I am not sure what is going on with my little man lately but I am going to give all the info here whether it is relevant or not because my husband and I are at our wits end at this point and I am hoping someone has a suggestion. We have one son he is 3 and will be 4 in June. We both work full time so he goes to daycare Monday thru Friday all day long. He has been acting strange lately crying and wining about everything and we have tried every approach from being ultra supportive to super strict to correct this and we cannot seem to get a handle it. I think I am going to take him to the Dr and get a full work up on him to make sure this is not something medically wrong with him. He is not a complainer and the only time we know if something is wrong is if we guess or there is a fever. Anyway, on top of all of this he does not want to wake up in the morning. We have to wake him up and drag him out of bed basically and you can imagine how our mornings turn out with this as the start. We have a bed time routine we have been using forever and it hardly ever varies he goes to sleep fairly quickly and almost always by 8. He has basically decided for himself that he does not need to take naps any more. At daycare they have told me that he never sleeps but he always has to lay down and rest so at least he gets that. At home on the weekends if we are home and not on the go and he seems tired we will lay him down and let him rest for about an hour. If he falls asleep we let him sleep if not we let him get up like I said in about an hour. Lately he has been sleeping on the weekends and sometimes for like 3 hours. So back to the question, does anyone have this problem with your little ones not wanting to wake up in the morning? Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can make this easier for my little guy to get and up and not be so grumpy even if he does not want to get up?
He's tired. Put him to bed at 6 or as early as possible until he is rested. Is there any way he can stay home with you until he is 7? Read Better Late than early by Dr. Raymond Moore and Dr. Dorothy Moore.
available on Amazon or in the library.
I had the same response as Sue when I read your post.
Sounds likes he's exhausted OR he's in a growth spurt. My boys both went through the 'need' for more sleep at the beginning of growth spurts. Besides eating us out of house and home, they sleep. Still do!
The daycare could have made some changes that no one 'thinks' could be an issue but might be for him.
Talk to your peds nurse, make an appt if she thinks you need it...
He could be outgorwing the need for naps, too.
Try putting him to bed about 15-30 min earlier and see if that helps him get a little more sleep and make those mornings easier.
Good luck.
My 2 1/2-yr-old was always happy and bright-eyed in the morning until recently. Now, it's just as you described: practically dragging him out of bed in the morning.
I did 2 things that have helped. First, I started putting him to bed a half-hour earlier (from 7:00 to 6:30). Second, I get up in the morning and take my shower. Then I open my son's door and turn on the hall light while I do my hair and get dressed. That helps him slowly transition to getting up. I've found him already up when I'm done many times, so it's been working pretty well.
Don't know if it'll work for your little one, but it couldn't hurt to try. Good luck.
I have a daughter who just turned 4 in Feb. I was wondering what was going on no nap's sleeping in until 8ish and cranky. I check with www.babycenter.com and I guess at age four they need more sleep again. So I wouldn't worry so much maybe an earlier bed time since you have to be up and out in the morning. Hope that helps some.
My son is 3 and will also be 4 in June. I also have a 2 1/2 year old. We have pretty much the same routine as you do. I work full time outside of the home and also attend online school. I think my son hit this stage a little earlier than yours. He started to get really whiny always crying about something or nothing. I believe that it is just a stage of toddlerhood. He stopped after a few months, then he went on to never want to go to bed. He would ask me questions and call my name for 15 mins, he has also stopped that. Then it was never wanting to get out of bed. I started putting him to bed about 30 mins earlier (sometimes almost an hour if I was able) and it seemed to work. But like all the rest of the mood swings, he stopped after a couple months. This year has been harder that the so-called "terrible twos" when it comes to mood changes and personality quirks. I think it is a time of stretching boundaries and realizing that he is no longer a baby anymore, but growing up to have be responsible young man. Good luck to you and your family.
Is this new behavior? I'm guessing that it isn't by the way you describe it. Have you ever considered chiropractic care for him and your family? Chiropractic can cause dramatic positive changes in anyone, especially kids. You should research a wellness based family chiropractor in your area. I go to Atlantic Family Chiropractic in Summerville, SC and the doctor there, Heather Wyant, specializes in caring for children and families.
To me, he sounds like he is exhausted...
I really don't have any suggestions really as I'm not in the same situation as you, for I stay home with my kiddos. But, ALL of my kids have always needed at least 12 hours of sleep at that age. Even now, my two oldest kids go to bed by 9pm to 10pm and get up at 8am. My 3yo needs those 12 hours of sleep just like her brothers did when they were younger. She has for quite some time. Just a thought about him needing more sleep. My 3yo stopped taking naps at age 2 (that was longer than her brothers). So by her not napping anymore, she needs the extra sleep at night.
Does he have any allergies that could make him feel icky and sleepy?
My almost-3 yo hates getting up in the morning, but I can't get her wound down and to sleep any earlier at night. She takes 2 hr naps consistently doesn't sleep in on weekends. I read your responses and wish I could help more, but all I can think of is a growth spurt for your little guy. Maybe you can give him some incentive to get up, like a favorite breakfast or watching a few minutes of a favorite show. That works sometimes for us, but many times we're just dressing her half-asleep and carrying her out the door.
I do remember my niece going through this around that age, too. She quit taking naps (you could not force one on her) and she was so exhausted in the morning and the evenings. I don't know why they refuse it - maybe they just want to feel more grown up. I think this is just another stage.
My first impression was that something happened at the Day Care center. I would look into this and make sure he feel safe there. I could be way off base bt that was my reaction. A dr. visit sounds good also. Good luck.
Sounds like the day care center has the problem. I worked at one, and had 2 year olds, then 3 year olds. Later in the afternoon, as the census got lower, I had all ages. There is several possibilities: either they have changed teachers, who is causing the problem unwittingly, or the schedule or something else is going on. Your child could be "testing" his way to the next stage. Or not needing quite as much sleep (not likely). They need a lot of sleep. Drop in unexpectedly at nap time. See what goes on (there could be a problem there). Talk with his teacher in the afternoon about it. If you're uneasy about anything, ask the director about it.
My son is the same way. I have been told they are just testing their boundaries, and need to have thair consistent schedules reinforced, but it. Is. HARD. All the whining is killing me, and not so softly, either. I do get a laugh, though, when he "magically" turns it on and off (the whining).
From experience once they hit a certain age, getting up in the morning is almost always the hardest. They just don't want to get up. I have an 8 year old, who is on a schedule and she just doesn't want to get up...no matter how early she goes to bed...She wants to be lazy, not have to change clothes and etc. I also have a 16 year who still doesn't want to get up. It really doesn't get better with age. I've learned through the years to not argue with them in the morning...I just jerk back the covers, dress her and make her get up.
They like to test you..no matter what their age just to see what they can get a way with.
Couldn't tell how long it's been going on, so my guess is it's a growth spurt or allergies.
