help regarding my ds sleep

[bubblagirl]

hi all not been posting for ages really as been so tired i need help with bubbla boys sleep

he just genuinely doesn't get very tired anymore and its affecting everything he used to have restless nights but still be up in the morning and be in time for pre school etc oh and he'd always go to bed early just up and down with sleep all night

now he doesn't get tired even looking at him no sign of tiredness he plays his little console in bed to help tire his mind out and this works without it he wont sleep at all

someone somewhere mentioned night time milk but local super markets don't sell this near me

im wandering is this just how it'll be now or is there something i can do as were always late for pre school now i cant function as want to sleep all the time

we haven't been to his sn group as we keep missing all Mondays pre school and snap due to him being so tired we have completely gone out of a routine that was working his happy enough his just not tired

he wont have baths as his phobia is with water they are best left to a day time he has warm milk and biscuit tried leaving in quiet room but its too much i think his mind has trouble unwinding we wind down for bed from 5 pm quiet play video etc but still he is up early hours not tired

is this because the older his getting the more his brain is ticking and his struggling will this wind down or has anyone got a dd or ds still the same

thanks for any advise at all maybe i'll just have to get used to it the more he learns the less sleep he needs for some reason probably precessing these thoughts all night

xx

I've had the sleep problems and the bath problems.

With the baths - I've tended to find bribing him with bath toys - bubbles, and now his swimming doll has worked best.

With the sleep - I've found that he sleeps better when he's happier and settled at school. When he was at his crap private nursery he was a nightmare, up till 2.am. some nights and demanding my company and attention.

I think it's important, despite the late nights to keep on with the morning stuff, I think that having a routine will help with his sleep.

the only day i will miss is a monday as he goes into baby class on a monday so doesnt do anything productive

the rest of the week i continue as normal waking him at 8.40 getting him washed and dressed slice of toast and straight off to pre school normally with tears now as his so tired but we still do it

he does an afternoon on a thurs and this used to have him so tired out but it was gone 2 am when he finally dozed off last thur

baths i have to run when his not looking then take him through once in his ok but when its running he freaks out about it but were getting there with that problem slowly

i will keep going with routine there has been few days ive been unwell and unable to take him but 90% of the time his still there he functions well when there

they are aware of sleep issues so if all becomes too much they take him to quiet corner and read what is worrying me is when he starts school sept as he functions less without the sleep his ASD becomes more apparent im scared of how he'll settle at school i obviously want him to go in and settle well but he needs to sleep to be able to do this

maybe once at school his brain will get what it needs and this will tire him early who knows thanks tc hope your ok and ds is ok?

My ds2 was the same at bathtimes, and we tried everything to get him to like them. We tried bubbles, no bubbles, warm water, coloured water, dad in, brother in, by himself, toys, no toys. You name it, we tried it. The only way he will be ok in the bath now, is if he baths with his socks on . Sounds odd, but he doesnt like his socks off at all, even cries when we change them, so this was a last resort, which really paid off. Yes we still have the occasional meltdown, but he is a lot calmer, although washing his hair is a completely other story.

It might be a sensory thing. Is your DS quite sensitive to hot and cold? Would he maybe prefer someone bathing with him (if its possible).

As for the sleep, my ds has never been the best of sleepers, and having a nightmare with him myself, so cant really advise on that one, other than say just stick to your routine as best you can.

thanks guys we did have a sleep therapist but i ended up so sleep deprived and ill as dp works really long hours or away i was struggling to function we have a bed next to our bed and if all fails he goes into that and can settle better through the night than in his own bed

its just the winding him down to sleep i try everything but he just does not get tired that's the problem when he was sleepy i could get him to sleep in his bed no problem at all but he just doesn't get sleepy till really late and obviously im so tired from staying up watching him

oh well i guess it'll sort itself out if not will speak to gp and see if she can help she's fab with helping me and can tell her anything so would rather go to her as i know things get done

maybe i should get him star jumping again before bed lol or complete some difficult puzzle so his mind is all worked out will have to see how he goes thanks

i was getting him to do start jumps before bed before just to try and tire him that much more maybe that's why he was settling so well i'll try it again i think

you have to do these things just to see what works

tc could you explain more about sensory diet heard it mentioned few times but know nothing about it thanks xx

thanks will have good read through shortly could be something bubblaboy would respond well too xx

Another vote here for Tclanger's ideas. My dd sounds like she has very similar issues to her ds (either bouncing off walls or almost catatonic) and her OT put her on a sensory diet.
Since I started putting a heavy blanket on top of her duvet, she sleeps better. Weighted blankets are expensive, so I am going to attempt to make my own -but you could also consider replacing your ds duvet with a few heavy blankets (like the old days )
That might have a similar effect?
Good luck. I think it is often a case of trial and error, isn't it? My dd is 8 and I still haven't sussed it.

thank you i will try its not easy is it lol i'll ask about ot assessment thanks again its just so tiring at the moment i'll try anything

I feel for you, bubblagirl -lack of sleep is so hard to cope with, especially when it's long term.
I can't praise my OT highly enough. We can self-refer in our area. It might be worth ringing your local child develpment centre or equivilent (sp?)to se if you can do that. We got a 6 month head start by doing that.

thanks sibling i will seriously look into that i was coping with waking every few hours but not getting much sleep at all is slowly driving me nuts

i need to have patience to deal with my ds but find it wares thin with no sleep and this is not fair on him nor me

still were coping and i must say more quality time has been spent just cuddling which cant be bad and his changing into quite a comical character so its not terrible with him up but the lack of sleep is terrible as he spends all day moody then becomes a different character by night lol

I know, my patience is very, very limited am like a banshee when I'm sleep deprived.Try not to be hard on yourself, you are only human and can't run on empty.
DD1 was 3 the first time she slept through the night and I truly thought that it would never happen. It didn't last, mind you, but at least I started to get the odd good night, which enabled me to cope.

I used to cuddle dd on my lap and stick a dvd on so I could have a rest doze.
Let us know how you get on

PS that's a good sight. The lap pads are supposed to be very good.

SITE ,even

ask about melatonin ! your peadi should prescribe some , my dd4 has trouble sleeping/staying asleep , she was started on melatonin last week and shes much better now!its amazing, she has less tantrums and meltdowns, and is eating better too..hope you both gets some blissful goodnights sleep soon x

thanks dsrplus will ask have heard of it but all new to me lets hope something works for both our sakes x

well we finally got up in time for pre school all ready and its closed as we have lots of snow lol never mind maybe now we have done it once he will train himself back into a routine

now his upset as there is no pre school so stomp in the snow and snow man is in order i guess

hey bubba did you and bubbaboy get to build that snowman? dd4 was out walking in it for the first time, she was quite confused as o what it is!

i seem to be missing a few L's there!