From Kate Wilde: Sleep take 2
What to do when your child won't stay in their bedroom when it's time for you to leave?
Firstly make sure you start the bedtime routine at the same time in the same order each night, this will help your child to get a sense of what is coming next, thus giving them a sense of control and predictability.
It is important for you to help your child be able to get to sleep on their own verses using you as a sleep tool. Follow the link below to a previous blog I wrote on this particular subject:
ttp://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/blog/2009/04/sleeping-children_10.php
Thus it is helpful for you to leave your child's room before they actually fall asleep.
If your child comes out of their bedroom do some version of the following.
1. Adopt this thought, "My child has been loved and played with all day, he is well fed and now the only thing it is time for is sleep, he will get many benefits from his sleep, more than me playing another 30 minutes with them" - Your child may try to convince you that they "need" many different things "before" they go to sleep, this is just a ploy to get more time with you.
Their job is to push the boundary - your job is to hold it firm for them.
2. Sweetly take them back to bed, letting them know that it is time for them to stay in their bedroom and sleep. Do this as many times as it takes, do not play with them or try to engage with them, this will only make the process fun and interesting for them, you want them to understand that you mean business - it is time for them to stay alone in their bedroom to sleep.
One Mom who implemented this with her child had to take her back to bed 30 times on the first night, then 22 times the second night, then only 2 the third night and that was it. It is your consistency and follow through when helps our children know that it is time for bed.
Wishing you all a peaceful nights sleep :)
Kate
Labels: Kate, Self-Help Skills, Sleep
Read more!
posted by Kate Wilde at
5:02 AM
0 Comments
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
From Kate wilde:Sleep
Sleep - arrrhhhh what a great word that is, MMMMMM sleep is so rejuvenating, and healthful for our bodies. When we sleep our bodies only concern is to repair and regenerate. When running a Son-Rise Program sleep plays a vital role for you as parents and also for the health and well being of your child.
When we as parents are rested then everything we do during the day will be easier Like most of you I have experienced long stretches of days with "sleep deprivation" and even with a great attitude it can be challenging. For new born babies - this is unavoidable, but once our children no longer need to be fed at night, you can do things that will help your children sleep through the night for 10-12 hours!
Which means in turn that YOU can sleep.
Oftentimes we are taking care of what our children are eating putting them on great diets for Autistic children, giving them healthy vitamins and supplements, carefully measuring out the timing and the amount of food and supplements we give our children, but don't give the same about of care and structure to the sleeping routine of our children.
Sleep routines are formed by habit, I wake up at 6am each morning even if I do not have to get our of bed at that time, or no matter what time I went to sleep the night before, simply because my body has created this habit. We as the adults can help our children stick to a bedtime routine to help their bodies remember a pattern of sleep that is useful for them.
How to create a sleep routine for our children on the Autism Spectrum, or their typical siblings.
1. Believe that it is possible.
2. Do not start a routine unless you believe that you can follow through with it. Your children will know if you do not intend to keep to the routine.
3. Believe that if you and your child sleeps, then everything else you do for your child during their waking hours will be so much more effective.
4. Pick one and stick to it, do not vary it. This is not about helping your child interact with you, it is about helping your child understand that it is time for bed, that they can put themselves to sleep and sleep through the night.
5. The routine can be anything you want it to be, its up to you, just stick to it.
A sample routine.
1.At 6.30pm the house becomes very calm, the lights are dimmed, click on the link below for the C D "Sleepy Baby" a great CD to play when you want your child to become sleepy. No rough and tumble games are played anymore.
http://www.amazon.com/Music-Babies-Sleepy-Brahms-Mozart/dp/B000068IFD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1267554900&sr=8-1
2. 6.45-7.15pm - bath time and PJ's.
3. 7-7.15-7.30 - two stories, one song, and a kiss on the head - then Mom and Dad always leave.
Remember this is just a sample - you can create one with different time lines, and different steps according to what will work for you and your child, the trick is YOU keeping to it.
Blogs to come, "What to do when your child gets up during the night."
"What to do when your child keeps leaving his room and won't stay in his bed."
Here's to a good night sleep for all.
Love to you and your lovely children
Kate Read more!
When we as parents are rested then everything we do during the day will be easier Like most of you I have experienced long stretches of days with "sleep deprivation" and even with a great attitude it can be challenging. For new born babies - this is unavoidable, but once our children no longer need to be fed at night, you can do things that will help your children sleep through the night for 10-12 hours!
Which means in turn that YOU can sleep.
Oftentimes we are taking care of what our children are eating putting them on great diets for Autistic children, giving them healthy vitamins and supplements, carefully measuring out the timing and the amount of food and supplements we give our children, but don't give the same about of care and structure to the sleeping routine of our children.
Sleep routines are formed by habit, I wake up at 6am each morning even if I do not have to get our of bed at that time, or no matter what time I went to sleep the night before, simply because my body has created this habit. We as the adults can help our children stick to a bedtime routine to help their bodies remember a pattern of sleep that is useful for them.
How to create a sleep routine for our children on the Autism Spectrum, or their typical siblings.
1. Believe that it is possible.
2. Do not start a routine unless you believe that you can follow through with it. Your children will know if you do not intend to keep to the routine.
3. Believe that if you and your child sleeps, then everything else you do for your child during their waking hours will be so much more effective.
4. Pick one and stick to it, do not vary it. This is not about helping your child interact with you, it is about helping your child understand that it is time for bed, that they can put themselves to sleep and sleep through the night.
5. The routine can be anything you want it to be, its up to you, just stick to it.
A sample routine.
1.At 6.30pm the house becomes very calm, the lights are dimmed, click on the link below for the C D "Sleepy Baby" a great CD to play when you want your child to become sleepy. No rough and tumble games are played anymore.
http://www.amazon.com/Music-Babies-Sleepy-Brahms-Mozart/dp/B000068IFD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1267554900&sr=8-1
2. 6.45-7.15pm - bath time and PJ's.
3. 7-7.15-7.30 - two stories, one song, and a kiss on the head - then Mom and Dad always leave.
Remember this is just a sample - you can create one with different time lines, and different steps according to what will work for you and your child, the trick is YOU keeping to it.
Blogs to come, "What to do when your child gets up during the night."
"What to do when your child keeps leaving his room and won't stay in his bed."
Here's to a good night sleep for all.
Love to you and your lovely children
Kate Read more!
posted by Kate Wilde at
9:58 AM
0 Comments
Friday, April 10, 2009
Sleeping Children
Currently I am writing a little booklet on how to get your child to sleep through the night, in their own bed, AND in their own room.
I know a lot of you, whether your children are typical or special rarely experience the beautiful silence that fills the house once your children are in bed. Or the few hours of adult time in the evening, that children going to bed at the regular time of 7.30pm would give you.
The first part of it as always at The Autism Treatment Center of America is filled with useful believes to adopt as you teach your child to sleep through the night.
Read more!
WOW I hear some of you sigh, wouldn't that be nice!
I know a lot of you, whether your children are typical or special rarely experience the beautiful silence that fills the house once your children are in bed. Or the few hours of adult time in the evening, that children going to bed at the regular time of 7.30pm would give you.
This IS possible, even for you and your child.
The first part of it as always at The Autism Treatment Center of America is filled with useful believes to adopt as you teach your child to sleep through the night.
The one I want to share here is:
"It is useful to teach your child to put themselves to sleep".
As I wrote and thought about that I realized that this is a skill that we actually have to help our children learn. So many of our children are robbed of the opportunity to learn how to put themselves to sleep, by numerous versions of the following routines:
- Rocking them lovingly to sleep in your arms.
- Lulling them to sleep by putting them in the car and driving them around.
- Letting them fall asleep in front of the TV, or the sitting room couch.
- Lying down beside them with your arms stroking their back.
- Literally being their pillow.
- Reading them a book until they are sound asleep.
SO once they awake to find themselves, not in the car, or on the couch or without their Mom or Dad, they go immediately to find the thing that will help them sleep again. If it was them, most likely they would just roll over in their cosy beds and nod off again.
SO the next time your child is crying for you to come and be the mechanism by which they put themselves to sleep, think twice, for you are robbing them of the opportunity to learn this skill for themselves.
Once learnt this skill will be used everyday for a life time.
I will let you all know once the booklet if finished.
I wish you all a good nights sleep.
posted by Kate Wilde at
8:08 AM
2 Comments
Copyright 1998-2008. The Option Institute & Fellowship. All rights reserved.