3 year old wakes up in a terribly foul mood after nap
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Anonymous
| Doesn't seem to really matter how long or short though we do try to wake him up after 1.5 hours do the nighttimes are better. After naps he is crying, pushing, whining without using any real words. He has a great vocabulary but for done reason after naps he's unable to vocalize what the matter is. If I leave him alone right after nap he starts sobbing and sounds genuinely in distress. I usually just sit with him on his bed and get some reading done while he whimpers and puts his head on me. If I try to take him out of bed too quickly he has an explosion. The foul mood lasts anywhere between 20 mins to an hour! Any suggestions?? |
Anonymous
| he sounds tired. any reason not to let him sleep a little longer? when mine naps in the afternoon, he'll sometimes sleep 3 hours until 5pm and still go to bed around 730. |
Anonymous
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My son has days like that. When I wake him I usually do it really slowly - he usually likes to be held/snuggle on the couch until he wakes up. I make sure if we need to leave the house that he isn't rushed. I keep things quiet too. Usually after a few minutes he calms down and will focus on some thing.
Also I find having some crackers or water ready - sometimes he is a bit hungry. |
Anonymous
| My 4.5 year old is often this way and I think it's possible lack of sleep but also waking up at the wrong point in the sleep cycle? If she gets a too-short nap in the car for example, she wakes up kicking and screaming. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like it could be sleep inertia. I actually posted about this recently. Try a search. I would suggest putting him down earlier and NOT waking him up. Definitely don't wake him. And also make sure he's had something to eat before he goes down. (We're still going through some trial and error). 1.5 hours is not long. DD sleeps 3 hours. Good luck. It's gotten a lot better for us. |
Anonymous
| Sounds very much like my son! He's 3, and since he turned 2, his post nap mood is horrible. He's just a cranky mess after he wakes up for about 45 minutes to an hour. And, like your son, it doesn't matter how long he sleeps. We deal with it by creating a post-nap routine. After he wakes up, he immediately gets a snack (juice, crackers, fruit, etc.) and comes to the TV room to watch a show. Most of the time, when his 30-minute Super Why or Curious George is over, he's ready to move on with his afternoon. This routine doesn't solve the problem, because he's still a bear when he wakes up from his nap, but we find it's a good way to deal with it. |
Anonymous
| My son's blood sugar frequently seemed to drop during naps and he woke up in a bad mood as a result. An immediate snack helped matters. |
Anonymous
| Maybe a little bit of diluted juice or a few grapes and a cracker would help. I suspect that my son has a dip in blood sugar after a nap. I also avoid too much chat when he awakes and God forbid I dare ask him any questions about anything... even asking if he feels well makes him peeved with me. I usually just hand him a cup without comment and try to sit with him while he drinks or eats. |
Anonymous
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Oldest DS was always like this. Part of it was blood sugar, and part of it was he was just not a "morning" person. He always was and still is very slow to wake up.
I don't know if it actually works, but I try to make wake ups as natural as possible. ie: brighten room, move blankets, rub back, etc. Sometimes just sitting for a bit after wake up helps too. He's 5 now and no longer naps but in the morning when he gets up he typically walks to the couch or a chair and sits there for a while before being ready to eat breakfast and get dressed. With his brother if being gradual doesn't work he'll just go back to sleep. So I'll sit him up, pedal his legs, move him to another room, etc. |
Anonymous
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I agree with PP who suggested not to wake him. He's tired; he needs his nap. I would be grumpy too if someone woke me up.
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Anonymous
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My 4-year-old is this way. Our problem is that he NEEDS a nap, but will not go for one. If he falls asleep in the car or on the couch, he is a mess when he wakes up. It can last an hour sometimes. We've moved his bedtime earlier and it seems to be helping.
I love when he naps, but dread when he wakes up. |
Anonymous
If my DS (also 3) is allowed to sleep, he sleeps for 3 hours and then --literally--will not to bed until 10:30, which means the next morning at 7 (we have to be up in order for me to get to work), he's miserable. However, I was interested to read on this post about "sleep inertia" that it can be mitigated with increased light 30 minutes prior to waking. My guy likes to nap in 45 minute cycles, so I've been waking him after 1.5 hours. I do notice on cloudy days he much worse. I will try turning on his lights after 75 minutes and see if it helps him... |
Anonymous
This is pretty much exactly what we do. He's like a whole different kid after eating and watching something for about 20 minutes. We never wake ours, but he will sleep an hour and 15 max, normally only about 45 minutes. The extra downtime watching something and the little blood sugar boost perks him right up. |
Anonymous
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Has anyone asked their peds Dr. about silent reflux? Coughing usually wakes them. I've watched this exact behavior, noticed the same as you; that drinking or eating often helps them stop crying.I began to smell their breath, noticed an acidic gastric odor. If rinsing their mouth and throat helps, you might ask their Dr.
You might want to wait an hour after lunch/snack before laying them flat in bed. I can't lay flat after a meal either. 
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Anonymous
| My 3yo is like this too but if I don't wake him he won't sleep until almost 10pm and he doesn't fall asleep until close to 2pm, sometimes after 2pm. |