Do your children cry when they wake up?

[LittleMilla]

Ds is 21 mo and nearly always cries when he wakes up. It's always worse when he wakes up too early and won't go back to sleep. Less so when he gets to 7am like this morning tho.

Had sis in law to stay his weekend who has commented how "sad" he seems. Granted, they had to listen to him at 5.30am having a massive whinge. But as much as I hate her commenting, I'm wondering if we've become desensitised??

Is this normal?

[LittleMilla]

Thanks all for replies. Wiiiiish that DS would go back to sleep once he comes in to our bed. Had guests again this weekend and AGAIN he did a 5:25am and 5:55am wake up, so odd. Last week he then proceeded to sleep beautifully in the week, sod.

Worried about waking our guests and so brought him in our bed sharpish, then spent an hour telling him to lie down, sleepy time etc. Once warmed up he started singing "wheeeeels on the bussshhhhhh"

[MamaBear17]

My dd is a crier too. I go in and bring her into bed with me (unless the dreaded work alarm has gone off!) give her some milk and then she usually goes back to sleep. Then when she wakes up properly I get the chatter!

[mrsXsweet]

Dd (3 yrs) still wakes up crying now. It is bad in the morning but if she falls asleep during the day it is hell, she is such hard work for about 45 mins. She actually is pretty terrible at anything sleep related and still wakes fairly regularly in the night.
She is currently refusing to go to sleep until Daddy reads her 4 stories, unfortunately Daddy is out and not due back until 10.30! I hope she gives up soon, I want to watch Glee!!!!!

[montmartre]

Eldest woke up screaming until almost 4yo!

Youngest never ever did... often giggles in his sleep, wakes up smiling, always.

All children are different.

[TwelveLeggedWalk]

Same as jojay, twins (16mo), dd wakes and chats, DS wakes and yells. Frankly thank god for the yeller - the other week we were at a friends house and they fell asleep in their sitting room, we nipped to the kitchen for tea and a natter, thinking we'd hear them as soon as they woke. Dd woke first, climbed their tv cabinet... Fortunately alerted by her brother who woke and screamed. Shiver every time I think about it!

[BeaWheesht]

Dd doesn't usually - she's 2 but even as a newborn she just used to lie there wriggling until I woke up if she wanted a feed. It's very strange because during the day she is absolutely not the type to wait for anything.

Ds went through a phase of waking up crying at about 2-3. I think it was because he woke up, realised he'd (finally) fallen asleep and was totally pissed off about it!

[MajaBiene]

DS used to until he was about 2 - well, he would if he woke up in the night, not sure about the morning. Now he just calls "MummEE come HERE"

[FamiliesShareGerms]

DS has always woken up happy - bugger to get to sleep, but even when he ended up crying himself to sleep because he was so overtired he always woke up a ray of sunshine.

DD (2.9) goes to sleep beautifully - tells us when she's tired (usually between 1900 and 1930) and goes to bed and straight to sleep. Then no matter how much sleep she's had wakes up grumpy and whingy, usually until she's had something to eat and drink but it's often a painful process.

I think some small people just aren't Morning People...

[lynniep]

I had forgotten until I saw this but my ds2 always crying when he woke up. until at least 2. probably older but I'm racking my brains now trying to remember when he stopped. I think it probably coincided with his sleeping through, which was about 2:5. my ds1 is nearly 6 and still shouts for daddy every morning on waking, although he doesnt cry. drives me mad as he wakes up his brother!

[Purplecatti]

Depends if she's hungry.... (16 weeks)
If she's hungry I get wailing. If she's just done with sleeping it's epic amounts of talking and big beaming smiles if its wakey time (7am or later) and i stick my head over the cot to say hello

[Goldmandra]

My friend's DD always cried heartily on waking. She is and always has been a happy child but is still at the age of 11 a mardy little madam when she first wakes up, whether that is from a daytime doze of first thing in the morning.

Her grandmother always swore that she needed a snack but TBH having one didn't seem to make a difference to the time she took to come out of it.

I think some children wake happy and others wake tearful because that is their natural state.

[Jojay]

My twins are 19 months. DTD lies in her cot and coos prettily when she wakes. DTS screams the house down.

He is much needier generally and would probably prefer to co sleep, as he does wake up happy if I'm right there.

My older kids were happy wakers generally.

[Ridersofthestorm]

My 8mo ds will whinge when he wakes up in the night and then cry really loudly once I enter the room. I am still feeding of a night so he screams untIl he gets his milk haha bless him. Sometimes he will wake up crying because he just wants a cuddle of his mummy or daddy.

[LittleMilla]

Sister in law has a 9 week old that isn't yet allowed to whimper without boob being shoved in her mouth. So she's obviously an expert now .

Very reassuring to hear that DS seems to be very normal and we're not evil parents.

[Twattergy]

Ds 16 mo has always cried on waking...don't think he is sad, just a bit groggy and wants a cuddle/attention. Looks like he'll grow out of it from what others have posted. I'd be really annoyed if someone implied it was wrong in some way! It's just what he does. although its annoying coz it means I can't leave him when he wakes up early

[mmmerangue]

DS cries 90% of the time (upon waking). 3 months ago when he was 21 MO, it was 99.9% of the time.

[rrreow]

21mo DS usually cries upon waking, especially if it's in the middle of the night. Occasionally he will babble to himself (usually if it's morning or after his nap).

[Sunshine200]

My 17 month dd has always cried on waking. She cries until I take her out of her cot. I thought it was normal until friends mentioned about theirs chatting. If she wakes in the night she also cries out.

[ChairmanWow]

Everyone has to have an opinion, don't they. Babies and toddlers cry because they are trying to communicate something not because they're sad or depressed!

My 23 m o goes through phases of this too. He's in one at the moment. We have given him milk on waking in the past but this encourages him to wake earlier and earlier - last summer it ended up at 4.30. Eeek! Now he gets his milk at 6, toys in the cot and up at 7. Tends to keep a lid on it.

[LittleMilla]

Everyone that knows me can attest that I am normally in a pretty foul mood unless I've had a good 8 hour sleep (it's been a looooong 21 months ). Maybe he just follows me?

I like the snack suggestion. He nearly always asks for cereal as soon as he's up...which we tend to try and hold off until 7am for on early days a la ferber's book. He was a prolific early waker and it was only when we read this book that we had the moment that we'd conditioned him to need milk/food at 5am by giving it to him every day!

[MrsDonnieDarko]

Normal for a lot of kids and it certainly doesn't mean he's 'sad'. Both my boys have done this. DS1 grew out of it when he was about 2 and a half but even then would wake after a nap and be 'touchy' and a bit tempremental til he was about 3. Even now at 5, he doesn't wake up crying or moaning but I have never know him wake up with a smile! DS2 is 1 year old and still going strong with the crying on waking up! It's normal for us. They do grow out of it!! Have you tried offering a snack to them on waking up. Sometimes their blood sugar gets a bit low and they need a bit or perking up when they wake up. Sometimes a digestive biscuit and some grapes would snap my DS1 right out of it, other times it would frustrate him more and he just needed a few minutes cry. DS2 is pretty much always distracted by a snack!

[Wewereherefirst]

DS1 used to coo and talk to himself for a bit DS2 (12M) always wakes up and cries/screams. No matter what the time, or where he sleeps.

It makes me so sad, I wish he could be happy when he wakes!

[CitizenOscar]

Mine used to every time. Now (20 months) only if he's lonely or upset. Mostly I hear him chatting to himself. But that is quite recent, before that he always cried on waking.

[moogalicious]

Ignore! My Fil said it wasn't normal to cry on waking. Well, it was normal for my ds!

[LittleMilla]

Sorry, should say early waking