3 Year Old Has Trouble Sleeping at Night

Hyland's Calms Forté is a mix of homeopathic remedies. not a best way for the issue that most likely needs classical approach. homeopathic remedies should be selected individually - one remedy at a time for one person at a time. what hyland does - out of 4000+ remedies available they select several top prescribed remedies for their mix and then crosses fingers hoping that people who buy the mix need at least one of the remedies they put in. by all means try the mix, but if it does not work, save the box and go to classical homeopath - take the box with you to show what you have tried. remember it should be classical homeopath, not the MD, ND, OD or any other modalities practitioner who also "does" homeopathy - you need full attention and one good prescription.
Good Luck
V

Hi M.:
At three years old,your toddler has alot going on in that cute little head of his. Hes extremely active,and he's developing an incredible imagination. This is usually the age,they dream more,and have some fears,as far as losing track of mom and dad. You both work full time,and I'd bet,that he really looks forward to that time spent with you in the evenings. Some toddlers are afraid they will miss something when they go down for the night. Some get so excited,and wound up,that its very hard for them to calm down enough to relax and fall asleep.I would work more on preparing him for bed. I'd make sure I had the quality time with him, but then I'd begin calming him down..giving him his bath, reading him a story,a little earlier. We also allowed for times our toddler could lay with us and cuddle.I'd rub his back,and help him relax.After a while,I could put him down in his own bed,rub his back a few minutes and he'd calm down and fall to sleep.Personally,the medication would be my last resort. If you must, then I certainly would double check with the DR. I wish you and your active son the best.

I've given this some thought recently with my daughter, as she has started getting up at night at the age of six (thought we missed all that). Maybe this is less of a concern for you with such a young child, but I'm concerned about the message I'm sending my giving my daughter anything to help her sleep (the message being that we need artificial help getting to sleep).

Kids should be able to sleep. It's natural. Look at everything in your routine and see if you can pinpoint something unnatural that is interfering, like TV or other stimuli. Try to eliminate that before you start teaching that "medicine" is the answer.

There is a bigger message being sent to our kids when we start using anything artificial (yes, even if it's homeopathic) to "medicate" a sleep issue. And if you ultimately decide to use a sleep aid, think about how you present it to your child and be mindful of the verbal message that is going along with the subliminal message.

I've never used those drops on my son, but have heard they are great for colds and kids can't get comfy.

I agree with Susan...have a conversation with your son. Ask him why he's having trouble staying in bed. Kids are very honest, and if you catch him when he's got his guard down he'll like spill the beans.

You might also want to check with his doctor for other issues.

Good Luck!
Deanna

I agree with S H! We have also used the Calms many times and only had good results with them. But as she also said, there may be other things you can do. One thing is to make sure he does not watch television. Active minds kids are anyway - my mom wouldn't let us watch until we were 6 when I was growing up - and then only 1/2 hr a day. Even then I would think and think about what I saw, and it would take a long time to process it all. With today's rapid paced images there is even more for a young mind to work through. If you do an experiment and try one week without Television you will be amazed at how much calmer the kids get.
The other thing it may be as well is sugar and artificial colors. My kids would go crazy if I allowed them candy or sweets during the week. I would have to only use them as a reward at the end of the week if they did all the activities I wanted them to do. You can see this webpage for ideas on how to implement a chart of things they 'earned' their reward with at:
http://www.gomommygo.com/thankdontspank.html
and even then I limited candy to one candy bar a week, or TV for only one hour on the week end. You may come up with your own creative solutions as you think about what HE is experiencing, and how to get down to what it is he needs in order to relax and calm down. Sometime dogs have to run and run all day, before they can rest at night. Exercise him a lot during the day (and make sure he gets a lot of liquids) and he WILL sleep better at night! Perhaps your sitter lets him sleep a lot during the day to make it easier on her. I knew a lot of lazy sitters in my time. (That's why I liked working at home so I could keep an eye on them!)
But best of everything to you, and you'll figure it out!
R.

Is he sick?? Or does he just have problems sleeping?? My son was born with an intestinal problem and sleeping was NONEXISTANT! I had a pediatrician that wouldn't do anything about it. Then after 9 months I found a new doctor and my son ended up having major surgery. All is well now (sleeping)...except when the teeth come in...that's no fun!

You have to start really looking at this, is he over stimulated duri8ng the day, or the last few hours before bed, is he not having the wind down hours before, is the food he eats contain to much sugar, any caffine.. dinner.. 30 minutes of tv quiet time a nice soothing warm bath maybe a msall healthy snack teeth brushed and 10 minutes of sorry time with a book,if you do this once a week will not train him to go into sleep time, some thing is up why he is not going into his rem sleep.. I would address this with the doctor, his immune system will suffer greatly with little sleep. Does he suffer from ADD or ADHD attention defecate hyperactive disorder, where he can not quiet the mind.. do not dismiss medicine if he is waking up that much even though in bed for 10 hours he is only getting two hours of sleep. Poor baby

Do a google search on it for reviews.

It is safe, being homeopathic. And since it's homeopathic, it will either work for your child or not. There are NO contraindications for it.

I have used it, when my kids were sick or teething. It did calm them down, and helped in that way. And NO, it is NOT a "tranqualizer" type thing, nor the effects. It does NOT cause drowsiness...just calmness. It's safe and you cannot "OD" on it...being homeopathic.

BUT, perhaps take your son to the doctor, to rule out anything else. Perhaps it's a phase, perhaps stress, having to go potty/pee, perhaps night time fears (which is COMMON at this age juncture)... or any other "problems" he has be it socially/emotionally/at school etc. TALK with him about it in a real calm way... ask him how you can help him or what he is feeling....

Perhaps, would you let him sleep in your room for comfort? Even if on the floor on a pad or with a sleeping bag? That really helps some kids. We do that with our kids. But each family is different.

I hope the best for your son, it must be uncomfortable for him too...poor lil' guy. I can sympathize with him.

Take care,
Susan

i use it sometimes it's totally fine..i don't know if it will help him STTN..i tell my son that sleeping is when he grows...and that seems to work on him...my son is also very active..but he STTN very well..i got lucky i guess..but he's still in the crib ..he's almost 3
i will give him calms at naptime sometimes..oh and try a high carb meal at dinner time..carbs help people sleep better.

Hyland's Calms is awesome and all natural. It is a combination of Calcium and other natural minerals to help you relax to sleep well. If it is a problem that he wakes up and can't get back to sleep, Calms might help. I have used it with my kids in the past and it has worked well. Just make sure you are careful on dosage, if he gets diarhea then cut back on dosage.

Best wished to you all for a GREAT night of sleep!!

Our 27 mos. daughter often has a hard time settling down for a nap & went through a phase where she cried at bedtime because we would not play with her anymore. We've used the Calms 4 Kids for both issues with good success. After we had such good results with her, my husband now uses the adult version when he wakes up in the middle of the night & can't get back to sleep & says it's the only thing that works that doesn't leave him groggy the next morning.

I have used the Calms Forte 4 Kids when they are sick or having trouble sleeping. I did try it on myself before I gave it to them (just to see how it tasted, made me feel etc). I now use the adult Calms Forte for those nights when I can't get back to sleep. Speak with your peditrician before you use this just to make sure there isn't another problem. Ours actually recommended Hylands when we brought our son in with a really bad cold/cough (vs. OTC cold medicines).

We haven't tried Hyland's but I have heard that they are not regulated so there is no guarantee of their safety or efficacy. I would be careful especially when it comes to your kids. Check with your pediatrician.

I just got my degree in nautral health; part of which was dedicated to Homeopathy...Hylands remedies are TOTALLY safe, and usually very effective. Some homeopaths believe that the combination remedies (those like Hylands that contain more than one remedy) shouldnt be used, but only because the idea is to find the one remedy that works and stick with it. Others believe that the combinations are better because they have a better chance of catching the problem more quickly since you dont have to keep trying remedy after remedy. Either way, these are plant based, and have so little of the actual plant in them that you can feel comfortable giving them to small children. I have used several of the remedies for myself and my kids with excellent results, no side effects, and they are very affordable too. Good luck!

H.

Have you tried Craniosacral Therapy? It is a gentle techinique that works with the nervous system and have instant effects with children. You might have a craniosacral therapist close to your area. One session will determine if it will help your son.