Hi - I hope someone can help!! My 5 year old son has never been a good sleeper but once he started school last year he suddenly started being "normal". Went to bed nicely, slept all night - well until 6am - which is great for him, then two weeks before school started again all hell let lose - he started crying and whinging up and down the stairs - we eventually last week put a lock on his door - but he then figured out he could open his window himself and crawled out onto the ledge would u belive calling for me - his knees down were still in the romm thankfully. We've now locked his windows but he's taken to sleeping on the floor - either outside the lounge door or outside his bedroom door - but as he's not making any fuss I just move him once he's asleep - trouble is he's going to sleep later and later and now waking up in the night to get out of bed and move to the floor outside his room!!!!! I'm at my wits end! can anyone help. regards Debbie
what would happen if you kept both the doors and windows locked after bedtime? perhaps if he realises there is no other option he will go back to bed! just an idea..set a firm, stable bedtime that seems appropriate (there is no point putting him to bed at 7pm if he wont sleep till 9) and make bedtime lots of fun-stories,give him a nightlight etc. perhaps this would help to settle him? hot milk also soporiphic effects, i think research has been done in fact. perhaps this could become part of the bedtime routine too-good luck!
I would be reluctant to lock doors and windows in case of a fire and he gets trapped. I agree with the other poster, have a good bedtime routine, ignore his whinging and keep putting him back to bed. If he sleeps during the day then cut it out. I know if my kids sleep during the day then they are up half the night. A night light might help as he could be scared of the dark.
Thanks for the replies - but I do all that already - he has a good routine and a night light - even though its darker in the hallway. He doesn't whinge - he just comes out of his room and lays down putting his blanket on top of him and goes to sleep. I don't even notice unless I go upstairs to check. I put him in his bed and then by morning he's back out on the floor fast asleep! Maybe he's just a strange child. I have now taken the lock of his door because I felt cruel doing it.
