When my oldest child, Celia, was born, she had massive colic. Nine months of screaming, foaming out-of-the-mouth, and steady rocking with wine being consumed by the bottle on the patio kind of colic. It IS really a miracle we tried for another child after Celia’s screaming died down to a mild roar.
Our evening ritual would then continue on to singing, reading, rubbing her back which eventually led to her sleeping in her battery operated swing for months on end. My Pediatrician still claims she won’t have Scoliosis from such rituals. She better be right.
When Moira was born, she slept for 20 minutes at a pop without the long evenings of screaming. At this point in the game, I wasn’t sure which was better? A screamer who would eventually fall asleep for 4 hours at a time or a Jack in the Box, who popped her head up, raring to go onto her next task.
I soon discovered a way to make my non-sleeper finally sleep! I would rock her in a chair while reading a book, carefully put her in her bed while she was still awake, turn out ALL of the lights, (no night lights for her. She would just stare at them all night long), turn on a small fan for noise and blare a sound machine.
She slept like a rock until the next morning. For a few years.
Now, you and I would probably find these form of sleep aids a form of pure torture but for her, sensory overload was the key for a good night’s rest. Now Celia? She could only handle the fan and maybe an Elvis CD in the background otherwise she would complain she was scared and needed to sleep with us. and we just couldn’t have this happen!
So, tell me. Do you have a child who needs complete and utter silence to sleep? Or, do you have one of my overthinkers who needs to be overstimulated to conk out?
Or, have I screwed both of my children up and I should be having Nietzsche subtly filling their young little minds of knowledge instead?
Getting my kids to sleep has always been a lengthy process . My husband and I really dread it so we let them stay up later than we should. When we finally do get them to sleep they are back downstairs several times before they finally settle. Music, lights, quiet, nothing seems to work. I can’t wait until they are old enough to put themselves to sleep!
My 11 year old daughter cannot fall asleep. She is in bed by 9pm but not asleep until 11:30 or 12pm. My husband and I are asleep by 11. I wonder if she is can’t relax until the house is completely quiet. She refuses to shut her door and is exposed the light in the hallway and noise from downstairs. It’s unfortunate because she is so tired in the morning. She has changed schools and now needs to wake up at 7am. I am hoping that with our new routine she will become so tired that she will fall asleep at a decent hour. Fingers crossed.