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    #42517 03/24/09 04:22 AM
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    Tiz Offline OP
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    Hi everyone,

    First a quick update: DS6's individual tuition (for English, Maths, Science and an additional language)seems to be working well for him at the moment and he is enjoying still being with his peers for games, recess etc. So far I am pleased that we didn't accelerate him into a different year group, although we will not rule it out for the future!

    I was wondering if anyone else has problems getting their children to sleep at night? We put DS6 and DS4 to bed by 8pm. DS4 is usually asleep within minutes, but DS6 will lie awake (light off and nothing to do) until as late as 10:30! Then I start feeling mean because it must be very boring... What do you all do? We have a bedtime routine which finishes with a story and then a "sleepy music cd" - it just doesn't seem to work. Should I let him read himself until later or would this encourage it? I would love some ideas please :)Is 8 hours sleep enough for an (almost) seven year old?

    I do often lurk around but hardly post as I don't feel that I have any pearls of wisdom to add! That is why I only ever seem to appear with questions, sorry!

    XX Tiz


    Tiz #42519 03/24/09 04:58 AM
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    What time does he get up in the morning and does he nap?


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    melmichigan #42521 03/24/09 05:15 AM
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    Hi,

    He is up at 6:30 (7am latest) and never naps (not even if we go on a long car journey!).

    XX

    melmichigan #42522 03/24/09 05:18 AM
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    My son has a terrible time going to sleep. He says he can't shut his brain off. I have read that this is common in gifted children. (And, adults by the way...some sleeping only 4 hours a night!)

    Since we have several other children, we put our DS6 1/2 to bed at the same time as the others (8pm). However, unlike the others, we allow him to read for about 45 minutes before we shut the light off. He usually lays there for about 15/20 minutes before he finally goes to sleep. We also allow him to draw on a lap desk sometimes. He is usually the first to rise at around 6:30am.

    He seems fine with this schedule. No excess sleepiness in the day or anything. I think you really have to go with your own gut on how much sleep your kids need. We have some that can't function on less than 10 hours, and some that need only 7/8 hours a night.

    Do you feel like he is cranky the next day?



    master of none #42527 03/24/09 06:08 AM
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    DS5 has trouble turning his brain off too. He stopped napping before age 2, though he does nap every once in a blue moon now (more than he did from age 2-4). He and DD3 go to bed by 8:30 during the week, but that may change when he starts K this fall.

    Like Master of None, the more physical exercise DS5 gets, the quicker he goes to sleep, so we do physical activities as much as possible.

    I think it's ok to allow your DS to read for a bit, but I would give him a time limit.

    JJsMom #42529 03/24/09 06:53 AM
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    Yes Master of None and JJsMom, we make sure he gets plenty of exercise but it doesn't seem to help much! Even though he is physically very tired it seems that he can't "switch off".

    He doesn't seem to get cranky Movingup6, but I have noticed that towards the end of the week he copes less well with situations and I have put it down to tiredness.

    I also find it tiring as he keeps calling down to ask what noises are etc. so DH and I don't feel like we get much of an evening (which I expect when they are teenagers, but not at this age)!

    JJsMom #42530 03/24/09 06:53 AM
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    Someone posted about this not long ago and the suggestion was made that you need to limit the reading material to boring historical texts etc. If they get involved in an action packed novel, they're liable to stay up all night!


    Shari
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    Ability doesn't make us, Choices do!
    Tiz #42535 03/24/09 07:08 AM
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    Originally Posted by Tiz
    I also find it tiring as he keeps calling down to ask what noises are etc. so DH and I don't feel like we get much of an evening (which I expect when they are teenagers, but not at this age)!

    This made me giggle. I FEEL your pain. DS5 comes out of his room for every little noise. Sadly we live in a ranch (never again!!!), so he's closer to every single noise, laugh, etc!

    When I was younger, I was the same way. My mom always told me someday payback for "tell me something I don't know" (my nightly ritual with them) would be at least double the "trouble" it was for them. They were right.

    I can't shut my brain off either, so I sometimes pretend I'm in a room where the four walls are closing in on me. I always seem to fall asleep before I get squished. Of course, I wind up thinkin' about the Star Wars scene where they are trapped in the garbage dump and the walls start to move in (or was that ESB?). I've heard others think of water rushing over them (like in a shower or waterfall), and that helps them.

    Good luck in whatever you try!

    JJsMom #42537 03/24/09 07:13 AM
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    Hi Tiz,

    I have one of those kids who needs sleep but fights it every way. In fact, the more tired that he becomes, the harder it is for him to settle down and go to sleep. He is 8, with his ninth birthday approaching this summer. He seems to need about 10.5 hours of sleep per night. We have a very strict and fixed bedtime routine, and any deviation from that leads to problems. We just this weekend experienced the ramifications of this by letting him stay up to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday night. We could not get him to sleep before 10 pm on Sunday night. He spent two whole hours staring at the dark ceiling.

    The odd thing about my little guy is that, if he gets shortchanged on his sleep, he begins to wake up earlier and earlier in the morning. You would think that he would just add some extra sleep time by sleeping in for a change. No chance! It is almost as if when he becomes very tired, he can't get into a deep, restful sleep. Sleep can act like a reset button for the brain, so maybe it makes sense that if he gets exhausted he actually sleeps less and less. This weekend, when he went to bed an hour later, he woke up at 6:15 am on Saturday morning and 5:45 am on Sunday morning. Talk about sleep deprivation! cry

    I don't know if anything about my child would apply to any other child. He seems to be a very unique individual. But I thought that I would post this and see if it sounds like your child as well. We start his bedtime routine at the absurdly early hour of 6:45 pm. He reads quietly in his room for about 45 minutes, including getting his jammies on and brushing his teeth. I then have 30 minutes of snuggle time with him with lights out. This allows him to talk about his day, or any philosophical issues that are weighing on his mind. It is amazing how much he calms down when snuggled next to a warm body who is yawning loudly. grin At 8 pm we kiss him goodnight and close the door. He is generally asleep by 8:30pm and sleeps until nearly 7am.

    Last night I knew that he was exhausted, even though every sign that he was giving me was that he was wound up and hyper. He had a small dip in energy levels around 7pm and I pounced on it, so to speak. I put him to bed by 7:20 pm, before he could catch a second wind. He feel asleep quickly and slept for 12 straight hours last night.

    Weird, totally backwards, and completely foreign when compared to any other kid. That's my boy!! grin



    Mom to DS12 and DD3
    ebeth #42543 03/24/09 07:50 AM
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    Love the suggestion to limit reading material to historical texts etc - very sensible and not something that I would have thought of!

    JJsMom - so pleased to hear that someone else FEELS the pain! LOL We are in a small house so every noise is magnified and DH and I tiptoe around after 8pm (if we even so much as close the cupboard too noisely DS shouts down!)

    Ebeth, 30 minutes of snuggle time sounds good and I wonder if that might reset my DS - I am just worried that I will fall asleep smile It sounds like you have your bedtime routine well and truly sorted!

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