To Sleep or Not to Sleep?! - Green Bay,WI

Updated on January 28, 2013
M.P. asks from De Pere, WI
6 answers

So, DS (31 mo) has been sick all weekend - all month practically! He just can't catch a break. This last stretch - we went to the dr today and he has a bilateral ear infections (infection in both ears) and possible pneumonia (dr. said lungs sounded awful, but xray didn't show localized pneumonia, thought it was viral p rather than bacterial)...wanted radiologist to give clearer read. She prescribed antibiotics for the ear infections and said they would "cover" anything going on in the chest as well.

He went down for a nap, later than usual, because of the dr appt - he fell asleep around 2. Here is is 5:20pm and he is still asleep and HE IS OUT! I opened his bedroom door, cleaned up the kitchen (even ran the garbage disposal) and he is still snoring away! SOOOO...do I wake him? Or leave him sleep?? He hasn't slept well (nap or overnight) in DAYS and has been coughing SO much that I know he is exhausted. But I don't want him to be up all night long...

Just curious...what would you do?? Wake him?? Leave him sleep??

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So What Happened?

Thank you all! I did let him sleep - and he woke up around 5:45 as I was trying to open the can of pizza dough (banging it on the counter! Damn cans!!) :-P

Dr. also called back and said radiologist said xray was consistent with viral upper respiratory infection - whatever that means (not sure if that means viral pneumonia or just a bad cold). Either way, he has never coughed like this so I am thankful he is on antibiotics! Also - please see my new question that I am going to post as soon as I am done here...I need tips to get him to take the antibiotics instead of spitting them out!! :-(

So glad you all kind of agreed to let him sleep - deep down I felt that way too, and am also on the "never wake a sleeping child" bandwagon, but started overthinking things as the clock ticked closer to dinner/bed times! :-)

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

LET him sleep. Do not wake him.

My son, has been known to sleep for 14 hours straight. When he was sick or going through a growth spurt.
This is when he was younger.
I let him, sleep.
I did not wake him even at meal times.
And it did NOT... make him be up all night.
He still slept, at his normal times.

Your son is very sick.
Sleep, actually allows the body to heal.
He needs... to sleep.
Let him.

Watch his symptoms... per the Pneumonia.
This is can be very serious. Good thing he is on antibiotics.
Recovering from it, can take a long time.

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.P.

answers from Portland on

Let him sleep. Sleep is just as important, if not more so, than antibiotics. It is the way our body deal with the infection. When we're asleep our body can expend more energy towards healing than when we're awake and our body has to deal with our surroundings.

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Redding on

I have had my own experiences with pneumonia and random infections.

I have always been advised to get as much sleep as possible.

I think you should let your little one sleep as much as he needs to.
If he wakes and his hungry or needs to pee, assist him, but otherwise, just let him sleep.

With my last course of pneumonia, I literally slept 20 hours a day. I didn't care about food. Nothing tasted good to me.

I would let your son sleep and schedule another medical appointment just to check up on things.

Being this sick, I wouldn't wake him while he's sleeping.

Just my opinion.

3 moms found this helpful

J.O.

answers from Boise on

The million dollar question!

I have always found that mine, when that ill, still go to bed at regular times. Even when they have slept the whole day. Think about when you are sick and want nothing more then to sleep. You still go to bed and it doesn't matter that you just slept the day away.

Now if he is in general a poor sleeper, as a few of mine have been, I might wake him up and see how cranky he is. If you really have to fight him to wake him, it's probably better to just leave him be.

His body really does need the sleep.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Poor little guy. :(

I'm in the camp of NEVER wake a sleeping kid.

Years after my so was done with naps, I knew that, for him, a snooze on the couch = waking up with a fever and the start of something...but still, I would let him sleep.

Their little bodies know when they need sleep.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.F.

answers from Dallas on

If you are ok with being up all night, let him sleep. ; ) really, I have done both ways but anything over 5pm and he will be awake. Poor thing needs sleep!

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