I am about to fall over

JennMomTo3 · 02-24-2006, 01:56 AM

I am about to the point of falling over. My 2 and 3 year olds, which are already both on clonidine won't sleep but a couple of hours. Are there any suggestions out there on something elsse I can do. I am litterally about to fall over.

jaybird75 · 02-24-2006, 10:11 AM

do they have a regular sleep schedule? routines are really important, especially for adhd kids...
there's a great sleep book i used for my son - obviously your kids aren't infants, but the techniques might be helpful. it's called healthy sleep habits, happy child by dr. Marc Weissbluth. the gist of it is getting them on a regular nap and bedtime schedule - making sure the room is dark, no interruptions, etc. it's not easy - the kids will resist, and your life will revolve around their nap/sleep schedule until it's established, but if you're really at the breaking point it's what needs to be done. i know before my kid started sleeping through the night i would have traded anything for a good night's sleep!! i would guess at age 2-3 they still need at least one good daytime nap, but a consistent (early!!) bedtime will be more important. what time do you put them down for bed? if they cry, etc. what do you do?

JennMomTo3 · 02-24-2006, 02:27 PM

I put them to bed around 8:00 with a story then total darkness. They will go to sleep at first then they wake up 3 to 4 hours later.

LM80 · 02-27-2006, 03:37 AM

I just saw a program on TV the other day regarding this same issue. They had one of those child psychologists on the show. She said that you have to consistently show the children tough love.
You do your nightly routine like jaybird said. Dinner, bath, pajamas, bedtime story, lights out. If the children come out of their bedroom then don't engage them in conversation. You just pick them up, put them back to bed and close the door again.
Don't talk to them because they will think up every excuse to come out of bed. Once you talk to them then they know it has worked.
It may sound harsh, especially if they cry, but they have to learn when it is time to sleep.
For the parents on the show this method worked in one night!!

threenorns · 02-27-2006, 12:07 PM

and then, they may never sleep longer than two to four hours at a shot - gods know, i never did. that whole "eight hours" thing is bogus - it's based on a very old, very flawed study.

is the problem to get them to sleep, or is the problem to get them to let everyone else sleep at night?