Bedtime routines

[ChipsRedWhite]

Hi,

My DD (in process of being assessed for autism) finds it really hard to settle at bedtime.

She has a weighted blanket which has helped a little but in the time when the light is off/I have stopped reading she complains of being bored or starts thinking on something which makes her worried and is unable to settle.

I was wondering if there are any toys or resources that any of you use that you would recommend?

Thank you

How old is your DD? We've given up on turning DD's light off. We leave her a lamp and some books to look at and usually within half an hour or so she's dropped off. I do think she's a good sleeper so this may not work for others, but she does struggle with the transition and finds it much easier if it's in her control.

Sorry, for context my DD is 5.

Our DS is 8 but has always struggled with getting to sleep. We allow plenty of time for calm play and time to wind down. We keep the routine the same every night so he knows what to expect, he really struggles if you try to change it! We use lush sleepy cream once in bed ready for sleep, we rub it on his feet and legs (not sure if it's he cream of just the act of massaging so something else might work just as well)

We have found that on nights when he's really struggling to switch off (saying I'm not tired, asking lots of questions etc..) we use an app called Calm which has lots of sleep stories. This works a teat as it gives him something to focus on whilst making him sleepy, most nights he'll fall asleep listening to one.

Oh thank you. DD is 8.

We keep the routine pretty much the same but she can be triggered just by saying it’s bedtime.

I’ll try leaving her bedside light on and encourage her to read/draw to see if that helps.

We've found drawing doesn't work so well as DD can get frustrated when it doesn't go how she wants - but give it a try and see!

DS is not too bad most night but he can be up til 10.30 plus. We've extended "bedtime routine" to cover most of the evening so it doesn't start at a particular time, it's just one long routine from dinner onwards which reduces triggers. Also we set an expectation around 5pm that if he wants to chat about his day, we will make time for that before or after tea, whatever works for us. By giving him a slot to talk about it away from bedtime, hopefully that avoids his need to dissect the day at 10pm when none of us are up to it.

I have to admit there's a hefty dose of just accepting we have very little time to ourselves though.

His bed is a "nest" full of a gazillion soft toys. It's probably pretty unhygienic as I can't wash them all