[EmilyVorpe]

My son has always been sensitive, but never went through any horrid stages. We were always quick to hug and quick to fix issues when they came up. Now, he is 3 months shy of 5 years old. He does not like to sleep in his bed (we tried cosleeping...he's the only one getting any sleep) or anywhere else for that matter. He stays up late in his room, wakes up before 6am, and never takes naps. Sleep deprivation, I do believe, has set in. He stepped on an ant this morning and proudly told us how he killed it. We let him know that we shouldn't do that to other living creatures if we could help it, as they have a place on earth and they have done nothing to deserve harm. We get in the car...10 minutes down the road (with no mentioning the ant)...and he starts SOBBING and telling us how sorry he is for killing the ant. Took him a while to calm down....
He has been throwing fits here and there for the last month or so. If we tell him we need to eat dinner and he isn't "ready" to put his toys down, even with tons of advance notice, he will start screaming "no no no no no I'm not hungry" or just "no no no" and crying. The fits honestly remind me of the little tantrums his 2 year old sister does.
*Sigh*

Just needed to vent...

 

[fritz]

Sleep deprivation is so hard on everyone (the one losing sleep and everyone else who has to interact with them).

Have you tried blackout drapes to make it extra dark? White noise (fan or humidifier, or static on the radio, or soft music)? Consistent bedtime routine? Do baths calm him down? High protein/complex carb snack before bed so he's not waking hungry? How about letting him sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag? Or on the couch?

 

[mommy68]

My DD wouldn't sleep in her own bed until I got a nightlight for her room. I also let her watch a video each night before falling asleep for a while but she no longer does that.

 

[EmilyVorpe]

Right now, our routine is to give a warning that bedtime is coming. A little while after that, he starts his "hungry and thirsty" stuff. We try to limit the drinks so close to bed but we do let him have a little water and a light snack (so he's not up in 20 minutes to go to the bathroom again). We then do teeth and potty, then story. He doesn't like to snuggle so I don't try anymore. He has had his mattress on the floor for about a month now. Up until 2 nights ago, he had a book with him that he would look at as he fell asleep but we've found him still awake an hour later still looking at the book! His overhead light has a dimmer switch that we turn on and that's pretty much the whole thing. Last night, we told him no books and no big light, only the light from the kitchen. He fell asleep in 5 minutes!!!! It was so nice when he woke up at 7!

We're going to try lights off and no book friends tonight again!

He's such a sweet kid but it does get a little touchy around the house when he's crying over everything!!