6 year old?

Question

I am having extreme difficutly getting my 6 yr old to sleep he has always been a nighttime kid. he can be in his room with no tv no lights and still cant fall asleep. he does not take naps or have fluids or sugar after 6 so i dont no what the problem is, he has been like this since 2 years old. he never falls asleep before 10-11pm, but he starts laying down at 8pm. He has switched schools 2 months ago and he has am kindergarten now, so I am trying to get him used to going to sleep early and waking up earlier but so far not working!!!! help!!

Answer 1

My son is a night owl too. Don't medicate him, drugging him to sleep will not help you reset his internal clock. (That is how you spell circadian rhythm.) Wear him out is your best bet. Swimming works well, a good long walk after dinner is really effective too. Take him to the park and encourage him to run run run until he is read to conk out.
An important feature is to have a routine that helps him unwind. A book (but not an exciting one), a bath, some songs, your own special bedtime routine helps his brain switch from play to sleep. Make his room boring (move the toys into the living room or somewhere else and let him have just his special lovies). That helps too. TV watching takes less energy than sleeping and exposes the eyes to enough light that the body is sure that it has just rested and it is daytime so nix the TV after dinner too.
Some kids sleep better with the noise of a radio, a fan, etc in the background. A CD of quite, lullaby-type songs is really helpful, his brain can kindof focus on listening along and then it isn't racing with the hundreds of adventures he had today and wants to have tomorrow.Waking him up fifteen minutes earlier every two days whether he goes to sleep or not will help his body get used to waking up on time.
If he really just can never sleep earlier than 10, talk with his doctor, there are things other than ADHD that can keep a kid awake.

Answer 2

Take him out for long walks, [at least 45 min] before bedtime, I'm in a quiet neighborhood- but if you're in an active busy neighborhood do not stop to talk to people-- this is about him! some people need their 'constitutional' before retiring. Make sure he is active during the day. Little boys need lots of physical activity, does he have a swing set? and remember; swimming is exhausting,
Last of all, just set down the rules, he can play quietly in his room but absolutely no contact with anyone, and no leaving the room, be firm about this. Is his room too warm? a room on the cool side keeps kids under the covers.
His own little vcr player in his room means he could quietly watch some favoite cd's, to unwind. Normally i'd never say that but some children who are well behaved and are not being naughty just can't seem to unwind at night.They say warm milk really helps. Ask your doctor if one baby aspirin is ok-

Answer 3

Circadian rythams (forgive my spelling, it's my weak point) can be very difficult to overcome. My father dragged me out of bed at 6:30 AM ever morning for 18 years and I hated every morning! But there are ways to change them. The simplest is through pure exhaustion. Get the kid up at an early hour, even if he's still tired. Make sure he gets up and stays up. Get him active during the day, whether in organized activities or just running around the park. Make sure he's not napping. Also, limit physical activity, TV, and computer for 2 hours before bedtime, to give his mind and body a chance to wind down. Set up a pattern (time to brush teeth, put on pajamas, stories read) that is followed at the same time every night. And even if he's not sleeping, make it clear that he's to stay IN BED, resting quietly. Then, even if he doesn't fall asleep until near midnight, get him up again in the morning. He's going to be incredibly whiny and cranky and get on every one of your nerves for a few days, maybe even a week, but after that, his body will change its cycles simply because it HAS to. It's the only thing that worked for me.

Answer 4

My 6 yo daughter is the same way. Her bedtime is 8 pm and she may not fall asleep before 10pm. I just keep telling her she needs her rest for school. We have a bedtime routine that includes a shower, then quiet reading time, and then lights out. She has a radio for some soft music too. Some days she does well, some days she doesn't. My doctor says it's just her body make up. She maybe tired, but she won't allow herself to sleep for fear she'll miss something important or exciting. When they're tired, they'll sleep my doctor told me. I have two other children who go to sleep right away.

Answer 5

Is he a hyper child usually. If is usually a hyper child and has trouble with other things you might want to get him tested for ADHD or ADD. I have a friend who has a child who has ADHD and he always had problems going to sleep. She would literally have to hold her arm across him as he was lying down to get him to go to sleep as a baby because he would sit there and move a lot. He would wiggle and just generally move, but now he is 11 and has been on medication since he was 6 and he can get to sleep and still function (as best he can) at school. Before he was on medications he was in trouble a lot at school because he could not sit still. Now he does really well in school and is an honors student.

Answer 6

Consistently waking up early could make him start getting sleepier earlier. It will take some time to get used to the new schedule, but if it's a consistent pattern, it will help.

Answer 7

have you had him assesed for adhd?
i thought my son had it and i had him checked and they said he didnt. they said that one of the best indicators is if they dont sleep on a night. my son does hes just never took day time naps. its worth looking into.
good luck

Answer 8

Try benedryl for him in a low dose to relax him. its safe and I used in on my special needs son that had trouble sleeping after a nightmare...his doctor suggested this by the way...I am not for drugging kids, but sometimes they need a little extra help sleeping...

Answer 9

Get him involved in some kind of physical activity that wll poop him out.