General Chat

OC over the weekend I turned my back on her and read my book but tonight she was so distraught I had cuddle her for a bit to calm her

any chance warm milk would help? has something to do with the sleep hormone (melatonin), some milks add extra hormone to help people sleep (come in a blue carton with moon and stars on I hink)

Lunar she has a beaker of warm milk when she has her story and usually asks for more

Just spotted that she sleeps in your room. So, am I right in thinking that the ONLY time during the day when she is on her own, is when she goes to bed? This must be quite scary for her then, if she doesn't have any experience of being on her own. But the fact that she screamed when you were in the room seems to be more to do with getting your attention, than fear. Now, I don't know if this would work - I did it when mine was in hospital, which is a different situation, I grant you.Visiting hours were strict in those days and my daughter was only four and screamed the place down when I left, naturally. The wise old Sister on the ward told me to leave something with my daughter, that my daughter knew I valued - in this case it was a cheapy necklace that I wore a lot. As you are in your own home, it could be something more valuable, say your watch. Say to your daughter 'I have to go and do the washing up now, but when I've finished I will come back for my watch - will you look after it for me?' That way she will know you are coming back. It might take a while, she will probably only last about 5 minutes the first time, but it's worth a try. I do sympathise - my middle daughter never slept more than two hours till the day she started school. I have had many a doll's teaparty at 4 a.m! In the end, I used to sit in the chair and go to sleep and she would get fed up and wander off back to bed. OC

Dawn, I know its a bit of an expense, but would she appreciate a small fish tank? she might watch the tiddlers( sorry about that) swimming around, and would likely be asleep when the light switches off...? Bob

Read this today. http://www.cnn.*com/2006/HEALTH/10/13/bedtime.strategies/index.html Check out the last part. Remove the * Rose

Dawn, a banana at night helps with sleep and stops them waking up feeling hungry too. Have you tried a star chart and maybe her own clock. Show her the time you will go back say half an hour,(put a little sticker on the appropriate place if she can't get the idea)and give her a last kiss, then if she stays quiet she gets a star, and if she stays quiet again after that last kiss, and doesn't make any more fuss, she gets another star in the morning, when she has so many stars she gets a small prize. I went through it with my son, he didn't sleep through the night until he was nearly 3 and as a single parent, it was dreadful, I was like a rag, 35 too so not so energetic as would have been if younger. Good Luck, you could tell her your friends on here think she is a big girl who could do what is suggested and we want to know how many stars she gets? Liz