The monster within
My beautiful child? For the past 3 weeks, between 4pm and 5pm my beautiful child loses her mind. Prior to 3 weeks ago, she might get a little cranky in the evening but I could cope with it. But now? She is a brat. If I don’t hold her, don’t hold her right, bump her, tell her no, tell her yes but don’t meet the need fast enough, or look at her wrong, she lays on the floor and sobs. It is lovely. It is frustrating because I know what is wrong – she is tired.
Since we’ve been home, Sabrina has taken only 1 nap a day. We tried the 2 nap schedule while in Guatemala and it was a constant fight. Once we switched to 1 nap, the struggle ended for the most part. She usually takes a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. Since she has started the 5pm monster, I’ve tried going back to 2 naps a few times. That results in a pleasant child in the evening but one who refuses to go to sleep until 9:30pm. That isn’t a particularly good solution. (She normally goes to bed between 7 and 8 pm.) My only other idea is to put her down earlier – between 6 and 6:30. I’m afraid that will result in a child who is up at 6am (she usually is up between 7 and 8am) and just gets cranky earlier in the afternoon. This would also mean that Steve wouldn’t get to see her before she goes to bed.
So I’m left with a cranky child from 5pm until bedtime. I am really hoping it is a short phase.
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In other news today, Sabrina and visited the new Whole Foods that just opened. Holy craziness! Even in the middle of the afternoon it was mobbed. Lots of neat stuff – I certainly couldn’t afford to do the bulk of my shopping there but it is fun to go in and buy a nice cheese or nice loaf of bread and browse around. They put it in a really congested spot and built a parking garage across the street because of lack of parking – not exactly convenient. The street around it is lined with some neat shops but I imagine that I wouldn’t want to get within a 3 mile radius of it on the weekend.
no clue on the sleeping but wishing its a short phase as well. As far as the whole foods, I LUV me some whole foods!! So expensive and if you shop there it ruins you for everywhere else!
I’m trying to remember when Matthew was 1… it seems so long ago! But I’m pretty sure he was down to one nap a day. And he was promptly in bed at 7:30 PM. At the moment, I have a cranky almost-5-year-old… the time change always goofs him up. Anyway, hoping for your sake it is a phase. Yikes!
Whole Foods rocks… but it does seem to be the consensus that you’d go broke trying to do your weekly shopping there!
Oh, man I feel for you. We’re on one nap, too. Have you tried feeding Sabrina at 5? That’s the only thing that calms the fussies for us…an early dinner and bed by 7:30 sharp!
Good luck!
Ugh.. the evening crankiness is the worst! If I were you, I would do the earlier bedtime. My kids go to bed around 6 (for the 3yo) and 6:30 for the 4yo. They get up at 7am. An earlier bedtime does not mean an earlier rise time. It is a common misconception. 🙁 Good sleep begets good sleep. Earlier risers do so typically because they are not getting good sleep on the other end of things. I would try it for a week and see how it goes. Good luck.. it can be so frustrating when trying to figure out routines.
Cerah takes a nap from 11-2 and by 6 she is a BRAT too!!! She’s in bed by 8 no later. I hope she gets better at going to bed 🙂
kaenen has always been a cranky baby between the hours of 4 and 6pm. I can’t exactly remember, but I am pretty sure he was still taking 2 naps a day when he was around 14 months. we tried moving his bedtime around, and for us, that didn’t work. I save that time to put on his video (barney or sesame street) which is about an hour. then we have a snack (around 4pm) and then he eats at about 530. after dinner, he is a happy camper! but, since he came home at 4 days old, that time slot has ALWAYS been the most difficult part of his day. good luck!
hmmm. I think my comment got eaten, so sorry if a duplicate..
ah yes, the famous bewitching hours. Not called that for no good reason.
We’ve had quite the struggle here lately on naps. Overnight about a month ago, she decided to go from 2 naps to not to nap at all. So, I’ve got her on one nap now, but I’ll be darned if I can figure out when it should be. I can’t get any more than an hr most days no matter when I try.
The time change has hosed her too. She was sleeping until 7:30 or 8, now 6:30 if I’m lucky. I think as soon as it’s light, she’s up. I’ve been moving back her bed time a bit to between 7 and 7:30 instead of 8 and she doesn’t get up any earlier. So, like others said, try moving it back just a hair at a time and see what happens in the mornings.
Ah yes, Whole Foods. I just can’t justify the cost often…
Little missy is vacillating between 1 and 2 naps and it is so hard. I read somewhere that it is tough for about 1 month or so. So hopefully that means you are close to the end 🙂
I HATE the time change…it has totally destroyed our morning routine.
I have a hard time putting the kids to bed before 8…but miss K is a crab from 4 days of waking up an hour early. I HATE THE SUNLIGHT!!!
Sigh. Feelin’ your pain. Hopefully this too shall pass (it always does)
We went through that BIG time for about 3 weeks. Madisyn just totally sit in corners and sobbed. I even cried at the Dr’s office asking if she hated me, because it felt like it. But now she is getting a whole lot better, But still when she gets tired, You might as well hang up pleasing her. So she will get over it and it is hard to deal with. Good luck
I won’t go near Whole Foods here unless I’m in the mood for a brawl. The aisles are way too narrow and all those whole-food shoppers insist on standing in the aisle actually reading the labels. The nerve. 🙂
Good luck with the sleeping. I’ll leave the suggestions to others – of all the issues I’ve faced with my boys, I can’t complain about the sleeping!
I had a hard time switching my 2 form 2 naps to 1 nap a day for a couple of weeks. I ended up making their lunch time a little earlier and napping afterwards. I was really hoping that since they were taking 2 hour and a half to 2 hour naps that they would take 1 really long nap, but that hasn’t happened. As for fussy time. My kids are pretty much fussy when they get tired at home, no matter what I do, but thankfully sometimes they can make each other happy when I can’t. We’ve done an earlier and later bed time to see what worked best, but it just seems to depend on the day. Good luck!
She should outgrow this just as hse enters a new phase. 🙂
God Bless. Your daughter is beautiful.