Hello!

Our eight-year-old takes up to two hours to finally go to sleep after we get him to bed. It’s frustrating. He goes to bed between 7.30 to 8pm and takes up till 10pm some nights before is finally asleep. Need ideas or just someone to say they are going through similar issues.


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  • My 8 year old is like this occasionally. Maybe try playing some white noise for them. Do a little research on what might me causing it, try a few different things and see what works for you


  • How is your child’s behaviour during the day ? Is there a good routine, ea plenty of acvitivities during the day and calming down activities in the led up to the evening ? Does he lack sleep / What is the total amount of sleep hours he gets ? When lack of sleep is an ongoing problem it could have a deeper cause and I would suggest to have a chat with the GP


  • Give melatonin a try. It worked wonders for my son who just wouldnt switch off.


  • Some people use red lights to help with melatonin. Maybe speak with your gp? Does your child use a device or watch tv in the lead up to bed? Maybe try brining bedtime forward to 7pm? My kids only struggle to settle if they are overtired. We send them to bed at 7pm and allow them to read, we then go in prior to 7:30pm and do their bedtime routine. Sometimes my 6 year old is already asleep. But he is on prescribed medication that makes him sleepy due to his adhd.


  • My 8yo is exactly the same. Unfortunately I don’t have any ideas for you but I can tell you that you aren’t alone. Some kids just seem to need less sleep than others.


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