Hi Moms/Daddies
My son has to go in for a sleep deprived EEG at the hospital that is about 16 miles away. By sleep deprived he is not to get more than 4 hours of sleep and no caffeine 8 hours prior and no naps for the day prior. Our appt is at 8:30am. My son is 4 and he no longer takes naps. His bedtime routine is that he likes to watch TV on my bed and then eventually falls asleep by 8:30-9pm. This kids likes his sleep, how in the world do I keep a 4 year old up? Where can I take him to keep him entertained? Even if I take him downstairs(away from my bedroom), when he gets tired he will either go to sleep on the couch, on one of the dog's beds, and even on the kitchen floor. He has fallen asleep at all these places at one time or another. Also, I don't want him to fall asleep on the way to the hospital in the car. I almost think if I got a cheap hotel near the hospital he would be so excited to be somewhere new I could keep him up. And then I would not have to drive. If I take him to Disneyland or something he will just get worn out and crash.
thanks....
Thanks moms! All of these are great ideas. Shakes, late night toy trips etc. I will be glad when its all done.
so between 12:30 am and 8:30 am your child can't sleep for more than 4 hours.
So sleep from 8:30-9pm till midnight, wake him up, and as long as he doesn't sleep for longer than 4 hours after that it should all be good. Sleeping in the car shouldn't be a problem then :)
I had to have one of these, except I had to be awake for a full 24 hours prior to the test... it was not a very fun experience!!! I hope your son has better luck with it than I did. Thankfully, once you're getting the EEG they'll let you cleep.
I have a five year old and I think keeping her awake would be an impossible feat, so I really feel for you. You're going to pull an all-nighter yourself. That doesn't sound like much fun, so you've got my sympathy for sure!!
The hotel idea sounds like a good one. Maybe take him to wal-mart in the middle of the night and let him pick out a new toy. Yeah, be careful about sleeping in the car, not sure how you're going to prevent that!
Good luck, mom! I'm not much help, but I do feel for you!
I had to do this myself recently for my 3.5 year old. I get home at 6:30 in the morning from work, so I had to have him up by 8, as his appt was at 4. I took my quick nap when I got home, woke him up, and like your son, was afraid he'd just crash. I kept telling him we were going bye-bye during the day and he was so interested in finding out where we were going that he didn't try to lay down. I didn't let him have any kind of heavy food. My problem was keeping myself awake, LOL. I didn't let him get too wound up so he wouldn't be tempted to take a nap from being worn out. We took the the dogs for a walk, I played with him in the living room and let him watch cartoons. If he looked like he was getting irritable or sleepy, I would just change the activity or surroundings so it would wake him back up. Even just a quick ride up to the convenience store for a drink made him wake up. Instead of his milk, I let him have Kool Aid so he'd get the sugar rush.
It was tough, and I know exactly how you are feeling. Good luck with the EEG mama!
Hi luv-
Someone had a similar issue a while back...and I suggested waiting in the hospital for those hours prior to the test (no one sleeps in hospitals anyway...lol)
Seriously...most have playrooms that are there for kiddos who have a longer stay...I would ask if they have one there...and if you could have 'midnight access'...
Best luck to you both!
michele/cat
OK.
1. if the hospital is 16 miles away, i would stay near there as your little one will probably fall asleep in the car....
2. can you get that cheap hotel and just feed him sugary stuff :) not chocolate but sugary cereal, strawberry milkshakes etc....
3. can you make the appt earlier...at 3 am or 4 am. or 1130 pm....
i think 830 am and 4 hours is a great deal to ask of a child and his momma :)
Best of luck with everything.
jilly
