Bedtimes with my son have become a complete nightmare
DEAR DEIDRE: BEDTIMES for my son have become a nightmare. No matter what we do he never wants to go to sleep and I’m at my wits’ end.
I’m 37, my wife is 34 and our son is seven. We adopted him five years ago.
Until now we had never had any issues with him. He would always go to bed when he was told and it was rare he ever woke up in the middle of the night.
But over the past few months, bedtime has become chaotic.
Every single night it’s the same thing. He never wants to go to sleep and causes mayhem when we try to make him.
Despite all of our efforts he never listens. We’ve tried every trick in the book at this point.
Get in touch with the Dear Deidre team
Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors.
Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you.
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page.
We’ve been loving, been firm, tried to set boundaries, used warnings, and even tried giving him a bedtime routine, but it always ends up in arguments and tears.
The last thing we want to do is upset him, but we’ve run out of options.
These days, even when he does fall asleep, he very often wakes up in the middle of the night and the issues repeat themselves again.
We’re at a complete loss. It’s getting to the point where it’s starting to affect our relationship.
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: Sleep problems are common among children, especially when they’re young.
These problems are often linked to daytime behaviours and bedtime habits that you can work to change.
Perhaps it would be worth trying to keep the entire home quieter and calmer in the evening and about an hour before bedtime, turning off any electronic devices and stopping any active play.
This can help wind your son down.
My support pack Sleep Problems should be useful. You can also find help via familylives.org.uk (0808 800 2222).