[PabloandCarlosMama]

I adopted my two children a couple of years ago. They were 7 and 11 at the time. Lack of sleep was a huge issue during the first few months. It was all fear-based for them. At their orphanage, the staff would tell the children that ghosts would come get them if they didn't stay in bed, etc. So, they believed that there were ghosts and robbers out to get them. Also, they were not used to being in a "big" house, and they were hyper-vigilant in terms of hearing every little noise and movement. They have since said that because everything was so new, they really didn't know whether they were going to be safe or not. And they had come from a traumatic background, so that played a big part in our nighttime difficulties. I didn't know very much of their story until they came home.


Talk with her, and if you don't speak Spanish, you might consider getting someone to interpret so that she can be reassured that you love her and will keep her safe. It takes awhile for older children to trust that. Here are some things that worked for us--

1. Consistent bedtime every night
2. Story time
3. Staying with them until they fell asleep
4. Going to sleep with the radio or ipod on.

5. Giving them a special pillow or blanket that has your scent on it. It also helps with the attachment process. Every couple of days, my son gives me the pillow back, and says "Here, you need to sleep with it tonight, because you need to put some more "smell" on it!

6. Leave a nightlight or closet light on.
7. Limit her activities for awhile--she's probably on overload.
8. Let her watch Spanish dvds or TV shows before bedtime. (My kids said that helped them clear their heads, because they were so tired having to figure out what everyone was saying in English all day. )
9. Put your family picture by her bed, so if she wakes up in the night, she sees you.
10. Incentives: I paid my younger son a quarter for every time he went to bed peacefully and on time, and stayed in bed unless he was sick, had nightmares, etc. Maybe there's something that she enjoys that would give her incentive to stay in one place.
11. For over a year, I had one or both of them sleeping on air mattresses in my room until they felt more secure. Even though they come to us older, in many ways, they are emotionally much younger.

12. Ask your pediatrician about melatonin for sleep. It's over the counter.

With time, things will get better, and you will have sleep again. In many ways, it's like having a new baby.