Waking up angry

chibipoe

Syd has a number of sleep issues but the latest is that she wakes up SUPER cranky, throwing a temper tantrum and screaming. She's not having bad dreams as far as I can tell and I don't think she's oversleeping, she just isn't good at waking up. Anybody else go through this? Any ideas on getting her to calm down?

cwhip77

Mikayla does this every now and then.  She's not really a screamer but she can wake up super emotional and easy to cry.  Not sure why, I know when I wake up at an off time of my sleep cycle I feel pretty weird, maybe kids go through that too and don't know how to handle it?

iheartstuart

Mia does that sometimes when she is waking up from her nap.  For the life of me I can't figure out why, either.  She does the same exact thing you described.  I hope someone has some advice for this.

IdahoGirl

cwhip77:

Mikayla does this every now and then.  She's not really a screamer but she can wake up super emotional and easy to cry.  Not sure why, I know when I wake up at an off time of my sleep cycle I feel pretty weird, maybe kids go through that too and don't know how to handle it?

 I think this is it.  When I wake Madelyn up, as opposed to her waking on her own, I think I'm catching her in an off cycle time and it's upsetting to her system.  I have noticed this because if I wake her up after x minutes/hours it happens every time, but if I wait 20 - 30 minutes, it doesn't.

blueLu25

Ollie does this at naptimes. I've started having a snack or drink ready for him when he wakes up, and basically ignore him until he eats something. Otherwise, it gets VERY dramatic and tons of crying. I am the same way- low blood sugar = very moody and depressed. 

MrsAmyB

IdahoGirl:

cwhip77:

Mikayla does this every now and then.  She's not really a screamer but she can wake up super emotional and easy to cry.  Not sure why, I know when I wake up at an off time of my sleep cycle I feel pretty weird, maybe kids go through that too and don't know how to handle it?

 I think this is it.  When I wake Madelyn up, as opposed to her waking on her own, I think I'm catching her in an off cycle time and it's upsetting to her system.  I have noticed this because if I wake her up after x minutes/hours it happens every time, but if I wait 20 - 30 minutes, it doesn't.

This. 

Especially in the middle of the night when the babies wake her up.

zazzu

No idea if it translates to a child, but I've always been a REALLY  cranky morning person. I need a slow transition to waking up and can remember this from an early age. I used to get so mad at my mom when she turned on the lights, talked loudly, or even rushed me. I did best if she quietly woke me then left the room. Sometimes I fell back asleep, but most times I'd just slowly wake up and get my bearings. I also just want to sit for 20 min before having a conversation or be asked to do anything. I like the pp's suggestion of having a drink available too.

KNemo

Max also does this at naptime. And like Ollie/BlueLu, I have to have a snack and Dora ready for him. He needs about 20 minutes/30 minutes to refuel and decompress before he is back to his normal, happy self.

I know that TV isn't the answer for everybody, but that 20 minutes of Dora is invaluable in our house after naptime!

m&m823

This is a common occurance for us too.  We find that if we try to rush him AT ALL, we pay for it.  The best mornings are the one he wakes up on his own and follows his own routine.  He's always whiny in the mornings too but we get full-out meltdowns when we have to wake him up and rush things.  Does it help to leave her be and let her work it out for a bit?

coribecca

Do you go in and get her up in the morning as soon as she wakes up?  I've learned that Evie is much happier if I leave her be and let he get herself up when she's ready.  She'll be awake in bed for 15-20 minutes before she decides to get up, and she usually wants to go potty first before she joins the rest of us downstairs.  I think she just needs time to wake up first.  If I rush it, she gets cranky.

WatchPot

Is she potty trained/training?  When W was potty training and would wake up after he peed in his pull up or because he had to pee in the potty he'd be really grouchy.  We cut out liquids 30 minutes before and do one final potty stop so he can gradualy wake him self up and play with a toy or 2 so that he comes out when he's ready. 

chibipoe

She doesn't nap anymore (that's a whole other issue) and she gets herself up in the morning. Sounds like a pretty typical thing for them to go through. Usually I just wait it out or let her watch tv until she calms down but it seems to be getting worse the last couple weeks.

IdahoGirl

KNemo:

I know that TV isn't the answer for everybody, but that 20 minutes of Dora is invaluable in our house after naptime!

I used to be a little bit embarrassed that this was an answer in our house too.  Seeing so many people using TV as an aide (and not a babysitter), I'm beginning to think that perhaps I haven't doomed my child after all.

KNemo

IdahoGirl:

KNemo:

I know that TV isn't the answer for everybody, but that 20 minutes of Dora is invaluable in our house after naptime!

I used to be a little bit embarrassed that this was an answer in our house too.  Seeing so many people using TV as an aide (and not a babysitter), I'm beginning to think that perhaps I haven't doomed my child after all.

I would rather have "Backpack, Backpack...." be playing in my house than a screaming, kicking, upset little man.

Seattle_JiLLn

Ben has gone through phases like this too - mostly with naps - where he just wakes up hysterical.   He doesn't know why.  He isn't scared.  He's just a wreck.  So I just snuggle with him and say "sometimes it's hard to wake up isn't it?"  I think sometimes it might be a potty issue - he wears underpants for naps but still wears pullups at night.  And occasionally he will pee in his nap and that upsets him. But these crazy wake ups are even with dry pants.   So maybe he's stressed about it?  Or like some of you said - maybe waking up in the wrong part of a sleep cycle?  

He went through a phase where he was waking up like that at midnight too, but he'd go right back to sleep even if I didn't go down there - so that seemed like a night terror maybe?

I dont' know how to "fix" it but I think it just passes eventually.  I just try to not talk much and hold him til he's feeling better.