Advice Please - Winding Down A Young Child...?

[Shortie]

Hiya

Okay, so I had round the diabetic nurse today and the question came round about how much sleep my 4 1/2 year old boy gets of a night. He doesn't get enough for his age group.

Anyhoooo, she suggested not having telly on the hour before bed and hekping him wind down better etc, etc but I'm totally stuck for things to do that won't stimulate him too

She suggested reading but 7 days a week for one hours, olus his usual story in bed would I recon become a bit boring for him, plus I don't think I own that many books!!

Do you knowledgable grapes have any other ideas other that reading to help wind him down?

Ta

[happyplanter]

i think the main thing isn't so much the activities as going for a quiet calm atmosphere for the hour before bed, the age old ignore the fuss and speak quietly, be gentle, smile lots (not that i think you're anything but the rest of the time!) to help him feel relaxed and mark a 'wind down' phase of the day...

he'll understand routine and markers so little things like helping to put toys away and clearing the decks to signal the end of playtime and the start of 'wind down before bed' time

you could make a bed with him for his toys/teddies out of a cereal box etc then get him to put them in bed and read them a story? or make lunch for the next day together (to take to preschool or eat at home - whatever suits your lifestyle)

[Shortie]

Cheers happyplanter... Yes, I guess 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' isn't exactly calming telly viewing for him, hmmmm... me thinks that's going to need to stop!

Yes, I guess making his packed lunch for the next day would good, and he could help me get the washing over the radiators etc as he likes to be able to help etc... and let's face it, I guess that's hardly very exciting, lol!

His routine at the mo is telly till bed time, then toilet, teeth, insulin and bed with a story. But I got the distinct impression earlier it might not have been enough of a wind down to get him to bed eariler?

[shirlthegirl43]

I would suggest spending some time doing a jigsaw as a good way to help him wind down. It was about the only thing that would make our younger son sit in one place for more than 5 minutes when he was small. Reading him a bedtime story was a waste of time as he would keep jumping up and running around, acting out bits of the story! Also wouldn't be too worried about the amount of sleep he gets so long as he doesn't seem overtired. Mk2 son never slept more than a couple of hours at a time when he was little - I think he was 5 or 6 before he had what I would term a good night's sleep! We would hear him awake for ages in the night - singing or chatting to himself. Just as with grownups, kids need different amounts of sleep.

[Nicos]

Mine were 2 years apart and had a bath together at that age before bedtime with a few simple toys thrown in.
Toilet, teeth and into bed and a cuddly story in bed whilst still warm and glowing.
The older one would then go to own bed and read quietly until sleepy.
No TV at that age after eating either for mine!
A warm hot water bottle covered in Fungus the Bogyman for one child and a squashed dog hotty for the other as well as teddy would lull them to sleep.
I like the calming idea of a one to one . Nice and bonding

[HeyWayne]

I never slept for the first two years of my life - a fact that Mum has permanently etched on her brain for some reason....

I'm not a big sleeper, which drives Lady Wayne mad. Herself likes to get at least 8 hours a night, whereas I'd be happy with 6.

We's all different.

[Flummery]

HeyWayne - we've said it before - but are you SURE you're not my son! He was a dreadful sleeper - woke every hour and a half - didn't just chatter or play but bawled till he had someone else awake. He didn't sleep all night till he was at school. Even now he sleeps well but can easily get up at 4.30 for bird ringing purposes (BTO trainee).

[HeyWayne]

HeyWayne - we've said it before - but are you SURE you're not my son! He was a dreadful sleeper - woke every hour and a half - didn't just chatter or play but bawled till he had someone else awake. He didn't sleep all night till he was at school. Even now he sleeps well but can easily get up at 4.30 for bird ringing purposes (BTO trainee).

I actually quite enjoy getting up early - reminds me of when I did my paper round as a lad. I'm up early tomorrow (got to fly to Germany on business), and I have to leave the house at 5am, I'm quite looking forward to it! Not getting back home until 9pm is a bit of a poo, but you gotta do what you gotta do...

[Flummery]

Ahhh! Come to mummy!

[cyanara]

Jigsaws, stories, tidy up, baths... try reading a story when he's in the bath... that keep my twins occupied, helping set out breakfast things for the next day.. then maybe just before bed... choosing some clothes for the next day, laying them out... talking about if he thinks it will be rainy, sunny, windy etc.. go out together and buy a blank journal and ask him to draw a picture of what he done today, and maybe a picture of what he had for his dinner... little things to help him sit quietly and focus.

Hope that helps!

Good Luck!

[Seahorse]

Like others have said, we're all different, including kids. I don't doubt the nurse was trying to be helpful but is he actually tired during the day? Did you think there was anything wrong before she mentioned it? If not, I'd carry on as before. None of my four have had the same sleep patterns or needs and I don't think there would be any point in trying to change them.

That said, if you don't have the time and energy to read/do jigsaws etc for an hour or more *every* night (I certainly don't!) CBeebies show lovely wind down type programmes between 6 and 7pm, including a bedtime story read out loud.

Claire

[moggssue]

When OH's two were little we used to sit for ten minutes talking about the day - what was their best bit and their worst bit - while they were in their pj's so they knew it was almost time to sleep. A warm bath always helped as well if they were a bit too 'hyper'. But as others have said, we're all different. My OH goes to bed at dawn for an hour or two, while I have to struggle to crawl out of my pit no matter what the time!

[SueA]

Hi Shortie, don't have any little ones of my own but I imagine that watching T.V. right up to bedtime is probably not helping him to wind down unless you can find something really boring on (politicians pretending to tell the truth?) for him to watch. I think a bath definitely helps to make you sleepy & a nice snuggly warm but not too hot bedroom. If you haven't got time to read a lot of books together maybe you can get a stock of picture books & first readers that he can look through by himself as well as with you.

[lainey lou]

don't forget warm milk, very soporific!

[Shortie]

Hmmm.... I'm liking the puzzle ideas, I'll give that a go in his room with his dimmed light on...

He's never slept loads. By the age of 2 he'd dropped his afternoon nap (much to our dismay ). New bubs - 4 months - is the same... goes through the night but I'm lucky to get him to sleep for 30 mins during the day

But as you say Seahorse, I guess I started trying to rectify something I didn't think was wrong before hand... he doesn't look tired during the day so maybe shaving a bit of time off for our own sakes, but yes, I guess he's actually fine