No matter what we tried, Cole was unable to breathe.
He had trouble sleeping at night and snored terribly. He also was a bed wetter even though we said no drinks after 6pm. I’d wake him up in middle of night to use the bathroom. Nothing really worked.
Cole is a very picky eater so it became a habit to reward what little he ate at dinner with a snack of his choice before bed. Unfortunately, his choice of treats before bed usually consisted of cheese, yogurt or ice cream. Occasionally, he would have a bowl of cereal.
After Dr. Wei explained how dairy can be hard to digest for some kids possibly refluxing into his upper airway and respiratory system at night, we implemented the kitchen is closed after 7pm rule. If he did eat a decent dinner, he could have fruit or a granola bar, but not before bed, and we opted to cut out the dairy in evening and nighttime, so he drank water with dinner.
Within a very short amount of time, probably less than a week, Cole was sleeping better. The dark circles under his eyes became less pronounced. He was in better spirits as well. I can’t explain how this relates, but the biggest difference for us was that Cole also stopped wetting the bed! Amazing.
The best advice we ever got came from Dr. Wei, since it came from a doctor, and not just from his “mom.” Her suggested rule (“kitchen is closed”) made all the difference. Now, if Cole asks for a bowl of ice cream at bedtime, all I have to say is "Dr. Julie said..." and he finishes with, “Ok, that’s a no.”
Dr. Wei has never said no more ice cream. Instead, she encouraged such treats after school, immediately after dinner or during the day on weekends!
—Cole's Mom