DD10 is very emotional at the moment which we're attributing to hormones and it also seems to be triggering a massive sleep relapse.
As a baby she was a dream - used to point to her cot and self settle no problems.
But for the last 18 months / 2 years she's had periods of finding it very hard to get to sleep. Usually it resolves after a few weeks but this latest set back has been months now with no improvement.
We have a very carefully planned wind down routine starting at 7pm screens off, talking about our day, I read to her, she reads to herself. Sometimes we do gratitudes, sometimes she talks about worries but not much.
She can't articulate what's stopping her but repeatedly has said she doesn't want to go to sleep. Not in a stroppy way, but just in a slightly scared / anxious way - but she can't go beyond that to explain why she doesn't want to go to sleep.
I tentatively suggested talking to someone about it and she flipped out getting very agitated / tearful and telling me to "just stop talking mummy"
She's now said that she feels babyish as she has to sleep in our bed, with us, with a light on and with either lullabies, stories or meditation tracks on to fall asleep.
If she's particularly grotty (ie needs sleep!) I will stay with her and she drops off around 9/9.30.
If we've left her to it, I go to bed around 10.30 and generally she's still awake but will fall asleep once I get in with her. But we've often had 2 hours of up and down stairs so I'm getting very despondent. DH and I have no time to talk / watch something and I often have work to do (own business) that I can't even attempt in the evening now.
She's very hard to wake in the mornings so isn't getting enough sleep.
When does melatonin become an option?? Or am I overreacting and just need to wait it out some more??