To make a looooooooooooooooong story short,I have a little girl whom is gonna be 8 in a few weeks and she is ADHD combined type and has insomnia,BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD.My sister and I were talking and my sister and I are trying to get together some ideas on how we could change a few things in hope for her to beable to sleep.Such as something that would wear her out so she has no other choice to fall asleep(LOL<I know but cant blame me for trying),or maybe some ideas on nightly wind down activities.Please if u have any ideas please send it my way.We are sooooooooooooooo tired.

What a small world. I've been here for about an hour +1/2 and this is my second post to you on different threads :D . Just curious is your dd on meds (stimulants)? My son is 8 and has been diagnosed with strong possible ADD (not hyperactivity though) and we haven't tried meds yet. I am a teacher and ironically I am taking an at home course on ADHD in school age children for work so I thought I'd share my new info with you. I had never heard of it but they discuss Hemi-Sync...tapes that have special sound frequency patterns with music to help children relax. One parent talked about her daughters issue such as lying, stealing, attention getting behaviors (crying outbursts,tantrums etc) and insomnia. The doctor suggested the tapes. They didn't help in the other areas (basically they were learned behaviors and also due to exhaustion....trying to summarize a chapter here so I appologize if this seems all over the place) but she had "no problems at bedtime and was sleeping through the night." I have no idea if you have heard of or tried these tapes I (I hadn't and I was a child psych major)but they are being used quite often successfully with children who are unable to unwind at night. The Monroe Institute in Virginia produces them and has much literature available. Just a thought. With 3 kids under 8 myself I feel your pain of bedtime troubles. Hope I didn't bore you.:faint: ..Jacabon

Ok here's the question of the day...

How do I get my hands on these tapes?

You did not bore me at all jacaboon,I much appreciate all your support.I am going to go to Barnes and nobles today and check into those tapes as i never even heard of them.Im so willing to try anything at this point.My daughter is on meds yes.She is on concerta 36mg and serequoel 25 mg times 2 for day time now.She is on clonidine 0.3 mg and trazadone 50 mg.A lot of meds i know and thats why i have made this post if anyone has ANY suggestions,I am very open.I hate her being on all these meds they make her someone she is not.Im not bashing meds but many of you probally undestand where im coming from.

Please never think you bore me and always feel free to PM as well im open to talk anytime im on here which is a lot because this is the most support i have.

IMHO I know this sounds bad but before going to BArnes and Noble go to your daughter's pediatrician and ask for a Med eval. It just seems like an awful lot of meds for one small child, wouldn't hurt to look into it anyways.

In my course book it says to call 1800-541-2488 or go to hemi-sync.com for a catalogue. The Monroe institute in Virginia doesn't list a web site ( it may be the one above) but they are the developers and researchers of the tapes. Hemi-sync are the frequency tapes and Metamusic tapes have music with them. Hope that's the info you where looking for. Best of luck! Jacaboon

The sad thing is I took her to the doctors on tues and her pshy doctor yesterday and they are the quacks giving all this to her,im calling to get a second opinion set up right now i will let you all know,i have had enough.This is nuts she is a little girl whom is going to be 8 in a few weeks she weighs 43 lbs soak and wet.She weighed 47 3 weeks ago and now she weighs 43 this week cause she is not eating well at all.

I do understand. Obviously I haven't been on this forum long enough to read what take people have on meds but IMO it's an endless debate similiar to stay at home moms/ working moms or breast/bottle. Go with you brain, heart and gut instinct. They have a # for a catalogue and info 1 800-541-2488 and a site is listed hemi-sync.com. You could probably get free info there before you hit B&N and risk getting a biased book. Just MHO....Jac

It does seem like a lot and I can only say that because I take trazadone 10mg as needed to sleep and I am ifor some reason immune to sleep aides so it must be strong at that dose and her weight. I have no idea if she has other conditions that need meds but it seems there has to be a way to narrow them down to a few that cover all of the basis. It's also hard to tell if the problems you mentioned initially aren't made worse by the meds and side effects. Has your pharmacist ever mentioned anything to you? I have been switched to many different meds this past 2 months due over tolerence to my prior meds for depression/anxiety and they always ask if I'm still taking everything else as well (since they see a long list of meds I've gotten in 8 weeks on the pc) to make sure it's safe. Tolerance can build...I take 4mg of xanax to control panic attacks. Everytime I see a new doctor, dentist whatever they ask if I mean .4 mg and when I say no they look at me like I'm some druggie but after 15 years my body has such a tolerance I need 4mg to control an out of control attack. It's so hard too as a parent. I just started my meds for ADD and it has been a roller coaster to find the right one (which I haven't done yet IMO). I can't imagine a child going through what I am emotionally and physically and not being able to verbalize how they feel. It is hard questioning a doctor but you may need to do so and if the second or third opinion match doc #1 atleast you'll have a better idea if your doc is going overboard. like I mentioned I haven't okayed the suggestion to put my child on ADD meds mostly because of what I've been dealing with. I can't stand it at 32 and freak at what it must be like at 8. Ahhhh I guess there are no straight answers.....Jacaboon

Lipz....Hi.
I have boys, but I'll tell you what we do to keep them out of trouble and ready for bed at night.

Physical activity.

I know there are many critics who say to keep from overcrowding your children with after school activities. I believe this too.

But I have required my boys to choose some kind of activity each season to participate in. The parks and rec sports program in our city offers several things for children. These programs give the children self esteem also.

Soccer is a great thing and is popular with the little girls too. They get the healthy exercise they need and that makes for a better night's sleep. Mine also do church basketball. Both of these sports have biddy teams and there is no real agenda for competition....just lots of fun.

During the summer I make sure they have a good swim every day and that wears them out for bed. It also gets the dirt out from under their finger nails! :D


~gourmet~

Lipz....just read the post you made about your concerns about her weight. The sports do burn calories.
But I can tell you that after a good swim the children are starved. They can't wait to eat....no matter what time of day.....after they get out of the pool.

You sound as desperate for info as me so I thought I'd throw out other new treatment options. There is of course the classic diet system but I know it's hard with time and often finiky eaters. Among other items Dyes,artificial flavorings and Preservatives (BHA<BHT<TBHQ) are stated as being the " wrost offenders". I do have a few children in the school I'm at that can't use anything with red dye (not even crayons!) in it ( mostly petroleum based dyes are the issue). With time constraints in daily life to read every label and become a special chef there are some easier precautions they list... to avoid brightly colored food, avoid colorants such as colored playdoh (I have a home made and simple recipe if you'ld like), If using paints etc. apply a thin layer of cold cream on the skin to prevent absorbtion, buy unscented products....oohh I'd miss Downy :eek: ...and keep an eye on how your dd handles apples, grapes and oranges which due to salicylates naturally found in the fruit can cause bad reactions............There's Homeopathy aka herbal, EEG Biofeedback (this is an interesting one in your case) ADHD patients produce little Beta brain activity which is the starting point to Delta (deep sleep) and the EEG trains the brain to produce more of these brainwaves. It's non invasive and is "successful in 90% of individuals. There's also listening training, another audio system to help train one to listen..info is available at The Listening Center (no web site available), NAtural light..avoid flourescent lights (which of course are in every school) and there is Lens therapy which is complex to explain but I will if you want more info. Okay I have bombarded you with info...I guess my Adderall is kicking in to focus and write so much ;) . I know some of these you'll probably laugh at. I know I have no time to cook specific meals for each child but you sounded desperate for ideas. Like I said I have a 47 page course book all on helping children with ADHD so ask away if something's not clear. This book also has contact info and book resources (before you hit B&N). It's through the Mass. dept. of ed. so I trust it's not bull. The key unfortunatly is trial and error. If I could find I resource like this for myself I'd be elated! Feel free to email me as well. I'm not on line too much because I work till 6 and then tend to the family but my 2 year old is sick so I'm home. So pls don't take it personally if you don't get quick responses from me...Man I hope I helped and didn't freak you out I'm merely quoting the book to toss ideas your way....Jacaboon

That is true. During the summer I still teach but it is more camp activity oriented. I have 3 kids under 8. My two girls are wiped from the day but my son wants to go outside after a non stop day. One difference I do find is that my son (who also has social anxiety which may be a cause) doesn't handle group sports well, even non or low -competetive ones. He enjoys gymnastics, acting and now wants to try Karate but bowed out of soccer and softball, which his 6 yr old sister loves. His therapist says this is common since children become hyperfocused leading to distraction in groups but gain a sense of accomplishment and goal orientation in an individual self centered activity. IMO he doesn't like the social pressure to "score" and feels he's letting his team down (very sensitive boy). This of course could be the anxiety. But it's true. Sometime you gota toss the book out the window and follow your child's lead. Kudos to you for giving them the outlet they need....Jacaboon

Hey jacaboon,
You have a lot of wonderful advice.I am so lost for words cause really all of what i have to say would bore u to peices .I really wish my little girl would even go near water because i would take her for a daily swim but she will not,i have tried baseball she quit could not stand it,she was in dance for 4 years but then all of a sudden did not want to go cried everytime i tried to take her.I very much appreciate all the info u r giving me,it is wonderful.Im not trying to be short as well but i am sooooooooooooooooo tired its hard to type a lot cause my brains working very slowly but please feel free to pm me anytime.