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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

ds is shattered, the Christmas holidays can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

16 replies

headfairy · 01/12/2011 18:56

DS is 4.3, he's been at pre school for a year, but this Sept he started doing 5 mornings a week. Poor love is shattered now, my sister said YR is hard on kids, starting school every day. I guess at least my ds is hopefully getting a taster of what it'll be like next year, but blimey he's shattered. How does everyone else deal with this? He's not really the napping type any more... if he does fall asleep in the car for example he's not really tired at bedtime and will often be awake until well after 8pm, which means he's tired the next day. He's getting 12hrs sleep a night, does he need more? Not sure I'll be able to persuade him to go to bed much earlier than 7pm.

OP posts:

Original poster

headfairy · 01/12/2011 18:57

Sorry, it's not terribly clear, ds isn't in YR yet, he's still in pre school. God knows how he's going to cope with a full day from next Sept.

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midnightexpress · 01/12/2011 19:07

Try living in Scotland, where they've been back at school since the middle of August, it's been pissing with rain for weeks, and they still have nearly a month to go before the hols. It is endless.

Sorry, that's not very helpful. It does get better after Xmas though. The days get longer, there's more time off and it really seems like Xmas is the hump and it's all downhill after that. If I've got it right, he'll be one of the older DC in his year, and the teachers are well used to the tiredness and how to deal with it.

Original poster

headfairy · 01/12/2011 19:15

Oh God midnightexpress I can imagine that's bloody hard. I'm very glad to hear Christmas is the hump :o It certainly feels like it.

He will be one of the oldest, he'll be 5 a week after he starts school so I'm hoping that'll stand him in good stead. If he'd been born three weeks earlier he would be at school now and I really don't think he'd cope. He's not eating terribly well because he's so tired. He's just floppy and ashen faced at the end of the day. I'm giving him a multivitamin because I was so worried about him. No real symptoms of any worry, but just ridiculous levels of tiredness.

OP posts:

midnightexpress · 01/12/2011 22:14

I'm sure it will stand him in good stead headfairy. Wee soul. DS2 is one of the youngest and his teacher says he's slumped in his seat in the afternoons, poor sausage. DS1 gets a cold in about Sept which generally has him snuffling until March. It's all a bit grim, isn't it?

Honestly though, after Christmas it just seemed to whizz past (partly because they spent the sum total of 6 days at school in April this year) - the weather in the spring was fabulous which also helped and then allofasudden it was the end of term. Though of course the flip side for us here is that we only have to keep going until the end of June, so once April was out of the way, we had the May holidays and then just a few weeks until the end of term.

AvadventKalendar · 01/12/2011 22:23

I would say that he shouldn't really be quite as shattered as to be off his food and and ashenfaced just through going to 5 sessions of nursery a week? Check up at the GP perhaps? Iron levels?

mumeeee · 02/12/2011 10:05

He does sound more than just tired. Do you think he's coming down with something? Did he have a break in October for half term? As he's at pre school I would perhaps let him have a noting off and just have a chill out day.

startail · 02/12/2011 10:19

It will get better. January may be crap, bit as soon as the evenings start to get lighter it will get better.
Daylight and being able play out in an evening seems to reset DCs body clocks.

Original poster

headfairy · 02/12/2011 10:55

I don't think it's anything else, no symptoms of anything anyway. I do give him a multivitamin every day so hopefully he's not lacking in something. Luckily we're going on holiday to St Lucia in January for 2 weeks so he will get some sunshine and rest out there. Fingers crossed that'll give me back my boisterous little boy (but not too boisterous :o)

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pranma · 02/12/2011 17:48

If its any consolation dgs was 5 in September and has coped with YR much better than many of his younger classmates.He never did 5 mornings in preschool he did Mon and Tues mornings then a day with me then he did Thurs and Fri mornings.

Tgger · 02/12/2011 20:34

I would put him to bed earlier, just don't comment about the time, and I would stick to normal bedtimes if he's fallen asleep in the car too- don't let him sleep past 4, well not for any length.

I think some get more tired than others, but they do adjust and a year older they have a lot more stamina- DS is YR and turned 5 in October. He's coping well with Reception, much better than when he first started the school nursery last year. His energy levels during the term have been a bit up and down but generally good. He does fall asleep in the car when overtired but we always put him to bed at 7 regardless and he is ok with this. After he'd been ill (ear infection) and was clearly still tired he went to bed at 6/6.30 for a few days and had a 2 hour nap one Sunday afternoon- these things are possible .

Quite a lot of the Mums have been putting the kids to bed early as term goes on and most of us are having to wake them up at 7.30! And all of us are looking forward to the holidays!

TinyArmy · 02/12/2011 21:28

My DC are still too young to start school but my friend's DD started pre-school this year and she experienced much the same thing. She found adding an hour of "quiet time" where PJs were put on and books are read and colouring is accomplished was quite helpful for when her DD was tired but not yet ready to sleep. Apparently she seems much better rested in the mornings since the quiet time has been implemented.

MigGril · 05/12/2011 17:45

Try having a 4.5year old who started FULL TIME school in september, she is absolutly shatered right now and has a horrible hacking cought.

She's had the odd day off sick not because she was that ill but because she's been so tired. I can't wait for the Chirstmas holiday's but we will have to do a lot of chilling I think so she's ready for Jannuary.

13lucky · 05/12/2011 20:30

I'd say just keep him off a couple of mornings. He's only at preschool. Maybe send him Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There's no point sending him if he's that tired. My dd was like MigGril above and was only 4.2 when she started full time in reception. It was grim last Christmas - she was ill for the entire holidays. I swore I wouldn't do that again and in hindsight would have done what MigGril did even though at proper school and kept her home for a couple of days for tiredness.

ladyintheradiator · 05/12/2011 20:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ragwort · 05/12/2011 20:38

- I have never, ever known my DS to be tired - he is always full on, tons of energy, plays sport all day at weekends, and never lies in - sorry, I know that's not much help .

olibeansmummy · 08/12/2011 22:38

Ds is 2 1/2 and in nursery during school hours. He's also tired and grumpy this year now he's in the 2 year olds room. We usually do a lot after school/ nursery but he just wants to watch tv and cuddle ( and whine!) I work in a year 2 class and the kids are tired. I'm 25 and

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