My 2 1/2 year old son has not slept through the night in nearly a year unless he was sick or super tired. But on an average day, he goes to sleep fine, has a good bedtime routine, doesn't use any of the sleep props people talk about and would be perfect if he slept through. He goes to bed between 7 and 7:30pm and wakes around 11:30 and usually stays up anywhere from 2-3 hours. He normally mostly talks to himself and the toys in his room and most of the time is not super disruptive. BUT, he is exhausted every morning and doesn't want to get up. If I had the luxury of staying at home, it might be okay but he must get up and go to daycare. I wake him at 6:45am every morning except weekends when I give him an extra 1/2 hour (okay, I give myself an extra 1/2 hour) but I try not to vary it too much so that he stays on schedule.
A colleage recommended Hyland's Calms Forte for Kids. She said her 9 year old has been taking it every day for years. Have you used it - do you know anything about it? I do not want to drug my son but I also want him to sleep better and hopefully be more pleasant.
Thanks! C.
My son does nap - about 1.5 hours. It is normally about 1-2:30pm. I would allow him to nap two but he almost always wakes on his own. His daycare reports the same thing. I put him down to nap at 1pm - again, no sleep props, and he says good night and does not fuss at all and goes to sleep within 5 minutes.
I have used it with my kids and it doesn't have any side effects--is very gentle and just made them calmer so they could fall asleep.
Maybe try cutting out the nap? Talk to your son's Dr. My daughter had an issue with sleep and we did melatonin for a couple weeks but I was scared of side effects so after talking with her Dr. we cut out the nap and vala it has worked like magic hehe for the most part
Have you tried putting him to bed later? I would imagine if he's still napping then 7:00-7:30 is a very early bedtime.
does he have to get up so early because of your work? if not i'd put him to bed a little later and let him sleep in instead
I have not tried this product, but I'd check with your child's doctor first. Better safe than sorry. I went to the website for Calms Forte and it is a little sketchy - they indicate that because it is homeopathic it will not interfere with any other medications. . . hmm. That is a pretty bold statement. The fact that the page for calms forte for kids is disabled is also another red flag. I'd just get the clearance from the doc first.
First, I'd try cutting the nap or ending it earlier. With my second if he napped past 2 pm - forget it - he was up until 10:)
Second, I'd try keeping him up about an hour later than you are currently doing bed.
Good luck!
Note: I personally take melatonin, so I do believe in non-traditional methods, but not without my doctor's OK.
It may be time to drop the nap; I would certainly give it a try if I were you. My daughter ended hers at the two year mark.
To answer your question, yes, we've used Calms Forte here and there throughout the years. I've never been a big pusher of it, to tell you the truth, because I don't want to start a mental sleep crutch. Now, whether it is truly and absolutely working, I cannot say. But when we've used it as a last resort, our daughter has fallen asleep soon after. Whether this is the 'placebo effect' or not, I cannot say. (I tend to go w/ the placebo effect to tell you the truth. ) But I do know that it is very, very mild.
Children who nap too long have trouble falling asleep, not staying asleep. So I wouldn't mess with the nap. My girls have both used Calms Forte and chamomile tea on occasion. Neither really worked for us but there were certainly no side effects or problems. It sounds, though, like your son might need something stronger to get him through the sleep transition (four hours after falling asleep he's waking). Talk to your pedi about melatonin for a short time period to get him in a new routine. And also talk about reflux - it can cause night wakings as the acid backs up and awakens the entire body.
I wanted to add: At age 2.5, my girls went to bed at 6:30pm and woke up at 6:30am. And they napped for 1.5 hours. By three they were going to bed at 7, still waking at 6:30, and napping for 1.5 hours. They didn't drop their nap until they turned 4. Now at 5.5 they still go to bed at 7 and wake at 6:30, with the very occasional nap -- maybe once every two weeks. Tons of people advocate putting kids to bed later and later, but I've always kept the earlier bedtime and I think it has really helped my kids be even keeled and well behaved.
My son has not been a good sleeper at night since he was about 3. Last year (he's 7 now) we gave him Calms Forte and I didn't notice much of a difference. We did (under a Dr's care) give him Melatonin for a little while and that was very helpful. The idea was that he had gotten into a habit of waking up and if we could get his body used to sleeping all night again then he'd be back on track.
Best of luck to you~
Have you tried a later bedtime? I can't go to bed any earlier than 10:00pm, even if I am tired because if I do I will wake up a couple of hours later and be unable to fall back asleep. Otherwise I sleep fine. Or take away the nap. At his age he probably only needs 10-11 hours sleep a day, but if he were to sleep from 7:30 to 6:45 that is already 11 hours, then add an 1.5 hour nap you are probably expecting him to sleep too long.
I've used the adult version.
My daughter has at times, used the kids version. But not everyday. Just every blue moon.
It was fine.
It is not habit forming.
It is not a "tranquilizer."
It is homeopathic.
My friends use it with their kids when they go in trips for the airplane.
My friend, from Europe, uses it.
OR, use chamomile tea. If your son will drink that.
I drink that too and my daughter.
In Europe, they use this commonly and with kids.
Maybe your son needs to nap.
Being sleep deprived, actually makes it harder for a child to sleep.
And to get a quality sleep.
i would use it, short-term, together with a later bedtime. try 8:00. do them both together, get him used to sleeping through the night, then taper off the Calms Forte. yes, i believe it is all natural and safe. i would also consult his pediatrician though.
(PS, don't mess with his nap - if he is in daycare they won't easily be able to keep him up if it is "nap time" and all the other kids are napping - and there's a reason for that. 2 year olds need that down time during the day. i suggest he really is probably old enough to push the bedtime back a bit. especially until he gets re-accustomed to sleeping all night.)
