Feb
hey
My 5 year old daughter Ella is having consistent sleep problems and we ARE SO TIRED!
In the last 2 weeks she's started to really plague us at bedtime (hers not ours). She constantly comes down the stairs crying and saying she's scared. She will not settle until anything between 8.30 and 10pm. Then in the night she wakes and comes in frequently again crying and saying she's scared. Last night she was awake for over 2 hours and this is pretty much happening every night. If she's been up in the night she will sleep in until 7 or 8am.
We've reassured Ella that there's nothing scary around and tell her to consider all the nice things she's going to do the following day but nothing seems to help and we often just end up getting cross as we're not getting any time to ourselves.
we even let her sleep with her twin sister Amiee but it doesn't help
Answer:
Maybe it's something she saw somewhere. Children at that age have vivid imaginations. I would purchase her a special new bear to hold and squeeze at night and put some lavender in her room as that's calms the brain down from just thinking too much and not being able to relax. You can also give her a liquid calcium right before bed. There is a great child's formula out there at Whole Foods. Calcium also calms the brain and helps to enduce sleep. You can also buy a special noise machine for her as that helps drown out dead silence which to a child can be very scary. We’ve had a white noise machine for our daughter since birth and she sleeps so soundly!! Get her a special night light as well. I'm sure it's a phase. Just ask her what she would like for her room to make it less scary. Let her help create a place that she doesn't feel scared in. Move the furniture around maybe get a new comfy blanket to cuddle in….
Answer:
our son who is now six had a few problems we found that a night light and soothing music helped but what we do before he goes to bed is chill down time so no toys after a certain time and he sits with either em or my wife after his bath or shower and on the odd occasion we let him watch telly before bed it definitely isn't anything that would get him hyper
Answer:
Try moving her bedroom furniture around and tell her it's for magic purposes. With the bed just there and the bookcase just there, there is no way that monsters can get in and anyway, this special bear is magic and ensures that none can get in here. State something in the middle of her room like “now listen here, monsters. This is Ella's room and it has been made magic so don't even bother to come in or she’ll get her magic bear to zap you.” Then pretend to listen and tell her “There. I heard them all leaving and they say they are never coming back.”
I have tried similar on my 5 year old and he ends up laughing. Crucially he believes me and I’ve had no trouble since.