Trouble sleeping almost 4 year old

[Chloevalentine]

He's not getting out of bed as much but his bedtime is definitely later and he's waking earlier. He went from a consistent 12-12.5 hours sleep to 11 tops. Maybe he just needs less sleep as he approaches his 4th birthday. The only thing that I can't get a handle on is the wild crazy behavior that sometimes starts around 4 pm and lasts until he passes out around 815/30. That used to mean he was just tired. Now I'm not sure what it is. But he's so overstimulated it's even hard in bed trying to read or chat. He's flipping and talking gibberish and rolling around on the floor!

[greenlady]

I think so...just getting older.   Sometimes DS (5) doesn't pass out until 9, but he will go to bed no later than 8 and sleep through till 7 the next morning.  I've got the same thing about gibberish - we used to practise reading his school book before bed, but now he looses concentration and wants to play.  I think I'll have to do the homework earlier, and might try reading him an exciting story with (small) chapters a night to send him to sleep.  It will be something useful to use as bribe - if you want another chapter, you have to stay in bed..

[Chloevalentine]

I can't even keep him focused on a little story book these days. Tonight it's 845 and he's still up in his bed for 45 mins now. How is he not tired ?! Its been over a month that he's having trouble going to sleep. He's not even 4 I think 8pm is pretty late as it is let alone 9 pm!! My husband is in bed 830/9 as he wakes up early so it's just a mess here. Ugh.

[greenlady]

So sorry, it is hard.  Is there's anything he's eating to keep him fired up? Does his behaviour during the day suffer as a result of him being OT?  If so, it may be worth getting a medical opinion....overactive something or another?  Be good to rule it out.  Also, just a thought,  but do you think he might do it to keep DH up - ie attention seeking? just random thoughts as I don't know what else to suggest!

My book idea is working so far (Paddington abroad) and keeping him outside as long as possible after school is helping too. I'm just holding on to the thought that when he's a teenager,  I won't be able to get him out of bed.   Only 8 more years to go.
Hope it gets better soon.
Julia

[Chloevalentine]

I'll try a new book and see! He's just so wound up as soon as he gets into the room! I'm really thinking he needs less sleep. I can't think of what else it is and it happpens no matter how busy and active of a day he has. I've been waking him in the morning in hopes that he'll be more tired and ready for bed because I just think 9 pm is way to late for a guy who's not even 4!

[greenlady]

Yes, I agree, 9 pm is late for 4 yo and I'd say older.  But if he is happy and not OT during the day, and gets up easily in the morning, then maybe it is.  I know some mums whose kids are 4 and wake up at 5am,  bed after 8.  I'd be trying to "fix"that!  Another thought - is it related to lighter nights - did it happen during the winter too.

Incidentally, I've just come back from a school trip.  Nearly all the kids in the class slept in the bus on the way back.  My DS didn't - talked ALL the way back (1.5 hour long).  Is your DS like that? I think it is just his character, to not miss a thing. So, I'm happy as long as he is quiet once he goes to bed.  He may not go to sleep, but he is resting (occasionally I hear him moving).  I think it is just him and he takes a while to wind down.  More to the point - it means I'm off duty at 8.30, and I really need that!



 

[Chloevalentine]

I've been trying to wake him in morning by 7 in order to get him asleep by 8. So far he's still up until 9! Ugh

[Chloevalentine]

I've been waking him for a week or two now in the morning at 7/715 in hopes that he'll be tired at bedtime. So far he's still not falling asleep until 9 (one night it was 830) and he's tired during the day and early evening and has a hard time waking in morning. Maybe I should just let him sleep and try starting bedtime earlier ( or at old time)? Maybe the later start to the windown is not helping? I'll try anything at this point to get him to bed by 8.

[Katet]

Have you shifted the whole afternoon earlier or are you just trying to shift the last hour or so & rush the evenings to get bed at 8... because maybe its about his 'routines & rituals" & time from eating to his body slowing down etc.

[Chloevalentine]

Routines are still the same no change which is why it's odd that he's falling asleep so late for so long now. This morning he wouldn't get up he was so tired so I just let him catch up. How long do Developmental disturbances usually last? Between him going to bed so late and my lo up so early I'm fading fast

[Katet]

Routines are still the same no change which is why it's odd that he's falling asleep so late for so long now.

My thinking is that if you are trying to get him to bed earlier then you could try shifting his whole afternoon & evening routine earlier, as he must need that longer time to unwind, So if he is falling asleep at 9 & you want 8pm then shift dinner, bath everything an hour earlier so that he still has that time between dinner & bed that's he's having when he falls asleep at 9pm

[Chloevalentine]

Last night we started bath etc earlier at 7 gave him plenty of time to relax in his tub pjs books and a bit of chatting singing etc our usual routine. I left his room around 8 and he fell asleep around 830/40. Which is better but 1.5 is kind of a long bedtime routine lol. It took him about 40 mins alone to fall asleep and only got out of bed once. I guess I can keep trying to start the routine early and give him that extra time to wind down to see if it helps because starting it later is just leading to later bedtime which is what I was doing thinking he wasn't tired enough and needed to be up later but it just seems that he beds more time to fall asleep and he's pretty wired/chatty even for that 30 mins he's alone in his room. He def has a lot going on as far as wanting to learn to read etc.

[Katet]

Which is better but 1.5 is kind of a long bedtime routine

It's not 1.5 hours though is it... if you had a bath at 7 & then left him at 8pm, then I'd say it was 1 hour including a bath, it just took him the extra time to drift off & if he only got out of bed once, then it sounds like it worked because he was in bed at 8pm.

[Chloevalentine]

I've been trying to wake him in the morning but he still wasn't falling asleep until 9. And he was getting ot during the day. So I stopped waking him or at lest not until 8 and he's still falling asleep by 9 but he's not getting ot and cranky. I really think it's the lighter nights. Even though I have blackout curtains in his room it's still light out when we are winding down. I've been taking him upstairs later and he's been going to sleep in 30 mins by 830 which is great but that's with him waking at 8 am. Probably not much I can do until after summer.

[Chloevalentine]

Any tips on how to get him back on his old schedule of 8 bedtime 7 wake up. He's still not falling asleep until 830 earliest then I have to wake him at 8 for camp and he's exhausted. Then he complains of being tired during the day which he never has before. He seems to need 12 hours sleep but when I try for earlier bedtime it just takes him longer to fall asleep.