Hi, my son is six as well and lately it’s been very difficult to calm down for sleep. It seem that he was even more hyper in the evening. I mean jumping off the walls hyper. Last night I was able to rub him down with lotion after bath time which he hasn’t let me do since he was a baby. Well, he actually fell asleep about 20-30 minutes later. I don’t if its from going to the park after school or from the nice bath time and rub he had. But it was great!!! Can’t wait to hear what everyone else has to say about their ways of calming their child down. Good luck, I certainly know what you mean. I’m living it too. You’re not alone.

We have a 9 yr old that takes a stimulant med as well. What seems to work for him is to have some down time 1 hr prior to bedtime and at that time we give him 3 mg of Melatonin.
He is then allowed to read in bed or play legos etc. and he starts to get sleepy within a 1/2 an hour.
The Melatonin was recommended by his Dr. and is suggested with sleep issues. You can find it in the supplement section and doesn’t require a prescription. Ask your Dr. if it is OK…..we started when my son was 7 1/2 yrs old and gave him 1/2 tablet to start. We were amazed that it kicked in so well as our son had troubles going to sleep.
Hope that helps! Good luck…...

Both of mine children are on meds….one falls asleep before I close his door, the other has a very difficult time.  She is now 11 and very aware of what he body feels like when she is wound up at night.  She likes to drink a warm glass of milk with some coffee creamer in it.  I know it sounds silly, but that is her thing and it helps.  I send her up 1/2 hour earlier to get ready and have a chance to relax.  During the school year, she is much more intense and she also used melatonin.

I found out about this from our doctor a few years back and I can not believe how well it works.  I have from time to time used it myself also because I have a hard time turning off my brain at night.

I absolutely recommend it….like energizerbunnymom said, one hour before bed and it helps slow them down.  It is non-habit forming and is actually a supplement.  Your body naturally produces melatonin at night to aid in sleep.  However, for some of our children melatonin production is delayed or isn’t enough. 

I am not against medication at all, but many of my parents (I’m a sped. ed teacher.) have their kids on Clonidine.  Which is highly addictive and I’ve never had a student that does well with it.  It scares me a bit.  I do know that many doctors like to couple that with stimulate medication, but for us the melatonin has worked like a charm. 

Like I said, not that she is older she can tell when she is going to need it.  If not she doesn’t take it.  Sometimes about 30 minutes after bedtime she’ll come and tell me she needs a melatonin.  She take one, drink her milk and I don’t hear from her again.

Hope this help!  Good Luck!

Hi there:

You might find some great ideas in our recent “Sweet Dreams, Great Mornings” contest, which asked users to contribute their best get-to-sleep strategies:

http://connect.additudemag.com/blogs/post/sweet_dreams_contest/

I hope this helps!

I know what you’re going through.  We use a variety of techniques.  Lavender scented bath soap/shampoo/bubble bath helps a bit.  Electronics off for both kids and adults.  Snuggle/read.  We start the “going to bed” process about 1 hour before bedtime. It has resulted in a shift in our schedule but has been worth it.

A calming bath as mentioned is helpful for us.  We also use a relaxation cd for kids… called “Indigo Dreams” and a backrub can help.  Good luck!

I’ve just started brushing my 8-yr. old.  With a soft plastic brush.  We softly brush his legs, arms and back.  It takes about 10 minutes, but it seems to be working.  It was a suggestion from the doctor of the sleep clinic.

We have an evening routine that seems to work for my 9 yr. old:  At 8 p.m., he gets his shower or bath.  By 8:15, we are snuggled on the couch together to watch some TV together (my choice of programs, non-stimulating) and he has a light snack of some type of carbs (pretzels, popcorn, crackers, etc).  At 9, it’s time to brush teeth and climb in bed for 20-30 minutes of reading time.  I also spray his pillowcase with a little lavender oil. By the time lights go out at 9:30, he’s usually asleep within 5 minutes.  Some days are more stimulating than others and he has more trouble winding down.  On those nights, we add his CD of “sleepy” music.  This is the routine we have found works best for us. Good luck.

Thanks, everyone.  We are setting up some routines including melatonin tonight.