3 1/2 y/o Daughter throws a BAD FIT every time she wakes up from nap!!

Question

Actually, theres a method.. but wondering if anyone elses child did this?

My daughter is 3 1/2.. She is in daycare during the day while I am at work. If she takes more then an hour nap, she will be up till midnight or later! And Im 7 1/2 months pregnant, and still working full time, so I really like my sleep and like to be in bed by 10.

Her normal schedule is about 7:30am wakes up.. if she doesn't nap she is in bed by 8:30 or 9 at the latest, but again, if she naps more then an hour she is in bed at like 12 or 1am!!

My question is, if I pick her up from daycare, and she falls asleep on the way home in the carseat, when we get home and I pick her up she has a fit! Screams, and cries, kicks, wont be still. Even if I try to lay her in her bed or on the couch to fall right back asleep....

But if its on a weekend, and I say forget it just let her sleep, and she wakes up on her own, she is fine.. Wakes up perfectly happy...

why does she throw a fit if woken up? I understand being tired and grumpy, but Im talking like absolute tantrum EVERY time shes waken up by someone other then herself..

Any help? Can I fix this?

Answer 1

oh man I have been through that with all 3 of my girls......the best thing to do really is to cut out naps altogether. I know it's going to be hard, but when you are in the car try to keep a conversation going with your daughter. Try  to keep her brain active by asking her about her day at daycare and whether she had fun and things like that. Anytime a child that young or younger falls asleep and is woken up before they get their nap out will be so ill and grumpy you will wish you just left them alone, but of course you can't leave a child in the car alone. And then after a certain age,if they do take a nap, like you said they are up all night to the early hours of the morning, which cuts into your sleeptime AND theirs, which is probably why they take naps to begin with. Try getting her to sing little nursery rhymes in the car or teaching her to say the alphabet and count. She's a little young yet to teach the writting but you can teach her to say them. Teach her Humpty Dumpty and Little Miss Muffet and things like that in the car and ask her what she sees on the way home. If you keep her awake in the car I can almost promise that by the time you get her home she will not want to go to sleep anymore and she'll be in bed by her regular bedtime, and everyone will be happy. It worked for me! Good Luck!

Answer 2

Your real problem is with her going to sleep in the first place (especially after a whole day in day care -- when it's closer to her bedtime) I would suggest buying her a special interactive and noisy toy (annoying as it may be for you) that will be a "special car toy"  (exclusively for the car only!!) that she can play with while you're driving her home. this will engage her, and prevent her from falling asleep in the first place.

You'll have to decide the lesser of two evils though -- driving with an annoying noisy toy, or having her fall asleep, and then being woken up and the inevitable tantrum that follows. (and then having to stay up with her till midnight or one.)

Answer 3

I would just say to not let her take naps period! She is old enough to stay away for 12 hrs. I would get her up at 7:30 and try to get her to sleep around 8. I am REALLY grumpy when i am woke up early from a nap. I think it is normal- she wants to sleep there is not a behavior issue she just doesn't want to be messed with!  

Answer 4

It is possible that she is experiencing what are called "night terrors" when her sleep is disturbed.

Night terrors do not always happen at night, but anytime during sleep. They are more common among children than adults. They are often characterized by screaming, crying, kicking. Sometimes the child will push or kick you, or even the air. Night terrors are often precipitated by sleep deprivation, so if you think that this is what is going on, then increase your child's sleep. It is recommended that children 3-5 years of age should average 11-13 hours. Is sounds like your daughter is on the low end of that scale.

If she is not experiencing night terrors, she may just be cranky and upset when her sleep is disturbed. If I were deep in sleep and someone suddenly lifted me out of bed I would probably kick and scream too! When my son fell asleep in the car I usually tried staying in the car until he started to wake up. I would use the time to check voice mail or read a book.  

Answer 5

she is far too big for a nap, they are making her groggy and giving her irregular sleep patterns.  I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old, no naps , in bed by 7 and asleep by 8! ITs all about routine.  Once she is kept awake during the day for a few days in a row she wont even look for a nap.

If i let my 3 year old go asleep during the day he would wake up like a roaring bull...lol

Answer 6

My 2 year old does the same thing. It has something to do with startling them. I was told it works the same way as not waking a sleep-walking person. Even if you talk quiet and calm to them they completely freak out. Try and wait for her to start moving a little and then remove her from the car. If that does not work, when you do wake her up just set her in her room until she calms down, she will learn that what she is doing is not right and will try and change the way she reacts.