Hello!

Help getting my 5 year old to sleep?- I have a almost 5 year old girl who was always good at bed time as a toddler and is now a night mare come to life! She is always using delay tactics toilet/hungry/thirsty to get out of her room at bed time I’m worried she’s not getting enough rest and she is very difficult to get up the next morning we’ve tried taking toys off her, we have also told her she will loose all her toys if she keeps playing as she also plays and mucks around with the radio and reads books so we thought removing them might stop it. We’ve tried “positive parenting techniques” as well and she back chats and is very “disrespectful” to us. I am at my wits end with this bed time drama and need help! Thanks!

Posted by anon, 15/10/13

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  • Oh the other thing i do is tell my kids that they have germs. If they don’t get enough sleep or are playing up at night i tell them that the germs are circling and just waiting to jump onto them. In the morning i tell them that they have xx number of germs and the only way to get rid of them is by sleeping lots and eating vegetables and drinking water. It really works.


  • Try magnesium. If she’s like my son, who is very, very active and can’t seem to still his mind, magnesium could help as it promotes sleep. Get a specific night time magnesium product at your health store. Also turn down the lights before she goes to bed, to help produce melatonin.
    Also, know you are not alone – these delaying tactics are pretty common.


  • I was wondering what was successful?


  • I would try a check list for her to tick off before bedtime. A chart on her bedroom door or beside her bed with things like – comb hair, bedtime story,before bed snack (protein), brush teeth, magnesium on feet, kisses and cuddles. After she does each one she gets to tick it on the list then you give her a sticker at kiss and cuddle time in bed. After 5 stickers she gets to choose a treat (movie night, make ice cream, feed ducks, candlelit dinner with mum and dad etc). I suggested the magnesium as it’s a relaxant. You can put Epsom salts (from supermarket) in the bath at night and or spray magnesium oil on their feet (from health food shop). Good luck!


  • there are some good comments here


  • How is she going now?


  • I can see this will be us in a couple of years!


  • have you had any success?


  • Dinner, drink, toilet and bed. Need to stick to the routine and remove the standard excuses.


  • Any success with the advice below?


  • I hope you found some good answers here


  • We read until they fall asleep, or use music…although I will admit sometimes its puts me or my husband to sleep first.


  • We are having issues with our almost four year old, so this question is very timely for us.


  • Hope this has gotten easier for you


  • My daughter was the same and often goes through cycles of this i offer reading time or go for a walk with the dogs after dinner to make her tired


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