Bedtime struggles are common for most every parent, but when it comes to getting an overactive child to sleep, bedtime struggles can be dynamic and intense. Learn how to reduce the meltdowns and make bedtime less difficult.
Routine is Key
An overactive child is easily distracted and can have difficulty with transitioning from one task to another, particularly when the transition is unexpected. When he knows what to expect based on the cues around him, it can help him mentally prepare for the changes that are coming. Establish an evening routine to help bring some consistency to his schedule.
Create a board with images that help him understand what is coming. Draw pictures of each task, getting him involved to create pictures for his favorite tasks. Attach the pictures to a display board in the order that the events will happen. For example, if your board shows dinner, cleanup and play time followed by the bedtime routine, he'll know when it comes time for play that bedtime is not far away. That makes the transition easier when you tell him that it is time to get ready for bed.
Quiet Time
Establish a quiet time before bed to allow your child to settle down and relax from the excitement of play time. During quiet time, she can play with things that do not require active play such as coloring books or reading. Plan on 30 minutes to an hour for your child, depending on how long it takes for her to settle.
Quiet time should be immediately before you complete the hygiene and story time or other bedtime routines. This timing settles her, slows her down and removes the stimulus that can foster the over-activity.
Limit sweets and simple carbohydrates within the last 2 hours before bedtime. Refined sugar and simple carbohydrates can contrib...
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...d that every child is different. The routines and bed times that worked for one child may not be suitable for another. Overactive children are more intense, more demanding and crave constant attention.
Work with your child to create a bedtime routine that soothes and relaxes him. Give him input in areas where you are able to be flexible. Maybe he has a hard time going to sleep right away when you put him to bed. If so, allow him an extra 30 minutes of quiet, down time in bed to read a story book before lights-out.
If your child continues to have difficulties settling and sleeping, consult a pediatrician. When overactive children become overtired, impulse control becomes more difficult and acting out is likely to become a problem. His pediatrician can help narrow down other sources for trouble as well as offer alternative approaches or other treatments if necessary.
How did the same child do a 360-degree turn around in scenario 2? In scenario 2 the child had been armed with resources to help them with their ADHD. Most ADHD children take medication to help them manage their disorder however; there are alternatives available such as homeopathic options and non-medication options. The non-medication are a little more tedious to do, but will provide your child with a lifetime of tools. Some of these tools are organization, show them how to be organized, get them a planner, have them find a place for everything, use folders, labels, etc., it won’t come naturally to them, they have to work at it, with your help, as well as be consistent with it, so that it will eventually become more natural for them to do. Lists are a must, they get distracted easily, and they can’t remember what they need to do or what they were doing, so if they have a list to refer back to it will help keep them on task. As they move into the higher grades in school, work with the school counselor; develop a plan for them which may include putting them on a 504 plan. A 504 plan is an accommodation plan that the teachers and students use at school to help the student be successful. There are options; you just have to be patient and be willing to take the extra time to help them reach
They need to learn the difference between multitasking and trying to do multiple things at a time. Knowing what can have little attention and what needs your full attention can help out a lot. For example when you are talking to someone, that is when your full attention is needed, as well as working on homework. When something needs a little bit of your attention it will be okay to be distracted. For example it is okay to work out and watch television at the same time, because you are just trying to either entertain or distract yourself to make time go by faster.
Sears, William. Nighttime Parenting How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep. Franklin Park Illinois. Le Leche League International, 1990. Print.
Many times, ADHD is diagnosed by unqualified people. A parent usually receives a letter from the child’s teacher stating that he or she is exhibiting behavior problems and a meeting is scheduled. At the meeting, the parents are urged to allow faculty to assess the child. A report is then written and the parents take the child and the report to the doctor and the child is given medication, usually a stimulant, to cure the child of his or her illness.
West, Kim. “Sleep Crutches: How to Gently Help Your Child Break Sleep-Disrupting Habits.” Nesting.com. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
Just because your child is active, does not always mean to assume they have this disorder. Even though more and more kids are being diagnosed with ADHD, experts are saying that it’s often not the kid’s problem. Some cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are coming back on how well of parenting the child is receiving. “When I first diagnose a child with ADHD, I tell the parents they need to learn behavior techniques, whether I’m prescribing medication or not,” (Patricia Quinn, M.D.)
...nt, if not more important, than bedtime practices in predicting infant sleep quality (Teti et al., 2010). Results support the theoretical premise that parents’ emotional availability to children in sleep context promotes feelings of safety and security and, as a result, better-regulated child sleep.
As challenging as it is to be around a hyperactive child, it is essential that you know and understand what they are going through as well as how you can help in keeping them calm. A parent may have to speak to a hyperactive child about his/her behavior several times in an hour with no avail. There are several factors that cause a hyperactive child such as emotional or relationship issues, diet, and other environmental factors. Focusing on overcoming these factors can result in a more controlled and calm child. There are a number of tips to help parents in settling down their hyperactive child. These quick tips are found to produce incredible results in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).
Recent media coverage might lead one to believe that ADHD is something new, a nineties thing, some vogue malady that somehow explains our disaffected modern youth. Yet the hyperactive child has always been around. He was class clown, the kid in the back row who never shut up. He was the kid whom the teacher constantly sent out of the room or to the office. In the past, these were the children...
“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition in which a person not only has a great difficulty concentrating for more than a few minutes but also is inattentive, impulsive, and overactive” (The Developing Person Through the Life Span, page 310). Both children and adults are diagnosed with ADHD, but children hold a higher percentage of this diagnosis because the disorder usually appears in early to middle childhood. “The average age of ADHD diagnosis was 7 years of age, but children reported by their parents as having more severe ADHD were diagnosed earlier” (Web, CDC). The symptoms of childhood ADHD, from a personal standpoint, seem to almost mirror what I have observed as normal (developmental) childhood behavior (angst). “The main symptom, (among the three main symptoms) of ADHD is the inability to pay attention. Kids may have trouble listening to a speaker, following directions, finishing tasks, or keeping track of personal items. They may daydream often and make careless mistakes” (WebMD). These characteristics belong to all children which ask the question, emphatically, is childhood ADHD over diagnosed? Pertaining to children, the inability to pay attention is followed by hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Although many children are diagnosed with ADHD, legitimately, there are concerns that children are overmedicated. Maybe parents are as much responsible for over diagnosing children as doctors.
Consider this as a work in progress, where your daily routine and the baby's sleeping schedule is established. As the baby grows older, she will be gradually sleeping longer at night and you will be adjusting your schedules, too.
When children make the transition from primary school to middle school or high school, it affects them a lot when the changing of their own sleep cycle affects the way they actually learn. Dr. Judith Owens, who is the director of the Sleep Medicine Clinic at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., says "adolescents are programmed to fall asleep later,” (2013). She wants to change school start times to later because "we are asking [teens] to be awake and alert at the time in their 24-hour clock when their alertness level is at its very lowest,” (2013). She also says that most teens can’t usually fall asleep until 11 p.m. Sleep expert Amy Wolfson of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., says that children should try to get eight and a half to nine and a half hours of sleep a night. Waking up at six a.m. leads to bad sleep patterns creating sleep deprivation.
"Common Sleep Problems." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Ed. Mary L. Gavin. The Nemours Foundation, 01 Jan. 2011. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
Plan special routines Start a weekly DVD and take-out dinner night. Once your baby settles into a predictable sleeping pattern, life gets a lot easier – yet another great reason to work toward instituting a regular bedtime. Watching a video is an easy way to enjoy a little downtime together. Play games Games are a great way to laugh and have fun together, so dust off the backgammon set, deck of cards, or the Scrabble board. Or do the Sunday crossword or Sudoku puzzle together as you snuggle on the
Some children may seem lazy, easy distracted or lost in their own world when it comes to school and tasks. But it’s normal for children to occasionally forget their homework, or to act without knowing why they do things. Not all the time this means that they are retarded or just don’t want to do anything. This can mean many things, one of them may be that they may have ADHD; this disorder is the inability of not being able to focus, being overactive and not being able to control behavior. It begins in an early age but may continue into the adult hood years. This can cause not being able to listen to when spoken directly ,does not follow instructions and fails to finish homework or house chores .It can also lead to be easily distracted and it can be hard to become organize. If not treated for ADHD, may be lead to have a crucial and complicated life. A treatment than be helpful is to parents be involve more with their kid in an early age to not contribute to ADHD later in the children’s life. Parents should teach their kids to become organize and patience with their homework and work tasks. Another treatment is to go to talk therap...