Nighttime Admission Results

I mentioned our issues with E's sleeping a few posts back. Thank you all for your comments--and, as I'm finding out on the newsgroups I belong to, there are LOTS of parents of CP kids that have issues with sleeping or nighttime in general.

Here was what happened during my last post: E was really acting up at night. I had/have no idea why. My opinion is we are/were reinforcing some bad behavior, but didn't/don't know what it was/is. Right before this trial, she got a bout of strep throat (that might explain SOME of the nighttime screaming/tantrums, but not weeks of it!). She was coddled, cuddled, and loved and cared for for about 5 days. Then we tried a week of giving her Benadryl.

We gave her one children's dissolvable tablet at 7pm. We continued with our normal nighttime regimen--bath, stretches, books, bed. She always fell asleep during book time. One night she slept through the night without interruption. 1 night she woke up once, I pressed the blanket to her, and that was all she needed. 4 nights she woke up and needed to be soothed--but it was relatively quick. Another night she had a tantrum (it was near the end of the Benadryl week). Jason was convinced that it was a magic pill. I wasn't--I thought maybe the prior week of coddling made going to bed/sleeping an easier task.

The next week we did sans Benadryl. It was much like the medicated week, only she did wake up every night but we just read her a story and she went back to sleep (or she went potty and then we read a story and she went back to sleep).

So...she goes to bed well, and overall has been doing well when she wakes up, but (she thinks she) needs parental intervention to go back to sleep (she definitely needs help if she has to use the bathroom). We've had one or two tantrums in the past 3 weeks (give or take). Overall I'd say that's pretty good. I am still interested in getting/making a weighted blanket...but right now I'm counting my blessings.