Hey all, new here. My 5yo has ADHD, and we have an upcoming appointment with a pyschologist who specializes with adhd to get him officially diagnosed. Any tips or suggestions for our first meeting?
Also, i am at my wits end for bedtime. I know adhd kids need their sleep and we have a bedtime routine of quiet time for 30mins reading/looking at books and then lights out at 8:30, but he is constantly out of bed, or moving around, stealing food from the kitchen, bugging his sister in her room, colouring of the walls (dont even know where he gets the markers!) and is up until 10 or 11pm some nights. We have tried all the be active and tire him out during the day stuff, and it makes no difference, there is never an end to his energy. Any suggestions out there to make bedtime easier?
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That sounds tough. No real tips for the appointment except to do your own research before and after and that diagnosis and treatment decisions are usually a process, especially at 5 years old, depending on where you live.
As for bedtimes, that's not the issue for us with our 2 kiddos who gave ADHD, but they are and have always been super early risers, to the point where I get up ridiculously early now every day so someone is awake when they are. Anyway, I feel your pain and hang in there!
Hiya -- Recent diagnosis here for our 5 year old. Bedtime was the same for us for ages, with the occasional flip-out with hitting and kicking and spitting. First, know that he is actually *exhausted*--his body just doesn't know how to slow down. We are fans of melatonin. I don't love giving it to him every day, but it makes a HUGE difference. Seriously, HUGE. Also, as I'm sure you've heard, no screens for at least an hour before bedtime, and turning the lights down wherever he is, too. You need to be giving his body ALL the prompts that it's time to wind down. We give our son 1/2 mg of melatonin most nights. We tried 1 mg and figured we'd pare back the dose as much as possible. For our son, once the melatonin hits, and he's in his room with the lights out (or mostly out), preferably in bed, but at least not moving, sometimes he'll fall asleep while we're reading or even while he seems to be mid-conversation. We've also used quiet stories on a speaker--Calm is a good app for this (they have bedtime stories for kids), but we're actually listening to Fellowship of the Ring, though not every night. Routine is also super important--it's another signal to the body that it's bedtime. We've actually had him take himself off to bed a couple of times. He's starting to recognize what feeling tired feels like! We do still have to help him a fair bit some nights, to get him to his room with the lights down, but it's SO MUCH BETTER. Hang in there.
Those Calm sleep stories for kids are a great idea. We didn’t have those when our son was younger but even at 12 he really likes the ones geared to older kids.
I had to use melatonin because our son was the same. I used Natrol brand 1 mg disintegrating tablet at bedtime when he was 5. I don’t know if that is available in Canada. I trust that brand to be a consistent dose. I would be careful using just any old melatonin gummy, etc. There is recent information that many brands of melatonin can have mg amounts different from what the package says. My understanding is that Natrol brand has consistent dosing. I promise I don’t work for them or have any financial reason for recommending them!!!! Both my kids have taken melatonin nightly for years because otherwise they would not sleep until very late. (Both have ADHD & autism)
We have the same issue with sleep and have tried everything under the sun too! Melatonin gummies at 1mg for my 9 year old has been the only thing that really consistently works. I originally was opposed to giving it to him nightly but he started staying up till 10-11 most nights and would wake up in a terrible mood. After my friend with ADHD told me how important sleep is for ADHD and how she can’t function without it, I gave in.
I know what you mean about melatonin. I kept hoping it would be temporary. But my son just can’t turn his brain off. And if he doesn’t sleep well, he’s more hyper and dysregulated, as we learned. So we decided melatonin is the lesser of 2 evils.
Regarding sleep, we loved the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Seriously relied on this book until about nine or ten—honestly! Is your little one still napping? Ours didn’t drop the nap until maybe early 5, late 4. We had to move bedtime super early—6:30, 7:00 —for awhile. Any later and he would not fall asleep until 10 or later—running on cortisol. Just a thought.
Great suggestions..A few more: fan, weighted blanket and you could consider a "barn door". I wished I had done that when our son was younger. It's where top half can open while bottom can close the latch os on the outside.
Just also thought this long and exhausting journey try to take time to yourself. It might even be a slow walk to the mail box go get some fresh air when a partner takes the bed time routine.
Thank you for contacting CHADD's National Resource Center on ADHD. Hopefully, you can get theses few resources before meeting with the medical provider.
Here are some helpful links that can help you understand ADHD, get support, and help you during the process of your child being diagnosed.
There’s a list of question you can ask your medical provider on this information sheet. ADHD Quick Facts: Finding a Professional to Diagnose and Treat ADHD - CHADD
ADHD Parent Training and Support - CHADD
Preschoolers and ADHD - CHADD
How Can We Help Children with ADHD Get a Better Night’s Sleep? - CHADD
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