Sleep habits

August 21, 2000

Hi! I've been following your stories for a couple of weeks now. You

guys are awesome!! It's made me feel so much more empowered and

knowledgeable. Our son , who just turned 6 months old is

getting his DOC band this Wednesday. We're very excited, but also

somewhat apprehensive as we, too, are concerned about his " baby

months " being affected by the band.

I have a question, though, about sleep positions. I've been working

on getting to nap and sleep on his stomach (since he's

sitting up, rolling over and has great neck control, I'm confident he

won't be a SIDS statistic). He actually seems to sleep more soundly

when he's on his stomach! When we went to the clinic last week to

get fitted,the therapist said he'll need to always sleep on his

stomach once the band is removed to prevent the flattening from

returning. I was glad, since I'd been working on that with

already. A woman in the waiting room, however, said that her

daughter couldn't sleep on her stomach because the band made it very

uncomfortable. Has anyone had luck getting their child to sleep on

his/her stomach with the band on, or do we have to go " cold turkey "

once it's removed? I'd appreciate any comments/suggestions anyone

has about this. Thanks and God bless you all!! -Sue

August 4, 2002

>Problem with

> that was that I usually swing into high gear after 8:30 PM and when I

would

> lay with him, I would wake up two hours later still on the floor and

didn't

> get any of the things done that I wanted to

Jackie...I think we've been leading parallel lives!!! We did the same thing

and I was such a grump while we were in that routine.

August 4, 2002

<<Hey , does he fall asleep quickly when you put him on the

couch?>>

When school is in and he is getting up at 6:30 yes he goes to sleep

fairly quickly. Not during the summer though...we sleep in till about 9

or 10 and he usually isn't sleepy until late. But I may try your

suggestion when school starts because he will be so tired at night.

Maybe if I try this from the first day of school it will work for

me...Thanks for the suggestion

August 4, 2002

I really want my own room! (add the whine here). LOL!

August 4, 2002

> I really want my own room! (add the whine here). LOL!

>

Me too! has been coming in on most nights of her life (either

carried from the crib screaming, or now, walking from her bed!) sometime

between midnight and 3 am. Since (her roommate) has now figured

out where Sammie goes, she usually joins us faithfully by 6 am. On the

occasional weekend when there it " sleep in " time, my DH and I fight to see

who escapes our crowded bed and crawls into one of the kid's beds. When we

bought new mattresses for the girls, my DH wanted to get the cheapest ones

possible. Reminding him that we also slept on them, we picked out somewhat

better mattresses that we liked! Fortunately, our oldest has always slept

in her bed, hates sleeping with us, and the dog has given up and now sleeps

on the floor!

, mom to (6), (4 DS), and Samanta (2)

August 5, 2002

Maverick is up often needing a drink. He sleeps with is mouth open and is

dry alot. He also breathes very shallowly and often forgets a breath...and

that will awaken him.

Last year he learned to tell time, so we told him that he could NOT come into

our bed until it was 2:00. Well, it was 11:22.....there was a two!

12:02...there's another 2!.... 1:24.......hey....do I see a 2!!! Finally, he

got it. Now we have upped it to 4:00. He can get into bed with us anytime

after 4:00. The other day I told him he was going to be in 6th grade...so we

need to start working on 6 o'clock. His brother pointed out that at 6:00 we

are all UP! LOL... DUH!! That's the plan for THIS year. (Of course, nights

when there is wind, lightening, or thunder, he automatically makes a bed next

to our bed on the floor.)

August 5, 2002

It's amazing to me how much " our Kids " are alike...Kenzie ( 7 ds) gets up

almost every night at 2am..I don't mind her getting in the bed with us But my

husband can't sleep with rolling all over the bed so he usually gets up with

her and goes back to her bed to lie down with her until she is

asleep...sometimes it works.....sometimes she just follows him back to our

bed and says " MOM..I WANNA GET IN MOMMY'S BIG BED " ..I'm a sucker and just

pull her in....when she is back asleep..i'll move her back to her room. This

sometimes works too but we can ALWAYS count on a nightly visit from our angel

girl. Also...she has to have a night light on or she is up all night. Anytime

there is a storm ...she is in the bed with us before the first clap of

thunder is over.

( tired mom of 3)

August 5, 2002

I would lie down beside Mark in his bed when he was younger and tell him a

story. The room was absolutely dark, and very quiet. I talked very slowly

and quietly. I made up stories about all the characters he liked from

stories and movies. I had the different characters doing things together,

and he loved these. This always put him to sleep. Mark had his favorite

stories and wanted me to repeat them over and over. You might want to try

this idea before school starts and see how does.

Barbara

This is very similar to our routine. In fact, because I moved back home

with my two older kids when they were 4yrs and 18 months old...there was no

crib so I made a make shift area with a small couch up against a small twin

bed for the 3 of us. I had to stay with the 18 month old at nap and night

time until he fell asleep for safety reasons. Then with Ted it was just as

easy to continue this routine of lying with him until he fell asleep. One

night about 9 months ago, I said I was going to go into my bed...that he was

a big boy now to fall asleep after story and talking for a bit, by himself.

Now he tells me, " room " meaning I should go...hehe

Gail

August 5, 2002

This is scary - how much alike we are. (7 1/2) was a great sleeper

until we took him out of crib. Since then - he has come to our room almost every

night. We have tried various tactics - a pallet by our bed, etc. For the last

couple of years - we just walk him back to his bed and he usually falls right

back to sleep. Typically he only comes in once a night. He is the first to rise

every morning and the first to hear (1 1/2) cry out in the morning. He

notifies us that she is awake. On bad nights - he comes in throughout the night

- we know it early on when he comes in twice close together and then we usually

sleep with him. The night after Six Flags he was up throughout night.

We also bought premium mattresses for boys because our backs/necks were so stiff

after " sleeping " with him. Now - it's not a big deal - his mattress is so comfy!

Sometimes - he'll go for a little stretch without coming in at all and I thought

for certain it was stress-related but this summer (no stress - plenty of

activity) he has come in faithfully. Joe and I always enjoy the nights when no

one wakes us up - the first things out of our mouths in AM is " Did you get up

with anybody? " because we are sure if one us did not - the other must have. It's

such a treat to have an uninterrupted night sleep. I've actually had a few this

summer!

in Dallas

Re: Sleep habits

When we

bought new mattresses for the girls, my DH wanted to get the cheapest ones

possible. Reminding him that we also slept on them, we picked out somewhat

better mattresses that we liked!

August 5, 2002

In a message dated 8/5/2002 10:34:37 AM Central Standard Time,

jbocci55@... writes:

> Is anybody else wondering, like I am, why alot of our children wake up

> during

> the night? I'm finding this a bit odd.

HI Jackie

Awhile back I was told that kids with a low growth hormone tend to wake up at

night and the same SOMEONE lol told me kids with DS have a low growth hormone

so it made sense to me. Now I wonder if kids with DS who have a low growth

hormone also have moms who have CRS lolololol because Id love to remember

where I got this info, maybe a study I read or maybe Sara's DR lol oh well I

still think there is a link to DS from moms who have CRS lol

Kathy mom to Sara 10

August 5, 2002

In a message dated 8/5/2002 10:34:37 AM Central Standard Time,

jbocci55@... writes:

> Is anybody else wondering, like I am, why alot of our children wake up

> during

> the night? I'm finding this a bit odd.

HI Jackie

Awhile back I was told that kids with a low growth hormone tend to wake up at

night and the same SOMEONE lol told me kids with DS have a low growth hormone

so it made sense to me. Now I wonder if kids with DS who have a low growth

hormone also have moms who have CRS lolololol because Id love to remember

where I got this info, maybe a study I read or maybe Sara's DR lol oh well I

still think there is a link to DS from moms who have CRS lol

Kathy mom to Sara 10

August 5, 2002

For safety reasons, we let sleep with us. He will not wake up in the

middle of the night, unless he sleeps alone. There are times that Tim or I will

take the couch and other times sleeps with his sister(s) or brother.

I'm so glad we did this, because 's first seizure (and 2-3) occured

during the night. Had he not been with us, we may never have known.

No matter how difficult he may have been on any given day, all the stress

disappeared at night as he drifted off to sleep curled up beside of me.

did have a history of getting up during the night and wandering around. To me,

that is pretty dangerous (and we have had the fire department over after he

tried to cook an English Muffin in the microwave.)

He has matured greatly and one of my goals for the fall is to start

transitioning him to his own bed. He knows not to go outside, or Snoop (not

him..lol) goes out. If he wants food that needs cooked, he'll bring it to me.

There is plenty of favorite foods that he can access on his own, too (grapes,

juice, crackers, puddings). He also enjoys waking everyone up now. So, I feel

it's time............

August 5, 2002