When we picked him up we asked for it back so that he could sleep with it. It has his number on it and it smelled like the orphanage (they did not give us any clothing of his to take but did offer to give us the ones we had originally donated that he never wore). He slept with that for a while but never seemed to really attach to it.

I think it is all hit or miss with sleep and you have to find what works for your kids. Right now he either falls asleep with us on the couch or in our bed (I think because of the smell). He rarely will fall asleep in his bed unless he is exhausted. This works for us so we are okay with it. Is it the best routine for him? Probably not but it is what he feels SAFE with and that is HIS MAIN issue…feeling safe.

Night terrors are easy to deal with although they are nerve racking at first.

And yes, it is hard to deal with lack of sleep. I had to deal with that because AJ was up every hour for about a year. Nap when you can get get respite when you can.

I’ll write more about this so keep reading.

Sleep issues have been on my mind lately for a variety of reasons. My husband and I are adopting some older kids (not sure the ages yet though) and `I have been trying to predict everything that could go wrong so I can be ready. Sleep is sure to be an issue. I am also worried about night terrors, nightmares, bed wetting and insomnia. My nephew gets up every day at 5 a.m. (he is 10!) and I would not be able to function well without getting enough sleep for myself. You have given me some good things to think about. I did read a good idea (somewhere!) that I think I am going to try to implement. Kids love blankies, and even older kids like them. I am thinking I will make each child a quilt to start using at the foster home before coming to live with us. That or a teddy bear. Depends on the progression of my quilting skills AND the amount of lead time I have because I need time to get my quilting done.
Thanks for the information.