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Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

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Original poster

Melatonin - did it work for your little blighter?

97 replies

suzywong · 26/01/2005 22:21

goodmorning!

Another morning ripped open at 4am by my ds2.

He is 17 months old and every and I mean every night of his little life he has woken up and roared at 4am. Well actually it is about 6 or 7 times that he has not.

Most of the time he goes back to sleep til 6 - which I can deal with.

We have tried everything and I mean everything. Ds1 was a bad sleeper and we got him in to bad habits so we have learned from our mistakes and been very careful with ds2. Nothing makes a difference to him: not time of going to bed, not milk or breastfeed, not quantity or time of last meal, not cc, not whether or not I'm in the room or dh has to deal with it, not blackout curtains, not anything - please don't suggest anything as we have honestly tried everything even a few Chinese spells from my MIL. It doesn't work.

A wise woman suggested I ask the doctor for Melatonin. Have you tried it on your kids, did it work? How long do you have to give it for?

any advice greatly appreciated before I am committed to the asylum

OP posts:

Original poster

suzywong · 05/02/2005 05:29

actually, serves me right for gloating, I feel very heay headed due to too much sleep

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yoyo · 05/02/2005 11:01

SW - too much sleep?!!

Original poster

suzywong · 05/02/2005 11:31

yes
felt hungover

Back to the bottom bunk tomorrow night though

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Aero · 05/02/2005 12:02

Have just spent the last hour on the phone sharing my woes with my friend 'down under' after another dreadful night. Just refusing to settle and of course ending up in with us again!
Do you really think too much sleep is possible?

Original poster

suzywong · 05/02/2005 12:08

ermm .. I think t he first time you get a good hit of sleep in ages it is a bit of a shock to the system.

hope you have a better night tonight

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Aero · 05/02/2005 12:38

me too! Have a good one tonight yourself - enjoy it while it lasts. What I would do with a total re-charge of my batteries.............
Actually have just lifted him from his sleep and he has a fever of 38.7, so maybe that's the explanation for the last two terrible nights!

Original poster

suzywong · 06/02/2005 08:36

oh wow, that could explain it then. Dose him up with Neorofen then before bed.

Actually another consequence of having too much sleep would seem to be, in my case at least, filthy dreams about being stuck in a hotel room with Jerry Springer

Anyway I'm not going back on the bunk bed, I'm on a matress at the foot of the marital bed so that if ds2 wakes he won't see me and I won't disturb his pattern of waking at 5.15 then going in bed with his dad for a cuddle until 6.

Hmmmm....family life

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Aero · 06/02/2005 11:34

rofl @ Jerry Springer! Have just endured the worst night ever - was just awful. I had a nice evening out to the cinema and guess who was up on my return! No chance of him going down in his own bed so took him up to ours in the hope we'd get some much needed sleep, and sure enough he dozed off, but only if he was physically attached to my face the whole time - he was sweating like mad and I was most uncomfortable, but though I'd stick it out until he was well asleep - never happened. Managed to finally settle him in the travel cot at midnight only for him to waken at 1am and scream so hard he made himself sick. Was still awake at 3am by which time I was finding it hard to see any good in him!! He was sooooo tired himself too by then he finally went to sleep until 7ish and tbh I was really not liking him this morning! He is wonderful during the day, but these night-times are truly gruelling! Funny enough, he's gone down now quite happily for a daytime sleep in his own cot - no worries at all, and I'd join him if I didn't have the other pair to worry about and a million things to do. The lack of sleep is beginning to make it difficult to cope during the day atm - lets just hope this is a teething problem and will be short lived. I can cope with his usual waking in the night habits, but this is way too much!

Original poster

suzywong · 06/02/2005 12:07

oh aero you poor poor woman

why on earth do they do it when they are clearly so happy in the day time?

How old is your youngest again? Are you near enough to London to have a go with this Andrea Grace sleep counsellor. I'm not going to suggest any handy hints (because that would make you want to poke my eyes out, I remember the feeling well) but if you are up for it a third party does make things more bearable

What film did you see?

I have to say Jerry was very sprightly for his age last night

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Aero · 06/02/2005 12:31

Went to see Million Dollar Baby - loved it. A totally child free experience!
Live about 40 mins from London, so will look into that, thanks - I do so hope it is a phase - he's just had his first birthday a few weks ago and this is the worst he's been. His first tooth only appeared at 10.5 mths though, this is the top ones and his wee cheeks are so shiny and red.
Anyway, he's just woken up but we've had an hour's worth of respite so merrily on we go..............
the Jerry thing is still tickling me - hilarious!

yoyo · 06/02/2005 12:32

What a night you had Aero. DS was great until 4 am but then woke at 5 and again at 6! Would have been a reasonable night even with that had it not been for teenage neighbour and friends returning v. drunk and noisy at 2.30 am and deciding to play in the garden at 3am. I got up eventually and asked them to go to bed which they did thank God. If it's not your own children it's somebody else's - couldn't bloody believe it though.

Aero · 06/02/2005 13:03

Ain't that the truth yoyo!! Am keeping fingers crossed for us all in 'the club' to have a better night tonight!

Original poster

suzywong · 06/02/2005 13:07

yes fingers crossed [cross eyed slightly glazed and dishevelled emoticon]

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Aero · 06/02/2005 13:21

Can't believe you're still awake sw! What's the time difference?

Original poster

suzywong · 06/02/2005 13:25

oh it's a very reasonable 9.30 pm here in Perth, and I got up at .......8.30am because I wasn't sleeping in my house. Will be in bed by 10.45 though

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Aero · 06/02/2005 14:16

My friend is in Victoria so 11 hrs time difference there - wasn't sure about Perth!
Well - fingers grossed then!

lilybubble · 07/02/2005 00:30

Hi again all, sorry to hear no good news on the sleep front. Just thought I'd let you know that for the past I don't even know how long, I haven't even bothered trying to sleep in my own bed, I leave that for dh. dd and i sleep on the sofa bed. Although it doesn't seem 'right' to a lot of people who, no doubt, have little angels who sleep 7 - 7, it does work for us. Dh is uninterrupted MOST of the time, so is in a better mood for work, and for us! Dd sleeps MUCH better - the last 3 weeks she has slept around 8 hours without waking most nights. Before this she was waking at least 3 or 4 times, and sometimes 10.

I think it might be to do with the fact she's just got her 16th tooth through as well, but frankly, who cares!! It works for us, and we're not planning to change it just now.

She is still up till anywhere between 11pm and 1am though, but we're off to Australia in 4 weeks time, so am hoping to solve that problem with the jet lag. Hmmmm.....

Original poster

suzywong · 07/02/2005 00:57

good luck with the jetlag trick lillybubbles, where are you going to in Oz?

me and dh have been in separate rooms for the majority of the 4 years since we had kids, and it works for us for the same reasosns as you. Although las night I took the big step of moving in to the marital bedroom but on a single matress at the foot of the bed that dh is in so that ds2 wouldn't see me if he woke up. But at the end of this week I'm getting back in my queensize with my dh and no pesky kid is going to stop me

OP posts:

Original poster

suzywong · 07/02/2005 01:02

Actually why am I blabbing on about beds when I should be telling you about a product that we think has stopped ds2 from roaring at 4am

It is ......

Brauer Natural Medicine's
Calm
it's a homeopathic remey for hyperactivity, irritability and insomnia. We give ds2 1.5ml at bedtime

Here's the website

don't know if you can get it in the UK, but lillybubbles you could pick some up when you come and you could get your friend (or me ) to send you some aero.

I think it is what is finally helping ds2 back to sleep at 4.

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Aero · 08/02/2005 19:07

Ahh - sw - you are a gem - will get my friend to look for it - I'm sure she won't mind - is it expensive? (Wouldn't want to put her out too much)!! Had another bad night last night - up no less than four times and is becoming very difficult to settle in his own bed at anytime now - though I'm totally heartless and feel that at least during the day and when going down at night, he needs to learn to feel comfortable in his own bed! He managed to stay there until 6am today but only after being settled seversl times in the night!

lilybubble · 09/02/2005 22:43

suzy, sorry for not getting back to you before now, have been away at my parents for a couple of days. thanks so much for that link, definitely worth a go i think! i will get some when we get there. we're going to sydney, dh is from there, and all his family are still there.

do you think it might help dd to go to bed earlier? i hate to say anything much (tempting fate and all that) but she is doing a LOT better at sleeping through......can't believe it!

how is it going on the single mattress?

tiredemma · 25/02/2005 14:03

been using night-time milk since last friday- its bloody amazing!
first couple of nights were no different but ds2 has been sleeping better than ever past few nights!- had to go in and wake him yesterday morning as we all had to get up for work/nursery.

nosotiredanymoreemma !

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