Hi, my name is carlajo94! Sleep issues with my child

carlajo94

Hi my name is carla and I wanted to join scope to try and get some help with sleep issues with my child

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @carlajo94

Welcome to the community! I'm sorry to hear you are having sleep issues with your child. Can I ask what the issues are and how old they are? 

carlajo94

He is 5 and has always had sleep issues. It takes him a long time to fall asleep, wakes through the night and will get up anywhere from 2am. His paediatrician said to reach out to charities for advice as melatonin did not help him. 

Hannah_Alumni

Oh bless him, We have had a few threads about children and sleep issues that you may find in our Children, Parents and Families section of the forum.

Although I have no children myself, I have them in the family. I remember sleep troubles with a couple of them. There are a few things I can recommend;

• Amber lights. They actually use these in some massage and spa facilities as they are supposed to  promote relaxation. One of the children I babysat didn't like the dark and this was a softer approach compared to some of the character nightlights. 
• Stories. Whether you read them yourself or use an app or tape system. There are lots free on YouTube, there are some free on apps too but sometimes you can only get them free for a few days or have to pay to unlock more, so look out for that.
• Stopping naps in the day. 
• If they are a child who always just needs to get out of bed to get their teddy, just needs to get up for a drink...etc. We did the bedtime checklist. PJs on, teeth brushed, hair brushed, water in their cup, teddy bears tucked in...etc. and that helped limit them asking or trying to get up. I would always reward them checking everything off by letting them pick the story. A little tip, hide the bigger books! 

I hope these help!

carlajo94

Thank you for your suggestions, i will look at the threads. My son is non verbal and has limited understanding which makes things more difficult

Hannah_Alumni

@carlajo94 It may be worth reaching out to The Sleep Charity they have a helpline as well as some information pages on their website  

Adrian_Scope

Hello @carlajo94 and welcome to the community.  
Two of my three children have had a lot of difficulty with sleeping. My eldest is now 16 and still doesn't sleep through the night, so I understand how hard it can be. My youngest is the same age as your little one and is up regularly through the night and ready for the day usually before the sun is up. Do you have anyone helping you supervise him through the night so you're able to get any rest?

I don't know which area of the UK you are in but Scope offer a free service called Sleep Right which offer support, tools and techniques in helping your child sleep better. 

The service is available to families with disabled children aged:

• 4 to 18 in London, Leeds and Peterborough
• 2 to 18 in Northamptonshire

carlajo94

Hi, thank you for your reply. I am in the west midlands so not local to either of those places. Yes he always has supervision and is also still in my bedroom (in his own bed) for his safety. Not ideal i know but it is needed for him. 

Adrian_Scope

I was just wondering if you ever get any respite or sleep @carlajo94, as it can be even harder to deal with when you've had little sleep yourself. Your wellbeing is important too. 
I don't know if you've had it recommended but Cerebra do a children's sleep service. They also have a range of guides that I've found useful on things such as sensory processing and anxiety (both things I've found that impacted my children's sleep).

They also have four different sleep-related guides that might be of interest to you.

• Sleep - "Our three-part guide helps you understand the issues around sleep that might be causing disturbed sleep in your family."
• Sleep cards - "Our Sleep Cards offer different approaches to help you tackle some of the most common sleep problems experienced."
• Sleep Mythbusters - "This factsheet busts six myths around sleep and sleep problems in children."
• Sleep tips - "Our Sleep booklet introduces and explains different techniques for tackling common sleep problems. It covers ten main topics including bedtime routines, daytime napping, comfort objects and and moving bedtime backwards or forwards. It gives lots of illustrated hints and tips for putting the techniques into practice."

As an aside, have you looked at claiming DLA for your son?