His father reads has a selection of familiar stories and poems to him. The same poem always comes last –‘The Engine Driver’ by Clive Sansom The bedtime routine is exactly the same, every time. His sister goes up for her bath at 7 pm, he has a bath at 7.15 pm. He has a bath every single day. This may seem like more than is needed, and difficult to maintain, but we have found it is an excellent signal for him. He always has a bath at 7.15. He always goes to bed straight afterwards. The certainty gives him comfort and the sensory cues tell his body it is time to sleep soon. It can be notoriously difficult for children on the spectrum to get to sleep. What’s more, no one really knows why. Some believe it may be related to lower melatonin levels, or perhaps sensory issues, but even doctors do not fully understand what the issue may be. We have been fairly fortunate in that, although Biggest does wake fairly often, his rigidity of thought and strong routine means that he usually stays in bed. However, over the last few years we have found a few products and developed a few strategies that I believe have helped him get to this point. An autism friendly bedroom and bedtime routine may help some children with sleep difficulties but many parents may have tried everything, with little success. The heat build up between the blind and the window causes it to shatter – something that apparently happens quite frequently according to the glazier that came around.

The Gro Company, Gro Anywhere Blind Curtain, Black

These blinds are perfect for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers who are struggling with a bedroom that’s too bright in the mornings or evenings. They do however state they won't take responsibility for shattered windows. Only basic instructions were written on the blind pouch and this was NOT mentioned.' Our son is a sensory seeker and so he often needs light and sound to feel safe. Some of these products will not work for children who may need to reduce sensory stimulation to sleep. Marpac Dohm DS Dual Speed Sound Conditioner I had this exact one and I definitely remember reading that it couldn't be used in direct sunlight for long, because of this issue (I can't remember if it was in safety instructions, or if I found it online though). The suction cups also curl up in the heat rendering it useless.' Starting with an upper corner of the window, work across the top first, then down the sides, and finally along the bottom.

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If necessary, wash the suction cups with warm, soapy water, rinse and pat them dry with a lint-free cloth.. Make sure both the inside of the suction cups and your window are clean and dry before application. Wow. Never knew that. I've used them for years. To be fair, not to keep heat out. Just to help make rooms darker then it's down in the morning.' The suction cups may need to be ‘burped’ periodically by pressing down on them to remove any air that may have seeped in. With a darker room, we found that the bedtime process was MUCH easier, with Erin becoming a lot more accepting about it being night time. We have even been treated to the occasion lie in since we have been using it! Pros: If you have needed to resize the blind then you may just need to smooth the fabric out a little around the edges to cover any bits of light peaking through.

Sleeptight™ Portable Blackout Blind | Tommee Tippee

We’ve been using it every single night for three weeks now and it has stopped our three-year-old from coming into our room early in the morning.

Pharmacy product

The closer the suction cups and the window are in temperature, and the closer this is to ‘room’ temperature, the better results you will have. So just to be safe, I remove the blind every morning after my girls have woken up. I like to let light into the room during the daytime anyway. Sleeptight Blind: What you need to know Please do not pull on the blind to remove it from your window. Not only do you risk damaging the blind and eyelets, but you could damage the window itself. You can safely apply a Gro Anywhere Blind to normal single or double-glazed windows in good condition. And another mum shared another handy tip for families, sharing that her daughter's oven exploded in a similar situation.

Autism Friendly Bedroom and Bedtime Routine Tips for an Autism Friendly Bedroom and Bedtime Routine

Press the center of each suction cup all the way down firmly to the glass and keep firm pressure for about 15 seconds. Then gently release the pressure until all the air bubbles inside are released, to firmly seal the cups to the surface. You’re trying to push all of air trapped between the suction cup and the window out from behind the suction cup. Try not to let the suction cups slide. If they slide easily you might have used too much moisture. Clean the window you with soap and water. De-grease the glass with rubbing alcohol if necessary. Ordinary bathroom orwindow cleaners can leave a residue. Wipe clean with a soft lint-free cloth. Have you had something similar happen to you? Did you know this? Share your thoughts on this and more in our chat forum below. Related stories For temporary use only, remove from window when not in use,' with a separate warning in its small print, saying:

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Suitable for most windows up to a maximum size of 130 x 198cm (51x78in) and can be adjusted to a third of its maximum size using the soft-touch fastenings positioned along each edge of the blind. We both have a script that we use, with goodnight phrases that are exactly the same every night. Matt tells him that he is our “super special little chap” and to make sure he “looks after teddy” in the night. I always ask “How much do I love you?”. Biggest’s response is “As much as the whole world” and I always answer “And even more than that gorgeous boy. Goodnight.” It is exactly the same, every night. To improve suction and help keep the seal tight, dampen your fingertip with water and lightly moisten the inner rim of the suction cup. This helps create a tighter seal. The key is to not get too much moisture… just barely enough to coat the surface.

Portable Blackout Blind with Suction Tommee Tippee Sleeptight Portable Blackout Blind with Suction

Press the centre of each suction cup all the way down firmly to the glass and keep firm pressure for about 15 seconds. Then gently release the pressure until all the air bubbles inside are released, to firmly seal the cups to the surface. You’re trying to push all of air trapped between the suction cup and the window out from behind the suction cup. Try not to let the suction cups slide. If they slide easily you might have used too much moisture. When up on the window, the difference in the room was significant. Where as before the room would have been very bright even WITH the curtains, with the blind the room created the definite illusion of night time. It was much darker, and no sunlight came through anywhereas the blind fitted very closely against the window pane. Moisten the inner rim of the suction. A bit of water on your finger is the most common way. Please remember not to moisten the rim too much! Just enough to coat the surface of the rim - if the suction cups slide after pressing down, you have used too much water If the suction cup has become flattened or deformed, place it carefully in hot water for 2-3 minutes. This will help ‘make it more flexible, allowing it to return to its normal shape.We were told by Tommee Tippee that it states in their instructions that the blinds shouldn't be used for extended periods, but the blind we got didn't come with instructions!! Also even in the link they sent I couldn't find this info!! Routine can have a hugely positive affect on all children. As it happens, my husband and I are very much creatures of habit and we cannot function without clear routines ourselves. Our approach will not work for every family, but many may find some of the things useful, and may be able to adapt them to suit their family life. After a little research it seems that this is a possibility if the window already has some weakness and you use the blind constantly without giving the window any time to “breathe” and cool down. He gets out of the bath at 7.25 pm and goes straight into his darkened room with his autism friendly bedroom sensory aids (see later) switched on.