Do They Make Sleeping Pills for Children?

I really, really don't want to have to change Lovebug's blog name to "Crankypants", but I'm seriously thinking about it. I know there are some people - some amazing people - who do not get grumpy when super tired. I know there are some people who endure constant pain, or constant heartache, and are still filled with patience and kindness.

Lovebug is not related to those people, I'm sorry to say.

Lovebug's people snap when they are tired or stressed out. And because Lovebug is 4, his version of snapping is crying and whining over EVERYTHING and smacking people. Oh yeah, and last week's biting episode.

Also, Lovebug's people may, in fact, not always react with kindness to his whinescream (imagine a fake baby cry delivered at a very high volume) over things like getting bumped or dropping a toy. They may be giving him negative reinforcement sometimes. Ahem.

But I believe the real culprit here is that the boy DOES NOT SLEEP. No matter what time he goes to bed, he is up at 6. Often he stays up until 10, either playing with toys in his room (which we have outlawed, but if I have to sit on the stairs every night to listen I will go nuts) or with the cars he brings to bed. And no, hiding toys does not work. He keeps himself awake to furtively search for them. Without toys, he actually stays up later.

Also, he has quit napping. So, in an average 24 hour period, Lovebug is getting a max of 9 hours of sleep. Which is what I need and is far less than either of his siblings get. And while I'm sure there are 4 year olds who are fine with this amount (and probably grow up to be those assholes who choose to sleep only  4 hours a night), Lovebug is not one of them. Trust me, my boy is TIRED.

The baby is currently sleeping in a play yard in the bathroom because I blamed him for Lovebug's lack of sleep. There are super-thick shades on the windows and music plays softly. Light comes in through the open door from the well-lit hallway because Lovebug freaks out if it doesn't. Our getting to bed routine generally takes an hour and includes books and a backrub during some lullabies. He's not allowed caffeine and we try to make sure he gets at least an hour of activity every day.

So what the hell else are we supposed to do to help him sleep more? We've moved his bed time around and his nap time. We've rewarded him for staying in bed. We've praised his great behavior on the few days he has gotten more sleep and pointed out the link.

We've done pretty much everything except slip some Benadryl into his juice. Which I am considering.

Does anyone else have any suggestions before I start drugging my child?