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Naptime Sleep Issues
A MyAutismTeam Member asked a question 💭

My son is two years old. We have gone two years with horrible night time sleep patterns. FINALLY we are doing great on liquid melatonin at night. He is sleeping thru the night with the occasional 4am wake up but then talks and then goes back to sleep. The issue is nap time. He literally jumps in his crib for hours!! he is laughing and sounds like having a grand old time but I feel so bad that he is not able to calm his brain down. By the time he is able to calm down it is time to wake him up… read more

posted December 8, 2011
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A MyAutismTeam Member

My son was the same when he was around 2 yrs of age. Then we found out that watching nursery songs on laptop helped him to fall asleep. Sometimes if that did not work, we used to put him in swing that is attached on the door frame and after swinging him for 15-20 mins he would be knocked out then we would transfer him to the bed. If nothing else worked then we would give him a car ride. Motion helped him to fall asleep. Now he is 4 and still sometimes has difficultly but we have been following the night time routine - giving him bath, brushing his teeth, reading a book and then put him in the bed. The ABA therapist helped us to make the picture board picture schedule for the night time routine and then he just follows it from then. hough it was a matter of habit and routine to get used to it. ome nights are still tough but we just let him stay in the bed no matter what. This is what the ABA therapist suggested us to do. No matter what let him stay in the bed till he falls asleep. Please feel free to ask any other questions. By the way we never tried melatonin.

posted December 14, 2011
A MyAutismTeam Member

We recently started melatonin, and that has drastically helped with night time issues. Geoff is 3 and has dropped his nap completely. Unless he is sick or he is forced (I co-sleep if I need a powernap), then he is super chatty, kicking the wall by his bed, jumping up and down... Weighted blankets don't really help anymore.

posted December 9, 2011
A MyAutismTeam Member

My daughter, who is now 17, used to wake up at 3:00 a.m. and stay up for hours jumping and doing the same things. A friend of my mothers suggested magnet pad. She brought one over to the house and it was expensive and she sold them. She loaned me one and I was extremely skeptical, the very first night with the magnet pad on her bed, my daughter slept all night. I was shocked, thought it a fluke and she slept the next night. She did that for two weeks straight so I bought the mattress pad and we finally bought a mattress for her at a later date. She slept on the magnets for at least five years and eventually I guess outgrew the sleep issues. She is a night person and likes to be up until around 11:00 and sleep late, like an ordinary teenage would. Magnets don't work for all children, but I would google it and if you feel its worth a try go for it, there is no side effect. I take melatonin and so does my daughter on occassion. I actually take more than she does, but I wouldn't take it or give it during the day. I know how I would feel and that would be cranky... Good luck:)

posted December 8, 2011
A MyAutismTeam Member

I find my son does well with weighted animals. Are there any underlying issues that you might not know about? Not feeling well? You might want to talk to your MD about the melatonin. WE make sure we stay with a good routine and do some consistency with night time. Rough play, books, music and then quiet time laying together. For naps, music and a later naptime helps. I found my son was also the same around 2 and then started to nap again.

posted December 9, 2011
A MyAutismTeam Member

I would rub my little ones calf muscles until she fell asleep. That was calming to her and her legs didn't stop moving if I didn't rub them. Sometimes I would rub her forehead and temples too to calm her to sleep. I would sing her to sleep also...even though I don''t have the greatest voice it seemed to help. I also let her have a pacifier until she was 5. Now that she is is older we use "chewelry" and that works great.

posted December 12, 2011

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