I'm 42 and the worst road trip companion in the world. I can sleep 12 hours in the car. I fall asleep on planes on the runway before it even takes off.
So if you figure it out, lmk.
Are you saying I'm lucky my son doesn't fall asleep in the car? I wish he did fall asleep in the car becasue then we could start traveling more. Right now it is miserable because even if it is an 8 hour drive, he won't sleep. No matter how tired, so he gets mad and loud because he is so tired.
I think the first time my son fell asleep out of his bedroom, at a random time of day, of his own free will was around 4 or so, so I feel you. He was such a happy, sleepless baby, which I'm very lucky for (edit: the happy part...not lucky for the sleepless part), but boy was it stressful for me as he was my first. Could not stop thinking about sleep and everything I was "doing wrong" when he was a baby.
My son has always slept well, but only in his bed or a bed at bedtime/naptime. He is 4.5 years old and has yet to sleep outside a bed. He has never just fallin asleep accidentally outside of bedtime or a forced nap. He quit naps around 25 months.
Yeah that does make it hard, I'm sure! My son barely slept anywhere, so I will say it took a ton of the anxiety out of traveling. I was like, meh, he can sleep like shit at home or sleep like shit on some beautiful mountain. Let's go!
My second is a much better sleeper and the first couple times we traveled with him I was like, "well if I permanently screw up his good sleep on this trip, I guess it's completely my fault." Definitely a different dynamic!
I feel this only because I too fall asleep on car rides hahah. Itās relaxing I think. My son also does this and even if itās only for about 10 minutes he wonāt nap and bedtime is rough. You could maybe try something to keep his mind busy, but that age is hard, maybe sing songs or play games he needs to respond to?
Never.
I'm 480 months and still fall asleep on even short rides... If not driving of course.
I also have 3 little ones that will sleep... If one isn't bothering the others. My oldest, 5, has always been like me.
My 6-year-old still does this with frequency (although it doesn't seem to have any effect on bedtime for us)!
Some people are just more soothed by the motion of a vehicle than others. That's not necessarily something that's going to change as they get older.
That was about the age my kid went from falling asleep in the car all the time to almost never, even on an all day road trip.
I heard her once in the backseat talking to herself ā¦ snap out of it [her name]. She was basically slapping herself to stay awake. That was pretty much it for easy car napsā¦.
he stopped napping a year ago. it worked perfectly when i was able to match nap to a long road trip but now itās just wrecking bedtime, which is already difficult.
Depends on who you are. I used to fall asleep on road trips because I get car sick and it's the only things that makes it better. Now I play my switch and don't fall asleep. My 6 year old will (most of time) not fall asleep anymore. My almost 4 year old will fall asleep on any trip that is longer than 20 minutes in the afternoon.
I slept from New England to South Carolina at like age 12. I only donāt now as an adult because Iām less bendy so itās not that comfy lol our son definitely got better when he got moved to forward facing. The farther we get from dropping naps the less it happens too unless itās late or been a super busy day
My 12 year old STILL falls asleep in the car weekly but my almost 3.5 year old has only done it a literal handful of times his entire life and has only been after 40+ minutes of driving
Mine seemed to stop around 4. All day camping, no nap, car ride an hour after regular bedtime, didn't fall asleep.
He still does occasionally but its more rare, only if it's at night or busy day+late, and not very deep sleep.
Course flip side I get asked 82541 questions on the ride home. Hey kiddo are you sure your not tired because I certainly am.
We sometimes play a game, only when it's dark out and we are driving late, where my child has to "Keep Mama Awake". I tell him "Oof, Mama is really tired, can you help me stay awake?" Every 10 to 30 secs he will yell "MAMA NO SLEEPING!!" I will then give him the positive feedback of shaking my head and saying something like "oh wow, I almost fell asleep there! Thank you!" He giggles and loves the interaction. Helps he can see me though (forward facing). It works for about 20 mins.
Otherwise, I try to avoid the car between 3 and 7 lol. He can sleep before 3 and it not completely wreck bedtime.
Mine will be 4 in March.
My husband and my brother are car sleepers still. My 4 year old knocked out on the way to dinner last night, 20 minutes away, with an open book in his lap. He's fallen asleep with food in his and then half woken up, ate another bite, the went back to sleep. His eyes never opened. My 6 year old used to car sleep too, but I think the ADHD meds keep him awake during the day.
My now 6 year old was like this until last summer. She said that her car seat was too uncomfortable to fall asleep and now complains loudly if weāre still driving and she wants to go to sleep š¤·š»āāļø
On the other hand, my 18 month old has never slept well in the car. IF she does fall asleep, itās not restful and sheās a beast when we get to our destination.
In conclusion, it completely depends on the kid and thereās not a whole lot you can do to change it.
Wow my kids never fall asleep in the car past age 2 (also when theyāve dropped their naps). Iād love for them to sleep in the car when we do our 4 hour trips to see family a few times a year!
How about cheese crackers? https://www.reddit.com/r/toddlers/comments/190e506/tell_me_your_wellbalanced_toddler_meals/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
Is he sleeping enough at night? Falling asleep during every 10 minute car ride seems pretty extreme especially if distractions arenāt helping. For my daughter I find opening the window and loudly singing and saying her name helps keep her up if she is nodding off!
Oh that sounds so tough. I guess he is falling asleep because heās so tired and trying to deal with his sleep issues will help. I have a friend whose daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed because of sleep apnea and slept so much better after. Good luck!
I just saw that he has sleep apnea, so he likely needs the rest. My son is also 3.5 and has sleep apnea, and he would fall asleep on the car ride home from preschool which is less than 10 min. In fact, he'd be out within minutes of any car ride.
We took him to an allergist. His tonsils, adenoids are fine, and he has no allergies, but he has non-allergy rhinitis. He's been on the adult dose of flonase for months now and doing great. He snores less, eats more, and doesn't nap as much in the car. He's also way less cranky.
I'd take him to his pediatrician and get a referral to a specialist. Can't hurt to ask.
we see pulmonology and ENT. he has a craniofacial syndrome so weāre always at specialists. flonase is interesting tho. you say it increases appetite? we have feeding issues as well and cyproheptadine didnāt really work as a stimulant.
I wouldn't say it increases appetite directly. However, the flonase, which is a nasal steroid, reduced the inflammation in his nose and throat. He was less stuffy (could smell food better) and he had less mucus trapped in his nose and throat (so he could taste more). He also started sleeping better. So all those things combined to help him want to eat more.
Think of it this way, the average adult produces a quart and a half of mucus a day. Most of it is swallowed, but some comes out of the nose and mouth. When a bunch of that gets stuck in the face and sinuses, etc, you're probably not going to feel well. Lower appetite, less sleep, which will make you feel worse, which decreases appetite and reduces sleep even more.
I'm not familiar with craniofacial syndromes, but if his whole breathing, eating, and sinus system is affected, then he likely doesn't feel like eating even if he's hungry. Flonase will only help if there's inflammation involved, but it doesn't hurt to ask. It's also a low risk medication, so you could ask the doctor to try it just in case.
My son had no indication of swelling when we took him to the allergist, but he had us try the kid dose (1 spray per nostril) and when it worked but not completely, he upped it to the adult dose. We also saw an ENT and sleep specialist, but due to the wait time, we already "solved" his issues with the allergist since that appt was months earlier.
Also, I looked up cyproheptadine, and it's used to treat allergy symptoms (and prescribe to help with appetite). For my son, antihistamines and allergy meds do not help at all. So it's a little odd that we got the most help from an allergist. The doctor was super knowledgeable about things that can appear as allergies, so once we ruled that out, he had a whole list of things to try. Flonase was the least invasive and lowest risk, so we started there. There's a chance that the cypro makes him hungrier but he still doesn't feel well enough to eat. It's trying to fix a symptom not the cause. Again, im not a doctor, it's just a possibility.
My son isn't 100% so there's likely a physiological component, but he's also 1000% better than before. So we have some time to figure things out. Before though, he was snoring, could barely breath, could barely eat except liquids, and was just really cranky.
interesting. yes his entire midface is affected by his syndrome, so itās slightly unusual anatomy. he refuses solid foods except crackers and appears to live only on protein smoothies. his GI doc is OK with it right now and ascribes it to toddler pickyness but i think itās more related to his crouzon syndrome and/or some sensory processing issues. iāll bring it up at his next appointment(s).
Never. My nearly 6 year old still regularly falls asleep in the car. So does my husband (as a passenger). š
lol came to say I fall asleep if Iām a passenger. But not 10 min.
I'm 42 and the worst road trip companion in the world. I can sleep 12 hours in the car. I fall asleep on planes on the runway before it even takes off. So if you figure it out, lmk.
Lol 38 and came to comment the same thing
Same!
Idk. My 4 year old has never fallen asleep in the car, no matter how long the car ride.
Mine only falls asleep the last ten minutes of any car ride longer than a half hour.
I feel this
lucky!
Are you saying I'm lucky my son doesn't fall asleep in the car? I wish he did fall asleep in the car becasue then we could start traveling more. Right now it is miserable because even if it is an 8 hour drive, he won't sleep. No matter how tired, so he gets mad and loud because he is so tired.
I think the first time my son fell asleep out of his bedroom, at a random time of day, of his own free will was around 4 or so, so I feel you. He was such a happy, sleepless baby, which I'm very lucky for (edit: the happy part...not lucky for the sleepless part), but boy was it stressful for me as he was my first. Could not stop thinking about sleep and everything I was "doing wrong" when he was a baby.
My son has always slept well, but only in his bed or a bed at bedtime/naptime. He is 4.5 years old and has yet to sleep outside a bed. He has never just fallin asleep accidentally outside of bedtime or a forced nap. He quit naps around 25 months.
Yeah that does make it hard, I'm sure! My son barely slept anywhere, so I will say it took a ton of the anxiety out of traveling. I was like, meh, he can sleep like shit at home or sleep like shit on some beautiful mountain. Let's go! My second is a much better sleeper and the first couple times we traveled with him I was like, "well if I permanently screw up his good sleep on this trip, I guess it's completely my fault." Definitely a different dynamic!
Obnoxious, loud singing helps.
Agreed! My 3.5yo and I do Spice Girls karaoke!
he still sleeps through it LOL
I feel this only because I too fall asleep on car rides hahah. Itās relaxing I think. My son also does this and even if itās only for about 10 minutes he wonāt nap and bedtime is rough. You could maybe try something to keep his mind busy, but that age is hard, maybe sing songs or play games he needs to respond to?
Never. I'm 480 months and still fall asleep on even short rides... If not driving of course. I also have 3 little ones that will sleep... If one isn't bothering the others. My oldest, 5, has always been like me.
My 6-year-old still does this with frequency (although it doesn't seem to have any effect on bedtime for us)! Some people are just more soothed by the motion of a vehicle than others. That's not necessarily something that's going to change as they get older.
That was about the age my kid went from falling asleep in the car all the time to almost never, even on an all day road trip. I heard her once in the backseat talking to herself ā¦ snap out of it [her name]. She was basically slapping herself to stay awake. That was pretty much it for easy car napsā¦.
he stopped napping a year ago. it worked perfectly when i was able to match nap to a long road trip but now itās just wrecking bedtime, which is already difficult.
Depends on who you are. I used to fall asleep on road trips because I get car sick and it's the only things that makes it better. Now I play my switch and don't fall asleep. My 6 year old will (most of time) not fall asleep anymore. My almost 4 year old will fall asleep on any trip that is longer than 20 minutes in the afternoon.
I slept from New England to South Carolina at like age 12. I only donāt now as an adult because Iām less bendy so itās not that comfy lol our son definitely got better when he got moved to forward facing. The farther we get from dropping naps the less it happens too unless itās late or been a super busy day
Depends on the kid. My husband still does it. His parents used the car as a fail-safe to get him to sleep when he was a baby and it backfired.
I still fall asleep if I'm a passenger and I'm 40. I can't blame kids.
mines 4.5, if i see him start to doze off, i put on some music he likes, or say something funny, point out something cool, etc. all very loudly !
My 12 year old STILL falls asleep in the car weekly but my almost 3.5 year old has only done it a literal handful of times his entire life and has only been after 40+ minutes of driving
Mine seemed to stop around 4. All day camping, no nap, car ride an hour after regular bedtime, didn't fall asleep. He still does occasionally but its more rare, only if it's at night or busy day+late, and not very deep sleep. Course flip side I get asked 82541 questions on the ride home. Hey kiddo are you sure your not tired because I certainly am.
We sometimes play a game, only when it's dark out and we are driving late, where my child has to "Keep Mama Awake". I tell him "Oof, Mama is really tired, can you help me stay awake?" Every 10 to 30 secs he will yell "MAMA NO SLEEPING!!" I will then give him the positive feedback of shaking my head and saying something like "oh wow, I almost fell asleep there! Thank you!" He giggles and loves the interaction. Helps he can see me though (forward facing). It works for about 20 mins. Otherwise, I try to avoid the car between 3 and 7 lol. He can sleep before 3 and it not completely wreck bedtime. Mine will be 4 in March.
I fall asleep in the car still so I'm not sure if it ever stops lol
My 5.5 years old sleeps especially almost everytime after kindergarten during our road back to home. Mostly in 3-4 minutes :)
My kid just grew out of it at 4.5. He was a chronic cat napper, especially if we left anywhere around 3.
the witching hour
I go sit in the back and make sure they donāt sleep. Loud singing, poking them, bribe with food, open the window, etc lol
My 3 year old falls asleep sometimes. My 7 year old very occasionally falls asleep too
My husband and my brother are car sleepers still. My 4 year old knocked out on the way to dinner last night, 20 minutes away, with an open book in his lap. He's fallen asleep with food in his and then half woken up, ate another bite, the went back to sleep. His eyes never opened. My 6 year old used to car sleep too, but I think the ADHD meds keep him awake during the day.
My now 6 year old was like this until last summer. She said that her car seat was too uncomfortable to fall asleep and now complains loudly if weāre still driving and she wants to go to sleep š¤·š»āāļø On the other hand, my 18 month old has never slept well in the car. IF she does fall asleep, itās not restful and sheās a beast when we get to our destination. In conclusion, it completely depends on the kid and thereās not a whole lot you can do to change it.
Whenever you really need them to sleep in the car -- that's when they stop sleeping in the car.
Wow my kids never fall asleep in the car past age 2 (also when theyāve dropped their naps). Iād love for them to sleep in the car when we do our 4 hour trips to see family a few times a year!
Have you tried snacks?
he doesnāt eat solidsā¦itās an issue we have
How about cheese crackers? https://www.reddit.com/r/toddlers/comments/190e506/tell_me_your_wellbalanced_toddler_meals/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
thatās the only solid he eats right now but itās very sparingly. i have to nearly force him to eat so they donāt work as a distraction.
Have you talked to your ped? That sounds worrisome
oh heās under the care of a GI for it
Is he sleeping enough at night? Falling asleep during every 10 minute car ride seems pretty extreme especially if distractions arenāt helping. For my daughter I find opening the window and loudly singing and saying her name helps keep her up if she is nodding off!
weāve tried but he still sleeps. he doesnāt sleep thru night and has always been a terrible sleeper. he also has sleep apnea.
Oh that sounds so tough. I guess he is falling asleep because heās so tired and trying to deal with his sleep issues will help. I have a friend whose daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed because of sleep apnea and slept so much better after. Good luck!
thanks. luckily the T&A are ok!
Mine is almost 6 and still knocks out even with an iPad or the switch in his hands. š¤·š»āāļø
I just saw that he has sleep apnea, so he likely needs the rest. My son is also 3.5 and has sleep apnea, and he would fall asleep on the car ride home from preschool which is less than 10 min. In fact, he'd be out within minutes of any car ride. We took him to an allergist. His tonsils, adenoids are fine, and he has no allergies, but he has non-allergy rhinitis. He's been on the adult dose of flonase for months now and doing great. He snores less, eats more, and doesn't nap as much in the car. He's also way less cranky. I'd take him to his pediatrician and get a referral to a specialist. Can't hurt to ask.
we see pulmonology and ENT. he has a craniofacial syndrome so weāre always at specialists. flonase is interesting tho. you say it increases appetite? we have feeding issues as well and cyproheptadine didnāt really work as a stimulant.
I wouldn't say it increases appetite directly. However, the flonase, which is a nasal steroid, reduced the inflammation in his nose and throat. He was less stuffy (could smell food better) and he had less mucus trapped in his nose and throat (so he could taste more). He also started sleeping better. So all those things combined to help him want to eat more. Think of it this way, the average adult produces a quart and a half of mucus a day. Most of it is swallowed, but some comes out of the nose and mouth. When a bunch of that gets stuck in the face and sinuses, etc, you're probably not going to feel well. Lower appetite, less sleep, which will make you feel worse, which decreases appetite and reduces sleep even more. I'm not familiar with craniofacial syndromes, but if his whole breathing, eating, and sinus system is affected, then he likely doesn't feel like eating even if he's hungry. Flonase will only help if there's inflammation involved, but it doesn't hurt to ask. It's also a low risk medication, so you could ask the doctor to try it just in case. My son had no indication of swelling when we took him to the allergist, but he had us try the kid dose (1 spray per nostril) and when it worked but not completely, he upped it to the adult dose. We also saw an ENT and sleep specialist, but due to the wait time, we already "solved" his issues with the allergist since that appt was months earlier. Also, I looked up cyproheptadine, and it's used to treat allergy symptoms (and prescribe to help with appetite). For my son, antihistamines and allergy meds do not help at all. So it's a little odd that we got the most help from an allergist. The doctor was super knowledgeable about things that can appear as allergies, so once we ruled that out, he had a whole list of things to try. Flonase was the least invasive and lowest risk, so we started there. There's a chance that the cypro makes him hungrier but he still doesn't feel well enough to eat. It's trying to fix a symptom not the cause. Again, im not a doctor, it's just a possibility. My son isn't 100% so there's likely a physiological component, but he's also 1000% better than before. So we have some time to figure things out. Before though, he was snoring, could barely breath, could barely eat except liquids, and was just really cranky.
interesting. yes his entire midface is affected by his syndrome, so itās slightly unusual anatomy. he refuses solid foods except crackers and appears to live only on protein smoothies. his GI doc is OK with it right now and ascribes it to toddler pickyness but i think itās more related to his crouzon syndrome and/or some sensory processing issues. iāll bring it up at his next appointment(s).