Hello - another germaphobe here - when we travel locally I take our own pillows. When we travel by aircraft, I ring ahead to the hotel and ask that they purchase new pillows left fully sealed in bags for our arrival. I think they think its an odd request but I cant stand the smell of hotel pillows nor the thought of all the faces having slept on them before us. Some hotels have charged the cost to our room, others have requested payment beforehand - either way I dont mind so long as we have new pillows.

Thank you, I hadnt thought of that. DS does have food intolerances and misses out on a number of foods so that could be a clue to explore further.

Thank you all for your help. I had typed a long response but somehow lost it. DS' problem is not in getting to sleep, but staying asleep. Once woken by any kind of noise his mind becomes busy and he cannot get back to sleep for hours. Also at times he will begin to wake at, say, 3.12am every.single.morning for a period of time -its like his body clock gets stuck and he will naturally wake at that exact time each morning for weeks - I find it quite bizarre. Thank you also for the warnings about Melatonin. My reluctance to try it in the past has been because of the warnings I have read at this forum. I will take that into account when trying it out and definately start at a low dose. As for ADD/ADHD, DS exhibits no signs of this. During the day he can be fatigued and emotional from lack of sleep however. He is a deep thinker and thinks in ways well beyond his years. He is also quite bright, and a sleep psychiatrist has suggested that children like this tend to not switch off completely at night. Just need to find that Off Button! Thank you also to the person who reminded me about no screen time 2 hours before bed, we used that last night and opted for audio books instead. Sewing Mama - thanks for that info. I will ring around today to see if any pharmacies in Perth stock it. I did a ring around about 4 weeks ago and was told no. I also asked my GP who told me he cannot prescribe it and that only specialists can? A sleep specialise once prescribed Melatonin, however when I read the pamplet inside the box, it said not for use under the of 55? So I did not use it.

Hi I have a DS7 who does not sleep well - never has. He has had many sleep studies and seen many doctors (including a sleep specialist) about this issue who have all been quite useless. I frequently see posts here about children using Melatonin to help with sleep. I think my DS has a busy mind and insomnia. His words are that whenever he is asleep, he is 'always half asleep and half awake'. Also the slightest noise will wake him and he is then unable to go back to sleep. Like I have mentioned we have seen so many doctors and not one has been able to make a diagnosis (and they have ruled out just about everything else). I am wanting to try Melatonin, however it is not readily available here in Australia. There is one medication that can be purchased with a prescription however it is for use in adults 55+ so I definately dont want to try this on my 7yo. I have seen that I can purchase Melatonin in the US and have it posted to Australia (legally) from an online store called DailyVita. I have two questions if anyone can help? 1. Is DailyVita a reliable company to purchase from? 2. If you have a child around the age 7, weighing about 23kg (50lbs), what dosage do you give them? Thanks in advance! :001_smile:

I would have to say closer to $2000+ but that is because I purchase most things from the US and postage to Australia is a killer.

Thank you Michelle, your response came through while I was responding. I'm glad that I have Trail Guide coming as well, it sounds like it is working well for your family. The Trail Guide activities look a lot more interesting to me, however I'd like to have the living books too for a 7yo. I'm sure I can add those in though.

Thank you all for your responses, you've helped me make a decision. Since I have GTG and many of the books, I think I will give it a try (leaving out the mazes, crosswords and busy work [i do like the maps and flags though]). I also have on order, Trail Guide just in case DS does not appreciate GTG, we will have something for backup, plus I can see it being handy in future years.

Hi I'm new to this board - well a long time lurker... this is one of my first posts. I am looking for a recommendation for world geography for my DS7 (going on 8). I have GTG and like it, but the activities seem a little young and more like busy work. I do like the idea of focusing on one continent at a time and also the notebooking approach. I like that there is a fair amount of reading about individual countries and the unit approach. I am also looking at Trail Guide to World Geography which seems more about facts and research and mapping. Does this book cover much in terms of culture? Does it use living books or is that all included in the Teachers Guide. Is it interesting enough for a 7/8 year old or do you think it is better suited too a slightler older child. I have Expedition Earth also but I think it will be too time consuming. I would like something pre-prepared and secular or than can be tweaked to leave out bible portions. Thanks any advice would be greatly appreciated. :001_smile:

eek! Amber can you go to Bunnings and get some surface spray or one of the DIY sprays in the meantime?

Thanks for the review Amber. I have been thinking about this program for a while now for K and for one reason or another never buy it. I think it would be a good fit with my DS5.