Anyone else having problems getting their children to sleep tonight??
By Tanika
@Tanika (632)
Australia
December 24, 2006 6:36am CST
Heya, Is anyone else on here having difficulties getting their children to sleep tonight? My daughter is three and this is the first christmas where she actually understands whats going on and i am having huge bedtime battles with her as she is just so excited. Maybe it is not bed time on christmas eve where you now are but it is here and I have put my daughter back into bed about 5 times so far. She is sooo overstimulated by the whole idea of christmas and the fact that we already started celebrating with my partners family today. Pls give your recommendations - i have already tried the 'santa can't bring you presents if your not asleep' line.
Thanks in advance, Tanika.
3 people like this
19 responses
@ashiflett (1045)
• United States
24 Dec 06
Honestly, I have problems getting my kids in bed every night. I have worked very hard to try to resolve this issue and as Christmas grows near, it seems to be getting worse. I have heard that if you allow a child to open one gift it is suppose to relieve some of the anxiety that they have about Christmas morning and will help them ease into sleep better on Christmas Eve.
2 people like this
@dnatureofdtrain (5273)
• Janesville, Wisconsin
25 Dec 06
This is the first year we did not do it... Usually We open on Gift on Christmas Eve. This eases anxieties. But our family seems to be very calm about tomorrow... a little more than usual Other then poor mom, Organizing it all for a family of 33! :).. It helps that we are doing everything later around 10 and not like at 6 or 7am... To ease the patience of us rambly ones lol. - DNatureofDTrain
1 person likes this
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
25 Dec 06
I'm not having any problems on this end. My daughter is four. She wanted to go to bed as fast as she could. I told her once she fell asleep Santa would come. She put out milk and chips for Santa and ran to bed. Any other day she would of been fighting sleep.
Your daughter is really excited. I get that way. I can't sleep when over excited.
Hope the little one enjoys her Christmas!
@mygreyparrot (1461)
• United States
25 Dec 06
The Santa won't come line always worked on me as a kid. It just kept me in my room though, I was never really asleep. I wonder how many adults can't sleep on Christmas Eve? I know I never do! I still get too excited to sleep LOL. So I definately won't expect my kids to..I'm probably worse than they will be.
2 people like this
@moneygrows (170)
• Canada
25 Dec 06
Children normally get excited with the coming of great day that are loaded with big celebration. When I was a child I never got good sleep the day before the big like New Year or any other big celebration. Your daughter is having problem with a sleep during Christmas Eve for which you should think that it's natural and there is nothing wrong with that. She is just too excited. Tune on some lullaby music and read bed time stories which might enhance the chances of getting her to sleep. Have a merry christmas.
2 people like this
@jiffys_frog_woman (4050)
• United States
25 Dec 06
my daughter is four and we told her same thing but she is wide awake so it may be awhile before santa visits
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@jiffys_frog_woman (4050)
• United States
30 Dec 06
I have this problem my daughter is 4 years old and cant even get her to sleep in her own bed
1 person likes this
@Aali311 (6112)
• United States
25 Dec 06
This sounds like my every night routine with my soon to be three year old and my seventeen month old. They never want to go to sleep. Anyways she's too excited to sleep, can you blame her? Just let her be and she'll fall asleep eventually. I have to leave them alone and when they get tired they both get right into the bed and go to sleep.
2 people like this
@brightbluesea (1143)
• United States
25 Dec 06
Good luck with that :) My kids always get excited on Christmas Eve and I have learned to just let them stay up a little longer until they seem ready to go to bed than try to wind them down for an hour trying to get them to bed
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@melanie652 (2524)
• United States
25 Dec 06
I remember our kids being that excited about Christmas. It was so cute! I probably didn't think it that cute at the time though? Seems like they finally settled down around 11pm or so. I did the same as you - told them you have to be asleep for Santa to bring the presents. I also remember them waking us up at 3 or 4 in the morning wanting to open presents! We made a rule of no opening presents before 6am! Enjoy the time while they're little?! :)
@mforseth (169)
• United States
25 Dec 06
I feel your pain! I put my 7 year old to sleep a few hours ago. I brought all of Santas presents out and was eating santas cookies and he walked down. Luckily I saw him and we went back up stairs before he noticed anything. He is wide awake now. We have been tracking Santa on NORAD.com all day and he is getting closer. I told him that he does not come if you are awake. I think the poor kid is so worked up about not being asleep so Santa will come that he cant fall asleep! Good Luck and Merry Christmas!
@jen20619 (1300)
• Ireland
24 Dec 06
Yes my kid is 7 and she has difficutly in sleeping at night although shes in bed at nine she might not fall asleep until 11.Then its soo difficult to wake her for school and I feel so bad waking her as I know shes tired.Im thinking of asking my local Gp for advice.
@dnatureofdtrain (5273)
• Janesville, Wisconsin
25 Dec 06
Tonight was a very rare night. My parents and the children were all in bed by 7:30pm... ... But not me. I am up on nightwatch. To catch the snoops, and chase em all back to bed. :D . lol. - DNatureofDTrain
@harsh1985 (593)
• India
25 Dec 06
well i have not childern so i can't feel the problems behind it but i think this is a problem either mental or physical..better is that you consult with your family doctor!!
@mfrancq (1806)
• United States
25 Dec 06
Heck, my son is only eight months old and I can't get him to sleep! ;) My inlaws got him all excited by showing him all the wrapped gifts under the tree and now he wants to play with them because they are shiny. He is so tired and yet he continues to fight his sleep. Looks like it is going to be a long night for me! I guess I should get used to it though...the fun is only just beginning! ;) Have her drink some warm milk. I have a friend that does this with her three year old when she won't go to sleep. It helps to calm them down.
1 person likes this
@illumina_foxz (125)
• Thailand
25 Dec 06
well.. yeah
it's my 6 years old sis. It's so hard to get her to sleep. She always sleep at like.. 11pm.. or even 12!
I am still finding some resolutions to this..
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