Guest guest Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 What can I do for helping my 21 month old to relax and fall sleep? Is there any kind of beverage or food that I can give to him? is there any kind of special massage? He usually wakes up at 8.30 a.m., takes his nap around 2.00 p.m. (until 4.00 – 4.30 p.m.) and go to sleep around 10.30 p.m. but, I can see that by 9.00 p.m. he is tired, rubbing his eyes, so I try to put him in his crib around that time but he cannot relax, he could be in the crib for 1 hour playing (In the darkness) and by exhaustion finally he falls asleep. The same happens at nap time. He is a vegan, and so am I. Please any advice will be really appreciated. Also I will take the advice for myself too because now I am struggling for falling asleep too. Thanks Rebeca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Hi Rebeca, In the winter, we use chamomile tea -- everyone has a cup before bed. In the summer, we make popsicles out of the tea. It's calming and also has sort of built a ritual to calming down and settling in for sleep -- like cues to our bodies. We also use Rescue Remedy pastilles -- little gummy candy things (our 3-year-old calls them gummy candy) -- we get them at health food stores, but you can also get the liquid tincture at regular grocery stores here in CA. They calm nerves and help with anxiety. We also rub his back lightly at bedtime, in circles -- and sometimes he likes it and sometimes he sits up to avoid sleeping. We also avoid chocolate or sugar after bedtime, and try to make sure he has a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and veggies or fruits at dinner -- to keep his blood sugar steady and his tummy full. (i.e., the other day, he only wanted gazpacho for dinner -- by bedtime, he was hungry again -- or if he eats only pasta for dinner, he's all energetic for a while, and then grumpy when he has his carb crash.) It can be hard as heck to balance all this, but it's totally worth it if bedtime works out better. Other than that, if you can find any ways that he falls asleep -- use those. For example, our son will fall asleep in the carseat . . . so it's just one of our tools. We'll be going out to a late dinner and shopping tonight so that we'll be driving home about 1/2 hour before his usually sleepy time -- if we're lucky, he'll fall asleep on the way home and we'll have our first night all week of him going to bed on time. Oh, also, we notice every year that when the weather changes, so does his waking and sleeping. Hot weather now is bothering him -- but in the fall, when it cools off, he might go through another of these phases. It's not necessarily that he's hot at bedtime, but that the weather change just sort of throws him off a bit. Hopefully that is what it is with your son, too. Oh, and at 21 months, he might just be developmentally excited by what he's done all day, and so it's hard to settle down with all his new accomplishments going in his head. And if none of that works, all I can say is that we've all been there. It happens -- sometimes kids change their sleep patterns. It may be nothing you can affect, but it will go away . . . for a while. (My sister's 14-year-old is changing her sleep patterns, too -- so we have that to look forward to.) Good luck!! Lorraine On Behalf Of Rebeca Llasaca Friday, June 20, 2008 12:49 PM Re: sleepless child What can I do for helping my 21 month old to relax and fall sleep? Is there any kind of beverage or food that I can give to him? is there any kind of special massage? He usually wakes up at 8.30 a.m., takes his nap around 2.00 p.m. (until 4.00 – 4.30 p.m.) and go to sleep around 10.30 p.m. but, I can see that by 9.00 p.m. he is tired, rubbing his eyes, so I try to put him in his crib around that time but he cannot relax, he could be in the crib for 1 hour playing (In the darkness) and by exhaustion finally he falls asleep. The same happens at nap time. He is a vegan, and so am I. Please any advice will be really appreciated. Also I will take the advice for myself too because now I am struggling for falling asleep too. Thanks Rebeca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Chamomile is a great " calmative " (and tummy soother). --- On Fri, 6/20/08, Rebeca Llasaca <rllasaca wrote: Rebeca Llasaca <rllasaca Re: sleepless child Friday, June 20, 2008, 2:48 PM What can I do for helping my 21 month old to relax and fall sleep? Is there any kind of beverage or food that I can give to him? is there any kind of special massage? He usually wakes up at 8.30 a.m., takes his nap around 2.00 p.m. (until 4.00 – 4.30 p.m.) and go to sleep around 10.30 p.m. but, I can see that by 9.00 p.m. he is tired, rubbing his eyes, so I try to put him in his crib around that time but he cannot relax, he could be in the crib for 1 hour playing (In the darkness) and by exhaustion finally he falls asleep. The same happens at nap time. He is a vegan, and so am I. Please any advice will be really appreciated. Also I will take the advice for myself too because now I am struggling for falling asleep too. Thanks Rebeca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Hi Rebeca Personally, if my child would play quietly in her bed for an hour, I would jump up and down, cheer, and then go spend some time with my husband. Also though, on a practical level, do you have a nighttime routine that you follow? i.e. take a bath, quiet playtime, soft lighting, story to mellow out before bed. You could even try putting him to bed a little earlier, sometimes by the time they show overt signs of sleepiness they are already cruising through tired and into wired. My daughter used to do a lot of talking to herself and singing before she fell asleep too but has since grown out of it (she's 3 now) and goes to sleep a few minutes after I put her in her bed (she doesn't nap anymore woe is me and usually by the time I get her to bed life has made us late, like 9 pm). I don't have any food related recs but have been through LOTS of sleep issues when my daughter was younger. And come to think of it when she was transitioning away from that last nap was probably when she was really spending a lot of time playing in her bed. For which I was grateful. Even if they're not sleeping you should try to keep that quiet playtime. For both of your sakes. Good luck! Dee - " Rebeca Llasaca " <rllasaca Friday, June 20, 2008 12:48 PM Re: sleepless child What can I do for helping my 21 month old to relax and fall sleep? Is there any kind of beverage or food that I can give to him? is there any kind of special massage? He usually wakes up at 8.30 a.m., takes his nap around 2.00 p.m. (until 4.00 - 4.30 p.m.) and go to sleep around 10.30 p.m. but, I can see that by 9.00 p.m. he is tired, rubbing his eyes, so I try to put him in his crib around that time but he cannot relax, he could be in the crib for 1 hour playing (In the darkness) and by exhaustion finally he falls asleep. The same happens at nap time. He is a vegan, and so am I. Please any advice will be really appreciated. Also I will take the advice for myself too because now I am struggling for falling asleep too. Thanks Rebeca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Hi Rebecca, I struggled getting my son to sleep also. He's now 7, but it was a long road. It's not a food, but a bedtime routine that we got into to help him shut down and let himself fall asleep. He was very stubborn and didn't want to miss anything, so he would fight going to bed. Some form of torture for all of us. Sorry you are going through the same. And the more tired he got the harder he would fight. If we were watching TV, we'd start turning it off around the same time, someone recommended watching the same video, something relaxing at the same time to give him the cue. Another person watched wheel of fortune, and the child knew that would be the last show before bedtime. Not a huge advocate for TV, but I'd try anything. Also had a baby bedtime music, very soothing lullaby's I'd play quietly in his room after he was in bed. Then a bath, then books and to bed. The bath helped a lot. Not sure if you use that as part of your nighttime. Also, we would only have water, to be sure there was no sugar giving him a boost. Maybe if you try to cut out the nap, he'll just be exhausted. Although it might seem to backfire at first, since when i tried this my son would end up passing out at around 4pm, and then through everything else off too. When all else would fail and I just couldn't take it, I'd take a ride in the car. I didn't have the stomach to let my baby cry it out, and usually would be laying down with him until he fell asleep. Tried to keep him in his own bed. I switched him to a twin mattress on the floor so I'd have some room. The toddler bed survived my pregnant belly with my second child somewhat uncomfortably. Why didn't I try the twin sooner. Kept it on the floor with pillows around so he wouldn't fall, and the carpet was underneath also. Plus, he could find his way to my room easily. Good Luck! Hope some of these ideas help! Janeen Rebeca Llasaca <rllasaca Friday, June 20, 2008 3:48:55 PM Re: sleepless child What can I do for helping my 21 month old to relax and fall sleep? Is there any kind of beverage or food that I can give to him? is there any kind of special massage? He usually wakes up at 8.30 a.m., takes his nap around 2.00 p.m. (until 4.00 – 4.30 p.m.) and go to sleep around 10.30 p.m. but, I can see that by 9.00 p.m. he is tired, rubbing his eyes, so I try to put him in his crib around that time but he cannot relax, he could be in the crib for 1 hour playing (In the darkness) and by exhaustion finally he falls asleep. The same happens at nap time. He is a vegan, and so am I. Please any advice will be really appreciated. Also I will take the advice for myself too because now I am struggling for falling asleep too. Thanks Rebeca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Excercise. I take care of kids for a living and when they play outside for a few hours they are exhausted and their parents tell me they go right to bed. Pool time too. Rebeca Llasaca <rllasaca Friday, June 20, 2008 3:48:55 PM Re: sleepless child What can I do for helping my 21 month old to relax and fall sleep? Is there any kind of beverage or food that I can give to him? is there any kind of special massage? He usually wakes up at 8.30 a.m., takes his nap around 2.00 p.m. (until 4.00 – 4.30 p.m.) and go to sleep around 10.30 p.m. but, I can see that by 9.00 p.m. he is tired, rubbing his eyes, so I try to put him in his crib around that time but he cannot relax, he could be in the crib for 1 hour playing (In the darkness) and by exhaustion finally he falls asleep. The same happens at nap time. He is a vegan, and so am I. Please any advice will be really appreciated. Also I will take the advice for myself too because now I am struggling for falling asleep too. Thanks Rebeca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Nap time can turn into quiet playtime at our house a bit. For the first 5-25 minutes, my daughter will sing, call for family members, play with her babydolls, get undressed, etc... I do think that with the quiet time, the removal of outside stimulation mirrors that of a nap at times. Cassie " life's a garden, dig it! " Sent from my iPhone On Jun 20, 2008, at 9:44 PM, " Dianna Lu " <diannalu wrote: Hi Rebeca Personally, if my child would play quietly in her bed for an hour, I would jump up and down, cheer, and then go spend some time with my husband. Also though, on a practical level, do you have a nighttime routine that you follow? i.e. take a bath, quiet playtime, soft lighting, story to mellow out before bed. You could even try putting him to bed a little earlier, sometimes by the time they show overt signs of sleepiness they are already cruising through tired and into wired. My daughter used to do a lot of talking to herself and singing before she fell asleep too but has since grown out of it (she's 3 now) and goes to sleep a few minutes after I put her in her bed (she doesn't nap anymore woe is me and usually by the time I get her to bed life has made us late, like 9 pm). I don't have any food related recs but have been through LOTS of sleep issues when my daughter was younger. And come to think of it when she was transitioning away from that last nap was probably when she was really spending a lot of time playing in her bed. For which I was grateful. Even if they're not sleeping you should try to keep that quiet playtime. For both of your sakes. Good luck! Dee - " Rebeca Llasaca " <rllasaca Friday, June 20, 2008 12:48 PM Re: sleepless child What can I do for helping my 21 month old to relax and fall sleep? Is there any kind of beverage or food that I can give to him? is there any kind of special massage? He usually wakes up at 8.30 a.m., takes his nap around 2.00 p.m. (until 4.00 - 4.30 p.m.) and go to sleep around 10.30 p.m. but, I can see that by 9.00 p.m. he is tired, rubbing his eyes, so I try to put him in his crib around that time but he cannot relax, he could be in the crib for 1 hour playing (In the darkness) and by exhaustion finally he falls asleep. The same happens at nap time. He is a vegan, and so am I. Please any advice will be really appreciated. Also I will take the advice for myself too because now I am struggling for falling asleep too. Thanks Rebeca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 That's what we do too. If DS plays outside for at least 3 hours during the day, then dinner, then inside play time, then we do quiet time - books and massage and he usually goes right to sleep. He has an amazing biological clock though and is up at sunrise and sleeps at sunset. The problem now is that sun isn't setting until 9:30pm, but it is still up at 5:30am. We also just started swimm lessons and that seems to really exhaust him - we don't need to play as much or as hard at night now before book time. We save needing chamomile tea for teething time - I soak a wash cloth in it and stick it in the freezer so he can chew on that, make chamomile & agave popsicles, and also just give it to him to drink in a sippy cup. Susan , Lebasi <lebasi.klotko wrote: > > Excercise. I take care of kids for a living and when they play outside for a few hours they are exhausted and their parents tell me they go right to bed. > > Pool time too. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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