My child will not sleep! Help me!
Two thoughts:
1. Would it still be a hindrance to her falling asleep if you were on the floor doing something boring? Our ds is 6 1/2, somewhat prone to anxiety, and needs us to be in the room with him right now (a change from when he was younger). He too needs somewhat less sleep than the average child (he’s OK with 9 1/2-10 hours), but he doesn’t do well at all when he’s exhausted. His tolerance/frustration level sky rockets, his anxieties peak and it’s self-reinforcing.
At this point in time, it’s in everyone’s best interests for us to lie on the floor of the kids’ room while they fall asleep. When it’s dh’s turn, he brings his laptop. When it’s my turn, I bring my mp3 player or a book to read. It’s a bit of down time for me. Since we’re doing boring things, it doesn’t really keep them awake.
2. If sitting next to her isn’t going to work long term for you, I would recommend setting the kitchen timer for intervals and going in and checking on her/reassuring her until she’s asleep. 30 minutes is a long time if you’re anxious. The kitchen timer is so that you remember/she hears that you’re coming back up.
We did this with ds when he was 2 1/2-3. At that age, because of some sensory issues, he couldn’t fall asleep with us in the room, and yet he didn’t want us gone. We set the timer for 5 minutes, then 10, then 15, then 20, then 30 and going back to check every time. I do believe we got up to 40 minutes some times, but not often.
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