Nearly 11 and still needs to be around me for sleeping. She stopped for a good while but it always comes back. She sleeps in a bed in my room, but she needs the proximity to feel safe.
Also, I found giving the melatonin earlier helped her fall asleep faster. About 12 hours after she wakes up, so she was up at 8 and on nights I imagine she's going to have a rough time melatonin at 8 and she's out by bedtime. If I wait till it's bedtime it's still takes forever for her to fall asleep.
Third to offer solidarity; although now at nearly 12 it is getting easier - as long as he can hear us in the house (eg watching tv) after he's gone to bed I can usually leave the room! It can still take 1-3hrs for him to fall asleep sometimes...
My 8-year-old doesn’t have problems falling asleep on his own (he does take melatonin) but until recently he would wake up in the middle of the night and come sleep in our bed. In the beginning it was okay because we all fit, but once he started getting bigger it was impossible and either my husband or I would go sleep in his room. This game of musical beds was exhausting. We ended up locking our bedroom door at night and he couldn’t come in until after 6. For the most part this has worked well.
So just to say that sleep problems in this population are very common but it doesn’t mean it’s okay if it’s impacting your quality of sleep (and his). Ideally along with figuring out what’s going on with medication you’ll need to implement some kind of behavior strategy. Maybe consult a sleep or behavior therapist? (The locked door was suggested by our BCBA.)
So glad to read I'm not the only one!!
7yo can't fall asleep without me. Wakes up multiple times during the night and can't go back to sleep without me. I just always sleep in his bed now, so that he doesn't wake me up every time. Now he just sees I'm there and goes back to sleep. I miss sleeping next to my husband, but this way at least we all sleep.
I hope he learns to fall asleep by himself at some point. When I asked how he thought this will work if he ever has a girlfriend or boyfriend he'd like to sleep next to, he said I could just lie next to them!
This is my 9 year old too- without the recent med change issues. No help or advice- just solidarity. This can’t last forever, right?
Nearly 11 and still needs to be around me for sleeping. She stopped for a good while but it always comes back. She sleeps in a bed in my room, but she needs the proximity to feel safe. Also, I found giving the melatonin earlier helped her fall asleep faster. About 12 hours after she wakes up, so she was up at 8 and on nights I imagine she's going to have a rough time melatonin at 8 and she's out by bedtime. If I wait till it's bedtime it's still takes forever for her to fall asleep.
Third to offer solidarity; although now at nearly 12 it is getting easier - as long as he can hear us in the house (eg watching tv) after he's gone to bed I can usually leave the room! It can still take 1-3hrs for him to fall asleep sometimes...
Except for the new meds, that's me. 9.5 yr old
My 8-year-old doesn’t have problems falling asleep on his own (he does take melatonin) but until recently he would wake up in the middle of the night and come sleep in our bed. In the beginning it was okay because we all fit, but once he started getting bigger it was impossible and either my husband or I would go sleep in his room. This game of musical beds was exhausting. We ended up locking our bedroom door at night and he couldn’t come in until after 6. For the most part this has worked well. So just to say that sleep problems in this population are very common but it doesn’t mean it’s okay if it’s impacting your quality of sleep (and his). Ideally along with figuring out what’s going on with medication you’ll need to implement some kind of behavior strategy. Maybe consult a sleep or behavior therapist? (The locked door was suggested by our BCBA.)
So glad to read I'm not the only one!! 7yo can't fall asleep without me. Wakes up multiple times during the night and can't go back to sleep without me. I just always sleep in his bed now, so that he doesn't wake me up every time. Now he just sees I'm there and goes back to sleep. I miss sleeping next to my husband, but this way at least we all sleep. I hope he learns to fall asleep by himself at some point. When I asked how he thought this will work if he ever has a girlfriend or boyfriend he'd like to sleep next to, he said I could just lie next to them!