Crying 5year old son

[sean wife]

Thanks Chen and slmkhoo…


Yes, we do have blackout curtains and we draw them shut during their nap times….actually since young, I think we have spoilt them in their sleeping habits…to ensure that they have a good sleep, we try to keep their room dark and quiet as far as possible, maybe that’s why they are quite light sleepers now…a little bit of noise they will wake up, thus disrupting their sleep patterns…and coupled with their sensitive nose and allergy issue, I think sometimes the quality of their sleep affects their mood too…and due to their nasal issue, they have dark eye rings which always make like they are sleep deprived…

Snack – yes, we use snacks to entice them to wake up to good mood…but they always need new snacks to get them interested…maybe will give the classical music thing a try.

Thanks again!

[ammonite]

sean wife:

…a little bit of noise they will wake up, thus disrupting their sleep patterns…and coupled with their sensitive nose and allergy issue, I think sometimes the quality of their sleep affects their mood too…and due to their nasal issue, they have dark eye rings which always make like they are sleep deprived...

hi, one of my sons is like that, and he too has sensitive nose and allergy issue. The pd shone a torch light up his nose and explained to me that it is so swollen inside that an ant would have difficulty crawling up.

The quality of sleep does make a big difference to how he wakes up. We have blackout blinds as well, it's not a bad thing. You have to get a grip on the nasal issue and try following sleep cycles. Like Chen, I do not (actually dare not, haha) wake him up abruptly. I will raise the blinds and stroke his cheek lightly and then leave the room. My husband and mother do not dare to wake him up at all.

Preschoolers sleep cycles are about 90 minutes. So if my son wakes up at 7.30am for whatever reason, he will next wake up \"happily\" by himself at 9am. If he is woken up in the middle of the cycle, he will feel groggy and very tired. You should cut out your daughters' naps, or adjust the length. The body has its own rhythm.

For the nose, other than a strict cleaning routine, sunshine and working up a sweat has been helpful in clearing out the sinuses, along with accupressure. I recently had a bad cold/cough, and for the first time, I could really empathise with how terrible my kid must feel whenever his sinuses are all clogged up.

On days when his sinuses are in tip-top condition and his eczema recedes, he sleeps well and wakes up cheerfully by himself. So on off days, I just try to do what I can to make him more comfortable.

[sean wife]

Usually on weekends or when I am at home, I can get them to nap earlier, so they tend to wake up in a better mood…but on normal weekdays, somehow my MIL will insist that they finish the lunch portion which she thinks they should be eating and after eating, must rest before showering…so all in all, it takes a longer time for them to settle down to nap…


I can identify with the part about not daring to wake them up…I have also tried to let them wake up by themselves by leaving the door open…sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t.

Ammonite, how do you ventilate the room to make sure that it is cool enough (so that the ecezema does not act up) and at the same time keep the sinus problem in control? We turn on the aircon when they sleep, but keep it at 25-26 deg C. We have a ceiling fan, but find that they can’t sleep well when the room is not cooled down.

[Dora1]

I think we are a bit :offtopic:

But anyway just to share, both me and DD have eczema and sinus problems. The reason for having blocked nose in aircon is because aircon tend to be too dry. So have a humidifier in the room helps. Actually can just take a basin of water and put near the bed if your room is not very big. There was one time when DD had very serious sinus problem at night. We tried eucalyptus oil (put in those aromatherapy with water circulated). So kill 2 birds with one stone - aromatherapy and humidity. But have to make sure the eucalyptus is of good quality. We used for about 8 months and DD is now ok. We stopped using after she's ok because its very noisy, and the smell of the eucalyptus lingers on all her pyjamas and bedsheets even after washing.

[Chenonceau]

I resolved my kids’ sinus problems by steam cleaning the aircon with a Karcher steam cleaner every Monday (or rather… I taught my helper how to do it). Very often, the sinus is linked to mould being blown out of the aircon vents. Our results were dramatic. From the very first day I steam cleaned the aircon blowers in the rooms… NO MORE sinus.

[sean wife]

Ha, ya off-topic liao…


Anyway, we also started the practice of putting a basin of water in their room…and we also have a Karcher steam vacuum cleaner which the daddy used to vacuum and steam their mattresses, pillows etc and also he will dismantle the aircon and vacuum/steam the inside of it…(no choice, he wants to save money, so DIY). Problem is he is not that regular nowadays, can drag up to a few weeks before I start nagging at him… I don’t think I can handle the big monster machine…hahaa…

Ok ok, better don’t OT too much :spank:

[Chenonceau]

sean wife:

Ha, ya off-topic liao…


Anyway, we also started the practice of putting a basin of water in their room…and we also have a Karcher steam vacuum cleaner which the daddy used to vacuum and steam their mattresses, pillows etc and also he will dismantle the aircon and vacuum/steam the inside of it…(no choice, he wants to save money, so DIY). Problem is he is not that regular nowadays, can drag up to a few weeks before I start nagging at him… I don’t think I can handle the big monster machine…hahaa…

Ok ok, better don’t OT too much :spank:

Save money is good what. Virtue!

If aircon is not steam cleaned by 2 week mark, sinus comes back. My old machine went kaput and I waited so long for the Karcher service centre to get new parts that both kids' AND hubby's sinusitis came back, and I had to rush down and get a new machine before their noses dropped off. Again, all sniffliness disappeared.

I put the monster machine on top of a table, then I (or my maid) climb up the ladder with just the nozzle. I'll try and request to mod to split this thread. Might need to give 'em some time 'cos they may be busy at work.

[sean wife]

Problem with DIY is that sometimes we don’t know whether we are doing a good job…in fact the aircon unit is their room is having problem now. It does not seem cold even if we lower the temp to 16-17 degC, so we have to call in the service man this weekend, and it is so expensive…at least $115 just for transport and check only… :skeptical:

[ammonite]

Sean wife, your daughters have eczema and sinitus as well? And dustmite allergy? It is a bit of a bind actually. My son is the same and it took us a while to find the right environmental balance for him.


The aircon-sinus link depends on the individual trigger. For those whose lungs are just sensitive to dry air, or has only mold allergy, it is relatively easy to get a handle on. For those with sensitive airway and eczema with dustmite/heat trigger, it is a bit more complicated because the easiest environmental controls contradict.

High humidity encourages dustmite and mold population, so I don’t actually want to put a bowl of water in the room. I’m not familar with steam cleaning, but i amwary of not being able to dry the insides properly, and still having to vacuum the dustmite debris off since that is what trigger the allergy, not the dustmite per se.
But aircon on its own can aggravate dry skin and sensitive lungs. Heat and sweating also make them scratch.

One doctor’s suggestion to me and which I have been following, is to use the aircon only for an hour or so to cool the room down, and then switch to fans for the night. We have floor fans for each of our kids. Dress lightly and powder. On very hot days, if you must, use the aircon during the day time for a while to mitigate the heat. In any case, the skin doctor, allergist, sinseh, all told me no aircon through the night.

But where his sinus is concerned, the best management plan has been a lot of sunshine and running, along with anti dustmite measures. For his eczema, managing the triggers and keeping him cool through quick showers and cool towels help a lot.

[ruohoo97]

Ran1977:

Hi parents,

I want to as k if you have ever encountered this situation before - my 5yr old son is an extreme crybaby. Tell him can't do this - he cries; can't do that - he cries. for example, can't go playground - he cries; can't eat sweet now - he cries...
It's not enough that he cries, he whines and complains over the littlest things (like just an old grandmother and he is ONLY 5!!!).
Worse if he does a mistake he cries...yesterday he fought with a few friends in the bus and while the aunty bus told me, he ended up crying...even the aunty bus told him \"You made a mistake, why are u crying\"...he said that he knows that mummy will give him a punishment cos of this...

How do any of you parent cope with this. I am a FTWM and am pulling hairs already cos of his attitude...after a hard day's work, it is very stressful taking care of such a kid...Any advice given will be extremely helpful.. :please:

My DS3 was a crybaby, really bad one. He is P4 now, even now he still has tendency to whine over small matter, though much better.

While I was tried to find out why he is so crybaby, I also came across many theories and advises...

But one thing worked for me, NEVER encourage him being a crybaby, some says crybaby is very sensitive so we parents must be sensitive toward them, no, I found if I consoled him once, he would cry more often; I used to tell him that if he wants to get something by using crying, he will never get it. So I just hardened my heart let him CRY till he stopped.

When he was a bit older, in primary school, I realized that sometime he cried because he could not express his feeling well. So I asked him to write it down, or draw a picture. I bought him a beautiful sketch book, and some cute stickers, like sad face, happy face, so on. Whenever something made him upset, I would signal him to write or draw. That worked wonder. He cried less and less, instead, I received many ANGER letters, mostly started with \"Dearest Mummy, I am very very sad because....\" Later by later, you know what, one day, I received a love letter from him.

Now this young man, he writes me love letter regularly, so much MORE often than my DH. Wish your son be better soon.:celebrate: