O.K. everyone I need some serious help. Our sweet daughter Emma really struggles sometimes and I am at a loss as to what to do. Bedtime is at 8:00 p.m. in our house, and believe me I have tryed 7:00. So we have a nighttime routine and Emma gets in her bed at 8:00. She is at the age where she likes to pull every trick in the book to get out of bed, and we try to be consistent with expectations, but it seems like she never actually falls asleep until 9:30 or 10:00. This would be a problem in itself, but she will still wake up at 6:00, 6:30 every morning. It doesn't matter when she goes to sleep she WILL NOT sleep in. She will usually still take a midday nap for 2 hours, but she struggles going down for those as well. I wouldn't be so concerned except for I KNOW she is not getting enough sleep. She is cranky and irritable and easily emotional, especiallly when she doesn't get a nap. We have done Baby Wise sleep training with our kids since they were little, and they have never co-slept. They have always had a bedtime routine, but Emma just really struggles. This past week she has also been waking up around midnight just crying and moaning. I know she is overly tired and I just don't know what to do about it. I have tried giving her melatonin, but haven't felt good about that since some nights she wakes up with night terrors when I give it to her. If she's in a new place or gets riled up at all it takes her forever to wind down. This is just one thing on my mind right now and I don't want to always be the mean mommy who forces her kid to stay in her bed for a nap, but at the same time I know she needs her sleep. SUGGESTIONS please. I know every child is different, but especially for those family members who have experience raising children with attention and hyperactivity I would appreciate some advice. Sometimes it is just so hard being patient and I just want to do what is best for her. O.K. so I am seriously rambling, but just needed to get that off my chest.
