Hi, my name is Scott need advise

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sjtsc1994
sjtsc1994 Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
edited January 2023 in Families and carers
Hello I'm wondering if someone could help me with some hints and tips for getting my 3 year old to sleep. She was born with part of her brain missing and has seizures since the last one no matter what I do she won't sleep till 4 or 5 in morning and back up at 8 and I can't seem to help her making me feel like I'm a bad parent 

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  • Hannah_Alumni
    Hannah_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,866 Championing
    Hello @sjtsc1994

    How are you today? You are not a bad parent. Please don't ever say or think that again.

    Children have periods of just not wanting to go to sleep. I have no children myself, but have them in the family. So guess who became babysitter :D. I had similar sleep troubles with a couple of them. There are a few things I can recommend that you could try, but I understand if, with the first one especially, they may trigger her seizures. You may need to talk to her medical side just to check. 
    • Amber lights. They actually use these in some massage and spa facilities as they are supposed to  promote relaxation. One of the ones 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 she is 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. I also hope you have a lot of support too!
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,468 Championing
    Welcome to the community @sjtsc1994 :) Thank you for joining us. I'm sorry to hear that your child is experiencing some sleep trouble at the moment, as I know that can affect the whole family.

    I can see that Hannah has given you some advice already, which I hope you've found helpful. I'm wondering whether you might also find it helpful to access our Sleep Right service. Have you looked into that at all? 
  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,922 Championing
    Adding to this @sjtsc1994 I would encourage you to identify any particular triggers that might be more specific to your daughter. In this case, it seems linked to her last seizure. 

    It might be worth reflecting on what might be different since her last seizure. I find that addressing the specific triggers is the most effective approach. 

    I would also like to highlight that this does not say anything about you as a parent. It is understandable you find this difficult, you just want the best for your daughter. 

    Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can do anything else to support you. We are all here for you and listening to you  :)
  • Jo_2022
    Jo_2022 Online Community Member Posts: 295 Empowering
    Hi @sjtsc1994! 😊 I am deeply sorry to hear about the sleep issues with your daughter. Perhaps asking your GP Doctor for sleep tips and advice might be helpful? It sounds like you are having such a difficult time and please do not feel like this is a bad reflection of you as a parent. 

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