Of Bedtimes and Naptimes
The boys have been home all week from school (Gabrielle goes to a private school so she went back on Tuesday). And as things would go, both of them decided that napping was low on their list of priorities and took a nap only once this week. (And of course, I have writing deadlines looming over my head.)
Sleep, for children with autism (and their parents!), is often a hit or miss game. Many parents experience sleep-shortened nights or sleepless nights while their little angels seem to have no concern over the lack of sunlight outside their windows.
Peter did this for awhile and I know we are likely going to experience it again in the future. Some parents find it occurs in spurts every few weeks while others find that their children go one way or another for a few years and then switch.
A few months before we got Peter's diagnosis, Nathan was on the way and, since we still live in a small home, we were trying to get Peter to share Gabrielle's room so we could put Nathan in the nursery. Instead, Gabrielle was being shorted of very needed sleep. Peter would bang on the walls with his feet, get up and play, talk gibberish, etc. My husband would sit in there with them for two or three hours trying to get Peter to calm down so he would go to sleep. I was on bedrest for pregnancy induced hypertension (I had the condition with all three children) and couldn't help much.
Finally, Peter was moved back into his old room into a toddler bed and now a gate is put up at the door when daddy leaves and says goodnight (the gate is removed after Peter goes to sleep in case there is a fire or he needs to get up for some reason). Peter still horses around some but not as much and he listens to music as he goes to sleep. He has books to "read" by the light of a nightlight and his stuffed dogs to comfort him. And he still uses a pacifier to help him go to sleep. For now, he sleeps all night. Nathan sleeps in our room but he too sleeps all night now (he woke for half an hour to an hour around 2:00 a.m. for the longest time) and we have debated on putting him in a toddler bed in Peter's room. But everyone get a full night's sleep so we hesitate to mess with perfection.
How many years or months will this last? I don't know--but I'll take it as long as I can get it.
Sleep, for children with autism (and their parents!), is often a hit or miss game. Many parents experience sleep-shortened nights or sleepless nights while their little angels seem to have no concern over the lack of sunlight outside their windows.
Peter did this for awhile and I know we are likely going to experience it again in the future. Some parents find it occurs in spurts every few weeks while others find that their children go one way or another for a few years and then switch.
A few months before we got Peter's diagnosis, Nathan was on the way and, since we still live in a small home, we were trying to get Peter to share Gabrielle's room so we could put Nathan in the nursery. Instead, Gabrielle was being shorted of very needed sleep. Peter would bang on the walls with his feet, get up and play, talk gibberish, etc. My husband would sit in there with them for two or three hours trying to get Peter to calm down so he would go to sleep. I was on bedrest for pregnancy induced hypertension (I had the condition with all three children) and couldn't help much.
Finally, Peter was moved back into his old room into a toddler bed and now a gate is put up at the door when daddy leaves and says goodnight (the gate is removed after Peter goes to sleep in case there is a fire or he needs to get up for some reason). Peter still horses around some but not as much and he listens to music as he goes to sleep. He has books to "read" by the light of a nightlight and his stuffed dogs to comfort him. And he still uses a pacifier to help him go to sleep. For now, he sleeps all night. Nathan sleeps in our room but he too sleeps all night now (he woke for half an hour to an hour around 2:00 a.m. for the longest time) and we have debated on putting him in a toddler bed in Peter's room. But everyone get a full night's sleep so we hesitate to mess with perfection.
How many years or months will this last? I don't know--but I'll take it as long as I can get it.
Comments