Almost five and STILL won't sleep

[LoveIsGentle]

I've been telling myself he'll grow out of it for years, but he hasn't. :ph He's slept through the night three times in the last five years. That's all. He won't sleep in his own bed and he won't sleep in bed with us.

When he sleeps in his own bed, he starts coming in by 11:00, getting up at least every hour the entire night, and is up by 5:00. He uses every excuse in the book. The shadows are scary (we've stayed out there with him plenty, showed him exactly what the shadows are, gave him a nightlight), he needs his 3000th drink of the night, it's too noisy, it's too quiet, he hates being alone, it's too hot, it's too cold, etc etc etc.

When he's in bed with us, he kicks and flops around all night, and by 3:00 a.m., he's loudly whispering, "Mom, MOM, MOOOOOM, MOOOOOOOM" non-stop until I get up. We've let him sleep on the floor of our bedroom, but he still wakes up and tries to come into our bed.

We stay firm and don't allow him into bed with us, he screams bloody murder for hours. We let him into our bed and he won't go to sleep. We have bedtime routines, he gets plenty of exercise during the day, and eats well. I thought by now I'd be sleeping more than an hour or two a night. :( I don't know what else to do.

[AmyDoll]

I'd check ingredients & cut out additives. Red Dye #40 (cereal, yogurt) effects us horribly. Citrus makes for rougher nights.
I also might consider pediatric chiropractic or Calms Forte or Rescue Remedy.

What's his bedroom like? I'd keep it a very peaceful place - calm cool colors, no toys, comfy temperature, cozy pillows, soft sheets.

[illinoismommy]

So I'm hearing he is having anxiety over being alone. I would probably move a BED into your room and have him sleep there. It will be more comfortable than the floor and you can still hold the boundary that he is not to be in the bed (since he's a kicker).

[LoveIsGentle]

I'm going to have to go back to being really strict about diet, I think (maybe after today, since it's his birthday and we'll be eating cake). He doesn't get much with those ingredients in it, but still a little bit. I didn't know about citrus, actually. He doesn't have much of that either, though. We tried Calms Forte and it seemed to work him up even more. Never tried RR, though I have some for me.

His bedroom is pretty calm. Nothing overly bright, no electronics, the toys are limited to a couple of stuffed animals he sleeps with. The temperature is usually fine, sheets are soft, the bed seems nice to me when I lay on it. :shrug

The only problem with moving his bed is that our bedroom is so small, it wouldn't fit.

[Ali]

Can you make him a palette on the floor? I do that for my 5yo when we travel. I use some folded up blankets to sleep on top of and then he has his pillow and blanket.

Would he be open to doing a sticker chart and reward for staying in his own bed all night? I think those are fine as long as it's always optional and there is no negativity associated with choosing to forego the sticker for sleeping with mom & dad. Charts have helped me with my son when we are struggling to develop a new habit or kick an old one. :hug2

[LoveIsGentle]

That's what we do when he comes in to the bedroom. We have several blankets folded up to make it more comfortable.

I haven't tried the sticker chart yet. That might work. :think