6yo won’t sleep without Moshi sleep app

[blueskygreengrass]

Hi everyone,
We started to use the Moshi sleep app during lockdown as a way of calmly winding down with good quality stories (there’s some audio rubbish out there). But what’s happened is that our 6yo has become completely reliant on Moshi to sleep - almost like an adult who can only fall asleep whilst listening to podcasts.

If she wakes in the night we have to put another one on for her. And for each Moshi we have to sit with her for at least 10mins or so. She asks how long the stories are and choses the longest ones (30mins). She is often over tired and sometimes isn’t asleep until 9. Even though she believes she can’t sleep without the stories, I think the content actually keeps her brain overstimulated.

When younger, we had the same problem with audio books on a little CD player - an hour later and our preschooler would still be awake! The audio books came about as a way of settling her for bed whilst I got her younger sister (then a baby) to sleep.

She is an intelligent and very talkative child who doesn’t have much of an off switch (!) and Moshi has now become a problem. Recently she’s been afraid to fall asleep due to nightmares and “bad thoughts” relating to the nightmares. This seems to be over with now - and I do wonder if Moshi is blocking out 6yo anxieties about the world - but any ideas as to how we curb this crutch of Moshi and help her feel settled to fall asleep without constant chatter?

Can the app be played continuously?

Hi @BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz no, it can’t. If she’s not asleep, then she’ll get up and ask for another one

My DS7 listens to sleepy paws from moshi on youtube on a bluetooth speaker. There is a 9 hour loop which I switch off when he's asleep. He also had difficulty pushing horrible thoughts/nightmares out of his head and this seems to work. He did also go through a phase of listening to Bob Ross painting tutorials.

I saw someone post something similar on another thread, is this definitely a negative?
I mean people have listened to sleep stories for centuries, children have fallen asleep to being told a story. I use the Calm app and listen to sleep stories before bed, if I don't it can take me an hour to sleep.

I don't know moshi are they designed for sleep or just audio stories?

On the Calm app they have lots of relaxing ones for children - I think if this helps promote sleep it's not a bad thing?

What about getting a Bluetooth speaker, then you can download some audiobooks and let it play from your phone overnight

The issue is when the stories stop she wakes up, so why not just get a player that will play them on a loop? I'm one of those adults who has to listen to something to go to sleep and I have to tell you it's never been an issue for me, I've been like this for 20 years and I can count on one hand the number of times its caused a problem.

Same. I have a little flat speaker that slots into the headphone jack on my phone and lies nicely under my pillow so the noise doesn't affect dh.

What about trying a less stimulating sound as a first step - ocean noises or rainfall? I sympathise with your DD as I (and younger DS) can’t sleep with Calm app stories.

Thanks for your replies and practical ideas. I think getting a Bluetooth speaker, looking into an app that continuously plays and perhaps trying out relaxing sounds instead of stories are all things that could help.

I didn’t mean to cause any offence about adults who listen to audio to fall or stay asleep! DH, MIL and BIL all do this but they are all light sleepers who seem to spend whole nights listening to radio/podcasts etc and don’t sleep well. My observation was I don’t want DD1 to get into their habit too… I think what she is listening to is the most important thing here, so will give Calm app and Moshi sounds a try.

We use Moshi too, mostly once 4yo DS has dropped off it's fine, unless he has a particularly poor night.

But I think you possibly need to start to introduce boundaries/ wean your DD a little. Play list of total time limit and gradually reduce the time limit.

my ds uses an Alexa for Moshi. I think you can tell it to repeat.
alexa has other sleep sounds programmed in too.

I'd be encouraging not playing it at night as that's just creating another habit. What happens if you just tell her it's time to sleep at night and she can have one story before bed and that's it? Can she have a very low wattage light so she could turn it in and look at ONE book that she's chosen before bed and hopefully she'll nod off again. Or a fan if she needs some background noise?

Why don't you say that she can only have the stories that have the separate music tracks that go with them? Then you can play the music track on a loop once she's fallen asleep. It might stop her night waking. I wouldn't have a problem with her needing a story to fall asleep to be honest, it would be the night waking that would get me. I genuinely would either do the music on a loop or just make a playlist of her favourite stories in the app and leave it on all night. I don't understand the obsession with making kids fall asleep without any "crutch". Very few of us adults get into bed and fall asleep without listening to something or needing an eye mask or even running our feet against the sheets for comfort etc. It's quite a normal need.