Hi,
My daughter had a complicated early history with severe reflux for her first 3 years (requiring medication). Typically, she would feel extremely uncomfortable when she would lay down for bed and then violently vomit after some time. As a very young child, sleep onset was delayed because of this for hours at times.
Despite the fact that the medical issue has been completely resolved, she still has a lot of trouble falling asleep. It can take her 1.5 to 3 hours to fall asleep. Last night she fell asleep after midnight although usually it is more like 10 PM. We have a sleep routine that involves bath, stories, soothing and then she reads books to herself in bed. She does not leave her room or bed (so it is not behavioural), but just tosses and turns for hours. She reports that she does not like to sleep, but denies feeling anxious or scared. I do think she is an anxious child though as she is shy sometimes and bites her nails, often at bedtime.
I have tried relaxation tapes with her and have encouraged her to breathe slowly. We leave the hall light on for her. I do not lay down with her and always tell her to relax, close her eyes and clear her mind. None of this has changed this longstanding pattern.
When she does fall asleep, she stays asleep. She will sometimes sleep in quite late if she can, but this is not frequent as she has to go to school. Her lack of rest is making her irritable. Do you have any suggestions? I would rather not try medication although I have heard that Melatonin can help (I am worried about the long term developmental consequences of melatonin in children).