MeaganS Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Alright, so my daughter is two and a half. Ever since she was an infant, she has had what we call her "wake-up funk" when she wakes up in the morning or after naps. Basically she is crazy grumpy/angry and screams and cries at the world for the first 5 mins to an hour after she wakes up. She seems unable to be reasoned with. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to stop. I've tried being stern and making her stay in her bed until she's done. Usually this approach takes an hour to an hour and a half to be effective. I've tried being calm and ignoring the fact that she's screaming at me and acting like there's nothing wrong. This is probably the most effective I've had, but I'm not sure I'm ok with letting her behave that way at me. I've tried talking to her and finding out what is the matter. She has no clue, and really, from what I can tell, nothing is the matter except that she woke up. She goes to bed at 7 p.m. and gets up around 7 a.m., so I don't think she's not sleeping enough. She loves going to bed too, and has slept through the night since she was very young. She has a 2 hour quiet time every day, although she usually doesn't nap then. She's young for her age and has difficulty being reasoned with in the best of circumstances. She's such a happy and cheerful girl all the rest of the time, and I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do. My husband and I are to the end of our rope, and I was hoping someone here might have good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'd personally continue with the "ignore it, don't pay it any attention, go cheerfully about whatever task I'm doing without even glancing at her til she calms down" type of approach. Don't worry, she'll outgrow this. And she/you won't be doomed to a life time of disrespect or anything like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'd personally continue with the "ignore it, don't pay it any attention, go cheerfully about whatever task I'm doing without even glancing at her til she calms down" type of approach. Don't worry, she'll outgrow this. And she/you won't be doomed to a life time of disrespect or anything like that! :iagree: My ds can be a real handful when he first wakes up, but now he's old enough that I can tell him to go back to his room until he can be civil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevilla Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I would guess it's a blood sugar issue and she needs food. Keep cereal bars in her room and have her eat one immediately upon waking - see if it helps. I know my DH and DS both get cranky if they haven't had food and once they eat DS will completely calm down - it really is a blood sugar issue with him that I have to watch to make sure doesn't spiral into a huge meltdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieC Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 My youngest was like this until he stopped napping, and if I could, I took the time to hold him and rock him with a cup of milk after he woke up. That seemed to comfort him. Jessica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smrtmama Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Some people just don't wake up well. She's obviously one of those people. You know she has a window of grumpiness, so just give her a snack and a little snuggle, followed by a wide berth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I think that acting like nothing is happening is not condoning it. Rather, it is projecting calm into the situation. As her most beloved, trusted adult, you have the unique power to do that. She will see that you don't act that way, and eventually she will probably follow your example. She is still pretty young to reason with, although I would verbally reinforce what kind of behavior you want to encourage, but without really expecting a response. You don't want to get into a power struggle over this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 She'll outgrow it. My daughter went through the same thing, only I wasn't lucky enough to have her sleep through the night. She'd wake up several times each night too and be just as grouchy. I would just hold her -- usually for an hour or two -- after her naps. That's the only thing that seemed to prevent her from screaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 My dd is almost 4 and does this. She always has. When she was younger, I just decided I would hold her. Her brother is 7 years older and I decided that those early years go by too fast to just ignore. So she needs an extra 5 minutes of holding? Just give her that love and comfort and be happy that you can give her the time. My dd will be 4 in March and still wakes up grumpy most of the time. Having a regular routine before and after waking helps lots. I just go to her with her milk or juice and sometimes a snack. I started that when she was around 2. Sometimes she was just starving. Now that she is older she likes waking up to a room with a night light on, her favorite blankie on the bed, and hearing music playing. If one of those is missing, watch out. She wakes up screaming every time now still. However, sometimes it is her wanting a snack, or to be held, or just mad because she didn't want to sleep and miss something again. She is starting to grow out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolosoli Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 My daughter did that. None of my other children have done that.... At first I was firm... Then I realized she really, really doesn't like being that way....she wasn't making the choice. I began loving her through it...but, not babying her though. I empathized and was very gentle and we worked with different ways to help her wake up. By the time she was three and half she was able to control herself very well and completely stopped behaving that way. She's almost 15 now and she does have a hard time waking still..but, she doesn't make everyone else involved with it. She gets herself, keeps the "wake-up grumpiness" to herself. She's great! I think that is why at 2 she couldn't help but get me involved through her behaviour and actions....parents are supposed to help them work through those things. By the time she was 3 she was able to take more responsibility over it...just like in many other areas. As she got older she began doing things... like setting the alarm a half an hour early to give herself time to wake up and things like that. Also, for the last 5 months she has been up with her puppy throughout the night AND got up at 6am with him every morning since then. He now lets her "sleep in" to 7 or 8am! She's never complained once.... Love them most when they are least lovable... I'd continue being there for her and finding ways to make things easier....It will make all the difference in the future with the skills she learns from you helping and working with her...not against her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I just want to add that I agree with "loving them through it" and the snuggling/rocking and so on ideas IF they work- but for some kids that just makes them more mad and it takes longer for them to get through it, and if that's the case with yours (as it was with mine when he had those moments- which fortunately weren't every day and which fortunately isn't an issue anymore at his age), then I stand by my initial comment which is to just cheerfully ignore it until it passes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Some people just don't wake up well. She's obviously one of those people. You know she has a window of grumpiness, so just give her a snack and a little snuggle, followed by a wide berth. This. Sylvia is not a happy waker either. Becca, on the other hand, is perpetually perky and that drives. Sylvia. NUTS. :001_huh: It makes for some interesting mornings. We just get her some breakfast and leave her alone for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Alright, so my daughter is two and a half. Ever since she was an infant, she has had what we call her "wake-up funk" when she wakes up in the morning or after naps. Basically she is crazy grumpy/angry and screams and cries at the world for the first 5 mins to an hour after she wakes up. She seems unable to be reasoned with. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to stop. I've tried being stern and making her stay in her bed until she's done. Usually this approach takes an hour to an hour and a half to be effective. I've tried being calm and ignoring the fact that she's screaming at me and acting like there's nothing wrong. This is probably the most effective I've had, but I'm not sure I'm ok with letting her behave that way at me. I've tried talking to her and finding out what is the matter. She has no clue, and really, from what I can tell, nothing is the matter except that she woke up. She goes to bed at 7 p.m. and gets up around 7 a.m., so I don't think she's not sleeping enough. She loves going to bed too, and has slept through the night since she was very young. She has a 2 hour quiet time every day, although she usually doesn't nap then. She's young for her age and has difficulty being reasoned with in the best of circumstances. She's such a happy and cheerful girl all the rest of the time, and I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do. My husband and I are to the end of our rope, and I was hoping someone here might have good advice. Low blood sugar. I'm the same way. Give her some juice before she even gets out of bed and I bet you will have a different child! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) In my son that was low blood sugar. He was just very sensitive to a certain range of blood sugar. A way to test it is to give her a bit of something to raise blood sugar when she wakes. If my son was so upset he wouldn't eat a bit of fruit puree or drink something sweet we would actually syringe in juice! It was amazing how he would calm down very quickly. Night and day. Then he was calm enough to have a little snack. It's worth trying to see if she responds. I've heard this in lots of kids actually. My son did outgrow it in time but it saved a lot of grief for all of us when we figured out the issue. I've talked to some adults who still have similar issues--they tell me they are just not themselves, agitated, etc. until they get their sugar out of their personal "bad" zone. Edited January 20, 2011 by sbgrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks for the ideas! I tried giving her juice this morning when she first woke up, and she was definitely a much happier camper. I'm not 100% convinced, but enough so to keep trying it for a few more days. I would never have thought of blood sugar being the issue. Thanks so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My dd was that way, and it was low blood sugar. And not to rattle you, but it was also an early indication of sensory issues. Try reading "The Out of Sync Child" and see if any of it resonates. Even the LBS can be caused by the sensory problems, because they're in fright/flight so much sensory wise that it drives the blood sugar wonky. With sensory stuff they talk about stim levels and how the dc can be low or high stim. My dd is low stim, and it can take her two hours to get going in the morning. She never ever ever woke up happy in the morning, and she didn't outgrow it. Now we're doing OT homework more faithfully (lots of vestibular and sensory input), and it seems to help. She wakes up better, comes out smiling, and can eat and get to her work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My 2 1/2 year old does that too. Probably low blood sugar, because it happens when he gets his nap too late and wakes up close to dinner time, or if he falls asleep in the car close to lunch. A snack right before nap time usually helps, because he will NOT eat or drink anything when he's hysterical like that. He doesn't want to be held either. My youngest doesn't do this... yet... but he's the one who has had indication of sensory issues since day one and other signs of low blood sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My youngest doesn't do this... yet... but he's the one who has had indication of sensory issues since day one and other signs of low blood sugar. My ds with the verbal apraxia has no real symptoms of sensory integration problems right now (that we tell, and we've even had the OT watch him a bit while we're at appointments) and wakes happy, but that doesn't mean he won't turn out to. They're both low tone. I think the problems can manifest in different ways. (How's that for a morbid thought. Sorry.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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