6 year old - angry bedtimes

[Lalala3]

my 6 year old boy has always been pretty good at going to bed, sometimes delays it but he generally will read a book, have his tonie on, and go to sleep.

the last few weeks have been horrible. He’s fine all day, even at bed time. Put him into bed, he will read his book. As soon as that’s finished he will shout or moan, complain he’s aching all over, say his hungry, say he can’t sleep etc. we go in and say you’re not expected to sleep straight away but you are expected to be quiet. But as soon as we leave he gets hysterical, crying, screaming etc. he gets angry banging his bed, kicking things (he is not like this in the day at all). we’ve tried to go up straight away, and calm him down. Sometimes it’s taken us sitting in the room with him which is not a habit I want to get in to. Tonight we are trying to leave him but it’s hard. Any advice?

Play audio stories
Tell him you will check on him every 10 mins and do

Reward chart for no messing about
Why does he say he's doing it ? Wants you there? Or not tired? Scared? Could go buy new bedding let him choose and new lamp etc
Let him read in bed
Could try putting to bed later

Just stay with him? He’s six. He needs comfort at bedtime. Why leave him by himself?

Just stay with him till he sleeps, clearly he’s having issues with soothing himself and sometimes they need a bit of a cuddle till they fall asleep.

Thank you. He has audio stories on all the time, we offer to change them and that used to work.

tonight we keep going up every 10 mins and just saying ‘it’s time for bedtime’. But he is constantly shouting in between. It’s hard to know what to do as I don’t like leaving it. He doesn’t say why he’s doing it.. well before he kept saying I don’t know how to fall asleep. But now he says he’s so angry. Like I say he’s not like it at all in the day. I want to help him through things but I also want to ensure there’s boundaries… weve always had a bedtime routine.

we did the whole new nightlight, new tonie for his box, telling him all the fun stuff we will do the next day, etc. he also reads in bed and always has done. I did think about bed later. We did try once but the same happened. I think he’s v overtired from end of term at school but pulling my hair out! I don’t mind sitting with him some nights but like I say I don’t want to make that a habit when it never has been.

This Christmas term can be a bit much for most children. Have you asked during the day if he knows why he gets upset?

Yes, always, we are quite open at talking about feelings. But he just keeps saying he doesn’t know. I think the season makes it so much harder for sure, just hard to know which route to go down!

Just reiterate that it's quiet time and stop going in every ten minutes.

Overtired and excited about Christmas. I'd just stay with him. He'll go to sleep more quickly. It's just a phase- give him extra cuddles.