I work full time and my son is at montessori school 3 full days a week (8:30-5:00) and he is just so exhausted after I pick him up. He goes through this everyday he is at school. When I pick him up and get him home he cries for about an hour about whatever. I know it is because he is tired and is just letting off steam but it is very difficult as I am tired as well. I try to let him just "veg" for a bit, watching t.v. or laying down but he is still "crabby". Wondering if any other mom experiences this with their own children and if you have any other suggestions? This summer we are adding a day of school because of work schedules, not looking forward to another day of "crabby".
Hi A.,
It sounds to me like he could use a little "pick-me-up" after school. How about offering him a juice box and a cookie or two on your way home. Even a little baggie of cereal would work fine. Just something to give him a little boost of energy so that he isn't so crabby. It worked for my son and made a world of difference!
C.
I've done daycare for years and have kids of my own. Do they give him naps at his school? One other thing you may want to look at is when is he eating. At what time are they giving him snacks. If he is going so many hours without protein or something than he may be getting really crabby because his sugar level is low. I know that my daughter came home crying and cranky in Kindergarten and for years after and it helped when she had snacks or something to eat every 2-3 hours. Just a thought.
It sounds like he's not getting enough sleep each night before school day. The school is a very good one, from their reputation and I don't believe they would overwork him.
Try putting him to bed earlier. Does he wake up really early? My oldest is usually up before five-thirty so he goes to bed by eight.
The veg time is a good idea. Or you could try quiet time in his room right after school and see if that helps. Don't make him sleep. He can play quietly for a half an hour or so. That's what I had to do with my youngest.
I agree he may need a quick pick-me-up at that time of day. Instead of cookies and juice, why not offer him something with more protein in it. True, he needs the carbs, but the sugar in cookies, juice, fruity snacks, etc, will defeat the purpose of a snack. Are you able to send an afternoon snack for him at school? If so, send him something that is fairly high in protein such as cheese stick, peanut butter, nuts or a high protein cereal or cereal bar. Kids need extra protein and fat for brain function and if they dont get it, it's hard for them to concentrate. Additionally, he may also need more sleep than he's getting. Good luck!
Hi A.:
I just wanted to throw in my two cents. I have read a couple of responses and some have suggested letting him take a nap here and there. I am in school working on my nursing degree and one thing that I can tell you is that you want to keep your son on the same sleep schedule. Same bedtime if he is going to take a nap during the day it should be the same time. Now I am just letting you know what I learned about sleep habits and I, unfortunately, dont always stick with them with my own son because life does not always allow for a set schedule. Another response I read is about the snacks. Maybe he is just agitated because he is hungry. However, and I applaud the other mom for bringing this up, you really should avoid sugary snacks which could give him a temporary high then when he crashes he may be even more crabby. Sorry I dont have any real advice for you, I just wanted to inform you on what you should probably avoid doing.
K.
He may not be quite ready to give up that afternoon nap. My son is 4 1/2 and while he doesn't always need to nap each day, he needs one about every other day. School can be "stressfull" and tiring. I would think that something all day would be aware of that and offer a quiet time. You might ask the school about it.
Yes, he needs to start preparing for all day once he's in 1st grade, but he'll get there and until then he may need to have that bit of rest. kids tend to burn a lot of energy at school.
Does the school offer an afternoon snack. If not they probably should because that afternoon time can be the hardest hurdle.
My brother was the same way. he could go about 2 days without a nap, but then he had to have one the next day. Watching TV doesn't really allow him to rest if he needs too. while his body is doing nothing, his mind is still going.
you could also try, making a short drive after picking him up so that he can take a brief cat nap. generally, speaking if we can get at least 20 minutes in we'll be resurged enough to make it to bedtime.
My son just finished Kindergarten and all they do after lunch is play, have a quiet time, etc. They do most of the actually school work in the morning. See how they have the day set up. For his age I would hope that they still offer a nap or quiet time. You might also consider giving him vitamins if your not already. Or having him go to bed earlier the nights before those full days.
