Free to good home: one child, age four

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh no, that sleep schedule would have me ending up as the subject of a Dateline episode. I’m so sorry you’re going through it. Any ideas on what’s causing the lack of sleep? Is it a phase?

Mine are 6 and 3 and I get the old “running out for cigarettes” jokes now.

OP here. Never been an amazing sleeper but also not terrible. Has had trouble falling asleep for a while so we focus a lot on that. Busy brain means it's hard to calm down enough to fall asleep, but also scared of the dark. However, if we did an early bedtime (7 to 7:30) generally we could get him asleep by 9 at the latest. Not ideal, but he's not an early riser generally so it would work out. He'd sleep until 7:30 and sometimes sleep during nap time if he needed it.

But in the last month or so that 9pm has crept later and later even with serious intervention on our part (like lying in his bed with him until he falls asleep, which we are hitting our limit on because often he's just climbing all over us and whining and saying he can't fall asleep). Plus he's started randomly waking up earlier (closer to 6, sometimes as early as 5). It is not unusual for him to still be awake at 11pm or midnight, which is after we normally go to bed. It's rough. And then because of the lack of sleep he's just exhausting during the day, fighting everything because he's so overtired. Will not nap when he's like this, won't even do a quiet time. You'd think he'd pass out while watching TV or something but nothing -- screen time just seems to make it all worse so we've been restricting that but that means he's all over us all the time and we don't get a break. And then it just cycles into the next night and bedtime is a nightmare because he's so tired but fighting sleep.

I know it's like 70% Christmas and schedule changes (we didn't even travel or do much with family this year, but his preschool went into quarantine 10 days before Christmas so the last couple weeks have been very abnormal). But wow was it bad today and tonight and I'm just wiped out. I'd give anything to drop him with a grandparent or something for three days to just get my own mental reset but that's not an option. I'm so tired.

He has high energy. My daughter was like that. Take him to playgrounds, walk together, have him play with friends. These things will tire him out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh no, that sleep schedule would have me ending up as the subject of a Dateline episode. I’m so sorry you’re going through it. Any ideas on what’s causing the lack of sleep? Is it a phase?

Mine are 6 and 3 and I get the old “running out for cigarettes” jokes now.

OP here. Never been an amazing sleeper but also not terrible. Has had trouble falling asleep for a while so we focus a lot on that. Busy brain means it's hard to calm down enough to fall asleep, but also scared of the dark. However, if we did an early bedtime (7 to 7:30) generally we could get him asleep by 9 at the latest. Not ideal, but he's not an early riser generally so it would work out. He'd sleep until 7:30 and sometimes sleep during nap time if he needed it.

But in the last month or so that 9pm has crept later and later even with serious intervention on our part (like lying in his bed with him until he falls asleep, which we are hitting our limit on because often he's just climbing all over us and whining and saying he can't fall asleep). Plus he's started randomly waking up earlier (closer to 6, sometimes as early as 5). It is not unusual for him to still be awake at 11pm or midnight, which is after we normally go to bed. It's rough. And then because of the lack of sleep he's just exhausting during the day, fighting everything because he's so overtired. Will not nap when he's like this, won't even do a quiet time. You'd think he'd pass out while watching TV or something but nothing -- screen time just seems to make it all worse so we've been restricting that but that means he's all over us all the time and we don't get a break. And then it just cycles into the next night and bedtime is a nightmare because he's so tired but fighting sleep.

I know it's like 70% Christmas and schedule changes (we didn't even travel or do much with family this year, but his preschool went into quarantine 10 days before Christmas so the last couple weeks have been very abnormal). But wow was it bad today and tonight and I'm just wiped out. I'd give anything to drop him with a grandparent or something for three days to just get my own mental reset but that's not an option. I'm so tired.

Call your doctor.

I thought mine was a bad sleeper but this is psychotic break sleep deprivation level, either you or him.

Good grief!! OP, ignore this poster/troll!!

Your kid sounds normal. Christmas can disrupt even the best sleepers.

Take it one day at a time. Your kid sounds perfectly normal under the circumstances. One of my kids only slept two hours a night for a long time (it seemed to me), but then it ended, and now (teenager) is the best sleeper in the house.

This is such a tough time with some kids, made so much worse by the pandemic. Hang in there, OP! It will get better!! Once preschool starts, the sleeping will improve too.

4-6 hours is absolutely not normal and if your kid was actually getting only 2 hours after a few days they would have started hallucinating. I am not exaggerating.

[Anonymous]

Lead poisoning? My lead poisoned childs main symptom was sleeping 2-6 hours a night. Hes special needs

[Anonymous]

High energy.. you all need to stop labeling your kids this non-sense. They are young kids. Have realistic expectations.

[Anonymous]

The only thing wrong here is that your child is exhausted. Lack of sleep can increase cortisol and sometimes it can spiral.

I hope regular melatonin gets him back on track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh no, that sleep schedule would have me ending up as the subject of a Dateline episode. I’m so sorry you’re going through it. Any ideas on what’s causing the lack of sleep? Is it a phase?

Mine are 6 and 3 and I get the old “running out for cigarettes” jokes now.

OP here. Never been an amazing sleeper but also not terrible. Has had trouble falling asleep for a while so we focus a lot on that. Busy brain means it's hard to calm down enough to fall asleep, but also scared of the dark. However, if we did an early bedtime (7 to 7:30) generally we could get him asleep by 9 at the latest. Not ideal, but he's not an early riser generally so it would work out. He'd sleep until 7:30 and sometimes sleep during nap time if he needed it.

But in the last month or so that 9pm has crept later and later even with serious intervention on our part (like lying in his bed with him until he falls asleep, which we are hitting our limit on because often he's just climbing all over us and whining and saying he can't fall asleep). Plus he's started randomly waking up earlier (closer to 6, sometimes as early as 5). It is not unusual for him to still be awake at 11pm or midnight, which is after we normally go to bed. It's rough. And then because of the lack of sleep he's just exhausting during the day, fighting everything because he's so overtired. Will not nap when he's like this, won't even do a quiet time. You'd think he'd pass out while watching TV or something but nothing -- screen time just seems to make it all worse so we've been restricting that but that means he's all over us all the time and we don't get a break. And then it just cycles into the next night and bedtime is a nightmare because he's so tired but fighting sleep.

I know it's like 70% Christmas and schedule changes (we didn't even travel or do much with family this year, but his preschool went into quarantine 10 days before Christmas so the last couple weeks have been very abnormal). But wow was it bad today and tonight and I'm just wiped out. I'd give anything to drop him with a grandparent or something for three days to just get my own mental reset but that's not an option. I'm so tired.

I would call a doctor. My kids have always been very low sleep needs but a bad night was like 7 hours broken up and usually only one or two. 4 hours is pretty extreme.

I am absolutely at the end of my rope after sleep issues with both my kids and my husband coughing up a lung. Some insomnia dude to stress for me too. By far the most awful part of parenting that I just did not anticipate was how bad sleep would be and for how long. I feel like I’m going to cry this morning

[Anonymous]

I would let the bathroom thing go. He is fighting back on your control. Leave the house and if he needs the bathroom you find one or he has an accident, just bring backup clothes. Don’t stay inside because he won’t use the bathroom before you leave the house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sleeps 4-6 hours per night, spends remaining 16-18 hours refusing to eat, sit on the potty, get dressed, brush teeth, leave the house, or return to the house. Charming smile, smart as a whip, literally killing me.

No one wants a "problem" four year old. Have you thought of a daily walker? or bringing in a trainer? I'm joking by the way.