Can I go home now?

[rbnyc]

I will never last another 2 hours and 41 minutes.

My darling son has been waking up between 2 and 3 in the morning and climbing into our bed. He is the most restless sleeper. He rolls and kicks and sleeps with his head in my husband's ribs and his feet in my ribs and grinds his teeth!

I'm so tired and my office drives me nuts anyway. I have to come in tomorrow to train a volunteer. I can hardly focus and I want to flee.

The teeth grinding is really horrific. It's just the worst sound, and I know it's so bad for him. Perhaps someday we'll have enough money to take him to the dentist, but I have heard they can't give mouth guards to young children because it messes with their development.

Anyone have any non-invasive teeth-grinding solutions?

Oh, and am I a bad leader if I go home while my hard-working associate is still here? (Or am I just a bad leader for being on DU while he works on a massive data project?)

P.S. I am very productive and take reasonable internet breaks.

EDIT: typo

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear rbnyc...

I'm so sorry...

:hug:

[rbnyc]

6. Hey - I though you got banned!

Just kidding.

Thanks.

:loveya:

[MorningGlow]

2. No suggestions, just a massive amount of empathy

My kid does the same thing--bed-hopping around 2 or 3 a.m. and thrashing and grinding his teeth. If you do find out any solution for any/all of these things that make me want to sell him to a traveling circus just to get a decent night's sleep, please share! :hi:

(His EX pediatrician said the solution was simple--just get a child-safety doorknob thingie, the kind that spins around so he can't grab it, and put it on the INSIDE doorknob on his bedroom door, and shut the door so he can't get out. He'll give up and go back to bed, she said. :wtf:)

[rbnyc]

4. OMG!

I could never do that.

Our house is partly set up railroad style, so our rooms are adjoining anyway. We sometimes make him go back to his room, but it's usually such an ordeal and it's 3 am! We're not consistent. So he knows he's got a good shot of sleeping with us. I suppose at some point he'll grow out of it and we'll miss him, but I seriously need some sleep.

How old is your son?

[MorningGlow]

7. I was horrified--thus she became our EX pediatrician

I kept wondering what would happen if a fire started in his room. Our house is nearly 145 years old and I don't trust the wiring we haven't replaced yet.

I used to troop him back to his room every night, but then he'd throttle me there till he fell back asleep (I am his teddy bear--we have tried all sorts of replacement woobies but he would have none of them) and by then I usually fell asleep too and would wake up all pretzeled in his car bed. I gave up and have decided to let him grow out of it. He's 7, and sometimes I think that day will never come... :banghead:

[PassingFair]

3. How old is he? nt

[rbnyc]

5. 6 (nt)

[PassingFair]

8. I can tell you what worked with my daughter....

She didn't grind her teeth, but she couldn't
sleep unless she was in our bed.

I read about this somewhere, and it worked:

I told her that we could have a PARTY in
my bed, IF she stayed in her bed for a
whole week.

I had never allowed eating or drinking in my
bed, so this was a big deal to her. She stayed
in her own bed (it wasn't easy), and on Saturday,
we ordered pizza and had pop and pizza in our bed.

Whoopee!

In one week, she was able to teach herself how
to wake and go back to sleep on her own, and she
slept in her own bed happily ever after.

Worked like a charm, and she never asked for another
party (which was my biggest fear about the scheme).

[rbnyc]

9. Awesome!

I'm going to try it. Thanks!

[PassingFair]

10. Good thing it worked, or I'd probably still be pulling pepperonis off of my pillows.

Good luck!!

[MorningGlow]

11. That's cool

I wonder if it would work with MG Jr. He's not easily "bought", if you know what I mean.

[PassingFair]

12. Neither was mine, but for some reason she couldn't resist the "party".

Once she had found a way to get HERSELF back
to sleep she had no interest in climbing into
my bed (unless she was sick).

It was pretty freakin crowded in that bed
some nights.

Good times....good times.

[MorningGlow]

13. That's my son's problem

The moment his eyes flutter open, he's on his feet and down the hall, and isn't even fully awake.

Well, I think I'll try it! Can't do any harm! So thanks! :hi:

[PassingFair]

14. My pleasure!

As I recall it was a tip picked up from one of those
"parenting" magazines in a doctor's or ER waiting room.

I was desperate and it worked!

[MorningGlow]

16. Did it have to be a party on the bed?

Or could it be anything that he could be "bribed" with? (I fear if I say "pizza party on the bed!" he'll say "Meh.")
:rofl:

[PassingFair]

17. Yeah, I think the bed is the main attraction.

You don't have to tell him its a pizza party.

We had hats and everything.

[MorningGlow]

18. Okey doke

I'll still try it. :hi:

[Old Troop]

15. rbnyc; teeth grinding can cause harm so you might want to take him

to a dentist who can help. Everything else? You're doing fine! Just remember that these things fly by
(in retrospect). Soon he'll provide you with so much else to worry about that this will become an amusing memory. Have you and your husband considered taking turns sleeping elsewhere in the house while the spouse deals with your angel?

[rbnyc]

19. Yeah...

...we have to find some free dentist for kids or ask his parents to help. I'm really worried about it.

That's a good suggestion. My husband hates to sleep apart from me, but maybe just a couple times so one of can get some slepp.

[Hotler]

20. Go to a sporting goods store and get

a mouth guard. They don't cost much and can be molded to fit.