bedtime = sleep time. So have all wind-down time downstairs with the family. Then if you're lights out time is 8.30pm, then up for bedtime routine at 8.15pm, story with you and into bed.

No toys in bed or allowed at bedtime or at night. Make it a boring place, as boring as possible. The expectation should be that at bedtime she lies in bed, quietly, and does nothing - absolutely nothing apart from closing her eyes.

My DD likes to have a parent upstairs while she goes to sleep. We are happy to do that (not least because the communal gaming area in the house with the xbox is in the snug outside her bedroom - so DH plays the xbox for half an hour at DDs bedtime every night), and keep her door open until she is asleep. That also means we can keep an eye on her and not allow for any messing around - ie she's not allowed to get out of bed or do any playing at bedtime.