Hi mamas,
My kiddo isn't the greatest sleeper in the world. He's on the autism spectrum and has a weighted blanket. When he first got it at 6, he was able to sleep through the night for the first time since he was a baby. He's 8.5 now. He had a rough weekend - woke up a couple of times each night, then threw up Sunday morning. He's fine now, but woke up a LOT last night. Sometimes he's fully awake, others is that sleepy state. He's too big to snuggle with both mom and dad and moves around too much.
He told me he's lonely (only child). But we both/all need our sleep.
I'm going to google for autism-specific sleep issues just in case, but does anyone have suggestions or experience with the 'waking up a lot' kiddo around 8-9 years old? Any suggestions to help him sleep through the night, OR to help him put HIMSELF back to sleep when he wakes up?
His weighted blanket IS heavy, so not sure how I can make that easier for him when it slides off him.
ADD: it's a sporadic problem with the occasional once-a-night waking, but this last few days has been 3 times a night.
He's 4'10" tall and 82 lbs - a steady grower.
Was it just this weekend, or is this becoming a problem? If it was just this weekend, he might have just not been feeling well or was a little emotional or just out of sorts for one reason or another. We all have off days once in awhile. That's life. If that's all it is, I'd let it go and try not to worry.
One of our kids comes to our bed occasionally at night. He just seems to have an emotional need to do that once in awhile. We don't sleep as well on those nights, but he needs, so we're there for him. We let him in our bed, because it's what he needs.
If your son threw up on Sunday, I think it's safe to say that he's not exactly fine now. He's probably better, but he might still be a little under the weather or just tired (from being sick). He could also be a little bit emotional from throwing up. That's very upsetting for some kids.
Unless this is becoming a regular thing, I wouldn't analyze it too much or try to "fix" it right away. We all have bad nights now and then. Kids, too!
If I could ever figure out the pattern I would write a book and retire. I would call it mysteries solved and would also include they just don't panic! I digress. With my son at least once a month he has an off night that if I didn't keep herding him back to bed he would stay up all night. He is 16 and pretty good at monitoring his own mind and even he has no idea. We have always just let him do his pacing and if he wakes us up over and over make him hang in his room.
Here is the thing with sleeping with a weighted blanket, climate control. My son not only wants pressure but also a specific temperature so he will kick off without thinking about it anything you put on top of him. So he has two body pillows, the kind stuffed with memory foam and an actual head pillow. His bed looks like some effed up nest but it does seem to keep him happy.
make sure his blanket is the right weight for him, if its too heavy it will defeat its purpose.
If the blanket moving is a problem, is there any way to sew a flat sheet to one long side of the blanket? That way, you can tuck the sheet under the mattress and keep the blanket from sliding.
2 ideas. One of my kids needs a fan on for the white noise and the other likes a sound machine for ocean sounds. From what I can tell it puts them in a deeper sleep. The one that is the light sleeper sleeps much better and longer now. Hope that helps...
Would a teddy bear help?
Have you considered getting a dog? (obviously only do this if you and your family are willing and able to take care of the dog). My son goes to bed with our dog and it helps him not feel lonely. A dog might be great for your son in the daytime too - I heard they can really with kids who on the spectrum. Good luck!
