Help getting child to sleep | ADHD Information

For my son when he was in the hospital they gave him Benadryl(generic) to help him sleep. He's been home almost 2 weeks without it, but I will probably put him back on it since he isn't going to sleep for up to 3 hours after I put him to bed(he gets up, plays, reads, colors and gets dressed usually) Is it worth the plus shipping? Try putting  his comforter/blanket in the drier for 10min then cover my ds up with it and put another blanket on top to hold in the heat. 1 mg of chewable melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime.

Total darkness and parent present really close by. definative bedtime. if it is 8:30 today, then it needs to continually be 8:30.

 

my wife does not get this, she thinks older kids need more wakey time.  bedtime goes back to 8:30 today. exercise your child, a tired child is a sleepy child. Playing video games is not physical tired. turn on a fan. the hum helps. try exercise,bath, read, then bed. works wonders.. all in that order.

[QUOTE=susieb]Is it worth the plus shipping? [/QUOTE]

susie it definitly is and you can return it in thirty days if you're not happy with it, so like i figure if it works great if not return it.. 

florrie

[QUOTE=momiss2] I then would gently rub my finger around his eyes, and forehead, and over his eyes if he opened them. [/QUOTE]

That's the way my daughter got my Grandson to sleep. When he was in daycare that was the only way they could get him to nap. He had his Binky and his Blanket...he would suck away on the Binky and weave his fingers through his blanket. Now that  he is almost 12 he plays a video game before he goes to bed(Only if his homework is done) For some reason he needs to be stimulated to get himself to relax. When he was a toddler the more tired he got the more busy he got:)

jacquie

I think The imagination gym cd could suit your son the story is made up by the child as he/she goes along and each time it is different.  The listener makes all the decisions for example at one stage in the story of the enchanted forest there is a house and you decide what sort of a house it is and what the colours are what the garden and owner is like, and the next time you listen you change it.  So its unique to each persons imagination.  I dunno might work for him...sounds like a very creative kid.

best of luck florrie.

My ds has always had trouble getting to sleep too and when the dr said the adderall would cause trouble too, I was really worried!  But, a few days before I started the adderall, I started giving him grapeseed... He has been sleeping better than ever- no problems with the meds!  On the "now" rare occasion that he can't sleep- I give him another capsule.. he is out quickly.

Mindie, welcome!  What time are you putting your son to bed?  What time is he falling asleep?  Does he stay asleep all night long?

 

 

The only way I could get my son to sleep, when he was 3, was to lay down with him.  I would read stories so quietly, that by the 3rd book I'd practically be whispering.  I then would gently rub my finger around his eyes, and forehead, and over his eyes if he opened them.  This worked some of the time.  We unfortunately had this problem for years.  I felt he was genuinely afraid at bedtime, because his imagination would keep him up.  Good Luck I know how challenging it is to try to get a child to sleep, when all you want is to quit parenting for the day.[QUOTE=momiss2].  I then would gently rub my finger around his eyes, and forehead, and over his eyes if he opened them.  This worked some of the time.  .[/QUOTE] i use to do that to my oldest daughter...i would rub in between her eyes up and down her nose..barely touching her..to this day she says she misses that..she is 20 yrs old... i've told her if she ever moves back in with me i'll do it for her again... 

We use warm milk on nights that he is wound up.

Good luck

Our old a/c system was really loud. When my son went to bed it helped to have the "white noise" of the a/c fan running. When we had to get a new system, we actually missed the noise in helping the kids relax and go to sleep.

I bought a clock that plays white noise, or rain, crickets, etc. We turn it off when he is asleep. Also, you might want to give him in the evening some cheese, ice cream or milk - dairy products for some reason are supposed to aid in sleepiness.

You may already do this, but we read for about 10-20 min before bed.  Another  trick the psychologist told me was to have him picture himself on the beach or another  really relaxing  place.  He can even  think about  walking  on the edge of the water  in the sunshine or lying on the warm sand. The psychologist also said if he can't sleep to have him not be in the bed. He could perhaps sit by the bed a few minutes and look at books. She said she wanted my son to relate being in bed with going to sleep only. So you might want to read to him somewhere else, although we still do that on the bed.

I know how exhausting betime can be - best wishes!
 

Melatonin, which you can buy at health food stores, is effective. Ask your doctor about it first though. We've used it.

have you tried benadryl?  it works for us.. Ok. My son is three. My husband is adhd, and I'm pretty sure my son is, and his doctor agrees with me.

It's taking me an hour and a half to get him to sleep. I'm at the end of my rope, I've tried everything. I've turned of all the lights, and tried to get things perfectly quiet. (I have two other children, and they aren't as easy to get quiet as, like, the radio.) I've moved him into my room, the couch, and his room. I've tried a quiet time before bed. I've tried playing classical music at bedtime. I've . . . I'm pretty sure I've done it all. Is there something I'm missing?

Mindie
mindiemonster38777.9795833333

I know how hard it is to get an ADHD child to sleep. My son is 7 and he still won't sleep in his bed! Usually on the couch and before the night is over, he's at the foot of our bed! What ususally works is a warm bath after dinner, lavander and chamomile soap, hot chocolate (without the caffeine) and with warm milk, and when all else fails, I use the melatonin stuff. IT works and he NEEDS his sleep! Mornings are rough enough!!!!!!!!

i know you have tried classical music and story telling but you really should try the imagination gym cd. it is designed for add/hd sufferers and is v. good.  i am using it currently in groups of kids i work with who have add/hd and other issues. 

It has gentle music in the background and a story which the child helps creates as they are brought through an enchanted forest.  Each time it is used you create a different story and the only thing on your mind is making decisions about the story.  Some parents i know use it and and find it really good.  Personally when i go to bed my mind is generally buzzing with ideas for art (my passion and my job) so i have started to use it myself most nights as relaxation and it always works for me.  its one definitely worth looking at. 

Thank you everyone for your replies. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back here, but I forgot to bookmark this site and have been trying to REfind it. *rollseyes* I've got questions and answers, but not in any particular order. lol

Is melatonin safe for three year olds?

Benedryl makes him (and my four year old) hyper. Go figure.

Video games make him wired, and they frusterate him since he's not really old enough for any of them.

His bedtime is always concrete. He always goes to bed at 9:00. It's the same with the other children. I've always been big on keeping things scheduled for them. I believe that schedules make children feel secure. I'm actually cracking down on the schedule and making it even stricter cause I read that children with ADHD need a schedule even more than children without ADHD.

I take him to the park (or play area) every day for an hour. And we go at the same time. Otherwise he'd be even more hyper than he is.

I'm not sure if I think that a cd that has stories and stuff would work for him. I have stories on cd for the older girls and they bore the heck out of him. I do play classical music for him, cause I read that helps. I also keep the fan going, cause I know IT helps me sleep.

He, also, doesn't sleep in his room and hasn't in a while. This irritates my husband, but I told him what did he care as long as he's sleeping? I also informed him that I wasn't going to deal with that in the middle of the night when I'm half asleep. But he either sleeps on the couch or with me.

Sleeping with him sometimes helps, and sometimes doesn't. I kinda feel that one out. It depends on why I think he's not sleeping well. Sometimes he's just wired, but sometimes he'll be calm, but won't stay in bed. Almost like it's creeping him out.

Reading to him doesn't help. He doesn't like to be read to, he wants to have the book to himself so he can look at the pictures.
My son got a tape when he was 2. It was of classical lulabies he still listens to at 10 years old. It doesn't have any singing in it all just instumental. When he was younger we tried the white noise and it worked for awhile then he got the tape and it was the best thing. He has a little tape deck that he uses to play it every night. He keeps it right by his head and plays it really quiet. He can go to sleep without it like on sleepovers but he tells me he is always up way after his friends and plays his gameboy untill he's tired enough to go to sleep. He has learned ways to deal with his problems falling asleep at fiends houses because he was asked many times why? he never made it through the night. He wants to be with his friends at not feel different. I think it is very good of him to deal with this problem on his own!! I do have to say that he is very tired and cranky the next day at home, but Oh well.... he is tring and thats all I care about right now.

Hi Jacquie

I'm no expert but I wouldn't recommend video games before bed.  It works for your grandson and thats great.  However, video games, reading and tv encourage concentration therefore brain activity is high.  Really what is needed is wind down time like already posted: milk, bath, music and or a story to allow brain activity to slow down to prepare itself for sleep.  I don't suffer from add/hd but as an artist my brain buzzes with ideas at night and I have to wind down or i could stay up all night as i do sometimes.  If i want to go asleep I put on the cd by imagination gym (which i can highly recommend )and i drift off.  Each person is individual so try different ways of winding down and i believe you will find what works for your child. 

best wishes florrie

We have tried all of that stuff with my Grandson and it doesn't work...so I guess you try different things until it works. He doesn't like stories read to him because he says he keeps on thinking about the story and how he would change it(Do we have a Budding Author? )   Bugz maybe playing video games does not relax you but it does relax my Grandson...When he plays a game before bedtime he goes right to sleep...if he has a quiet time before bedtime he lies there and after about 20 minutes he gets out of bed and says he is not sleepy.....I would say what ever works. My Grandson has never been able to relax when he is tired as I said in my note ...the more tired he got the more active he got.  The reason he had a binky and a blanket was that they both gave him a form of comfort and stimulation that helped him go to sleep.