swaddling sensory seeker for bedtime?

[lizajane30]

5.5yo DS has loads of trouble transitioning to sleep: wiggling, talking, in and out of covers for hours before he can "switch off" and let himself sleep.  Tonight for the first time I tried swaddling him tightly in a fleece throw, and he LOVED it.  He didn't, however, go to sleep.  He was still for a bit, but kept talking and laughing with the joy/pleasure of the sensation.  After a bit, he began moving again and said he was too hot, which I don't doubt in several layers of fleece! 

Does anyone else swaddle their older SPD kid? In what kind of material?  and is swaddling a "no-no" at bedtime?  We never swaddled him as an infant, as he was a thumb-sucker and needed access to his hand. (He doesn't suck his thumb any longer.)

Any other advice about helping a sensory seeker get to sleep?  5+ years of 2-hr long bedtimes is burning me out. :(

TIA

P.S. His diet is already very "clean" so we know it's not a dietary issue. :)

[nayma]

if he enjoys swaddling, i wouldn't say there'd be anything wrong with it.  for some kids, a similar effect can be achieved with a weighted blanket.  it sounds like he probably needs some proprioceptive input to help him figure out where his body is a bit.  my dd (5) has similar issues, and in an ideal world, i'd have her sleep in a hammock, or on a hardy beanbag bed.  maybe memory foam would help??

another thing to look into is melatonin.  i never thought i'd give dd anything to help her sleep, but after years of horrible, horrible lack of sleep for her (and me), i gave her melatonin - per her developmental pediatrician.  at first i gave her the dose the ped recommended (1 mg).  she had nightmares, and it didn't help at all.  then i read what mamas on here said, and learned that our bodies naturally produce a much smaller dose.  so i started giving her 0.125 (1/8 of a mg!) liquid melatonin about 20 min before bedtime.  the first night, she actually yawned and and cried and said, "mom, i'm sooo tired."  she fell asleep within 15 minutes!  now i give it to her before bed, and if i forget, it's the same - 2 hours to go to sleep.  it may not be your thing, but it worked really well for us.

[crunchy_mommy]

A couple things that help DS (who is only half your DS's age so not sure whether it will help you guys!) -- the end part of his bedtime routine includes very active play (rolling around, jumping on the bed, yoga poses, etc.), usually accompanied by lots of talking & singing. After that, DH swaddles him in a cotton quilt and takes a short walk with him... just a minute or two outside and a few more minutes pacing around the house. Then he brings him to bed & DS unravels from the blanket and goes to sleep within a couple minutes. He has a very late bedtime (11:30pm), which also helps, and we keep the lights on until he comes back from his swaddle-walk -- he needs the abrupt transition from bright to dark, rather than slowly dimming the lights or something. So I guess basically we just give him A LOT of sensory input in those last ~20mins before bedtime & it really helps... when we skip parts or try to wind down gradually, it's pretty much a disaster.

[FarmerBeth]

Tucking in the bed tight around him might also be nice for him if he likes swaddling, and a little less hot.  Actually, that was the only way I was able to sleep as a kid.  My own son has a heavy cotton bed spread for summer, that doesn't get as hot as fleece or quilts, but does have the heaviness.  He really needs heaviness to sleep.  Good luck, hope you find what works!