Severe Sleep Issues anyone? and an OT question
kittylove
member
Hi everyone I have lurked here from time to time and I hope it is okay I post this here. My son is 2 and has had issues with sleep from the time he was 4 months old. We went through 4 months where he slept in only 45 minute patches. It has been one of the hardest things about parenting for me. Sleep got much better after we sleep trained but he was still up 3-4 times a night and sometimes he was up for 45minutes each time. When he was 18 months we had a regression in language which made me very concerned about Autism, DH has ADD so DS is at a higher risk for both disorders anyway. We recently added an early interventionist to the mix and today she brought up the idea of a OT to maybe help with the constant energy (ADHD?) he has. Has anyone done an OT for this reason? Or did anyone have a child with severe sleep issues?
Thanks ladies in advance and again I hope it is okay I post here. I know many of you are dealing with more severe issues so I am sorry if this seems tright. I don't know where else to ask this question.
Re: Severe Sleep Issues anyone? and an OT question
What's your bedtime routine? When you're trying to put him to bed, what is he doing? Is he perseverating? Cranky? Happy?
What time are you puttiing him down to sleep? How much does he nap during the day?
When he was a baby, could he have had reflux? Could he still have it?
For us, DS just couldn't 'turn off" the day and he would perseverate - and repeat everything from the day. He was clearly uncomfortable - regarless of how we tried to help him, but he still couldn't fall asleep.
He takes melatonin about 30 minutes before we want him to be asleep. It doesn't put him to sleep, and it won't keep him asleep, but helps him turn off the day.
Interestingly enough, lullabies had the opposite effect on him, they were too sad. A little reggae helped every now and then
A friend of mine uses melatonin for her son who is almost 3. She swears by it.
ETA: I am sorry you are dealing with this. I hope he sleeps well soon - for your sake!
What's your bedtime routine? Stories with DH, then bath/shower, get dressed, a song and then BF. He is awake and relaxed when he goes in the crib and goes to sleep on his own with in 5-30 minutes. Most of the time he is asleep in 5-10. When you're trying to put him to bed, what is he doing? Is he perseverating? Cranky? Happy? He hates it when it is time for bath/shower but once he is in he is fine. He is happy, tired and loving when he goes down. It is in the middle of the night we have our issues.
What time are you puttiing him down to sleep? He goes down at 8pm and gets up anytime between 4:30 and 7. How much does he nap during the day? 1.5 hours but it is broken into two 45 minute chunks. I have to go in and rock him to get him to take the 2nd half. We tried to just let him get up at the 45 minute mark but it destroys sleep at night (as in he will get up 5 or even 6 times).
When he was a baby, could he have had reflux? Could he still have it? Yes and YES! He is well medicated though so that is no longer an issue or at least I hope it isn't.
How much melatonin do you give? My pedi is against medicating him but I am at my wits end.
Just because he is well medicated for reflux doesn't mean that it's not an issue. DS is well medicated, but if his crib mattress isn't greatly inclined there is no sleep in this house. The medication gets rid of the burning, the pressure and discomfort can still be there. I'm not saying this is YOUR issue, but just wanted to get that fact out there
Melatonin isn't actually a medication, it's a natural chemical your body secretes as the sun goes down to help us sleep. You can get it in the vitamin aisle. Some people swear by it, some say it does nothing.
My DS has SEVERE sleep issues. for about 3 months he woke up screaming bloody murder every 20 minutes all night long. Sleep training worked fine for getting him to fall asleep but did nothing for the night wakings. Have you tried letting him get up after 45 min and then having another "rest" period later in the day" like 10 and 2 or something?
We had two successfuls when it came to sleep. 1) medication but DS is hypertonic so a little different
2)Ignoring the "sleep suggestions". DS is 10 mo so Ferber, Weissbluth all say they need 2 naps, don't ever let them nap for more than 2-2.5 hours.
DS takes 1 three hour nap a day and sleeps so much better.
My son has sensory processing disorder (SPD) (among other things) and is also being evaluated for ASD next month by a developmental pediatrician. His SPD manifests as boundless energy. He's constantly running, jumping, can't sit for activities, etc. We see an OT for this and other issues, and she's worked up a "sensory diet" of activities for us to do during the day to help with this. He also was a HORRIBLE sleeper until he was over a year old. He was up multiple times every night. He thankfully got better with age, but we give him melatonin at night -- 2.5 mL in some juice while we are winding down.
Check out "The Out of Sync Child" for info on SPD.
For what it's worth - we're having some issues too. My husband's son went through a period as an infant/toddler where he would literally sleep for 45 minutes and be awake for 3 days. I wasn't around at the time, I have no clue how they dealt with it. I know at some point a sleeping pill was introduced; however, when he moved in with us 3 years ago - his sleeping patterns were fine, so we removed him from the pill. For the next 3 years, everything was great...until about 2-3 weeks ago.
Now, we're seeing a resistance to go to sleep. He fights off the sleeping pills that we've re-introduced. We've tried 2-3 different pills, all at relatively large doses and nothing. I've heard mixed reviews about the melatonin as well, but I think we're ready to give that a shot.
I hope your LO starts sleeping soon!!!