R.R.
Here's some tips:
1) Talk about the sleep study with her well in advance. Talk about how you're going to have a “sleepover” in the clinic, and that it is going to be so much fun! And that you'll have snacks, paint your nails and watch movies, take a portable DVD player and a couple of her favorite DVD's, the one there may not work :-/ Oh, and stickers in a sticker book!
2. Bring snacks. Stay away from caffeine, chocolate, and soda, take water, bananas, juice, crackers and let her pick something out as a special treat.
3. Make it a date. Have a dinner date first, it can be in the cafeteria, but it's a date!
4. Bring a fun sleeping bag for her. The room more than likely will be boring. Take a shopping trip with her to pick one up if she doesn't have one.
5. Bring some new books. Use them when the tech is placing all of those wires on her to keep her occupied and distracted.
6. Stick to her bedtime routine, but make it special. You can't do a bath but do brush her teeth, get her in her pj's, read some books, play music if that's what you usually do, and maybe paint her toenails then.
7. Know your child best. She may not be enthused about nose tubes to monitor her breathing and such, ask if you can do them once she's asleep rather than her make a scene.
8. Have a bribe in mind, she may want to mess with things she shouldn't, know something she would like and promise it to her the next day if she cooperates and doesn't play with things that aren't hers..
9. Have a surprise in mind, like doughnuts for breakfast, but just tell her if she does what she needs to she'll get a surprise and follow through.
10. Plan on her having a bath when you get home, they will be using gel to keep the leads on her throughout the night, which will leave her sticky and messy.
Remember everything is strange to her and might be scary, the room, the equipment, things on her body...so be patient and plan to snuggle a lot.
And, the doctor doesn't know what's up yet so can't fill you in on what will happen afterwards, that's why she's having the study, to find out what she needs, if anything.
Best wishes ツ