Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Behaviour/development

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

Why is my 14 month old so horrible in the afternoon?

4 replies

Sadmammy · 13/09/2024 17:59

DS is normally a happy boy. He’s incredibly active and doesn’t stay still, he doesn’t focus in anything for more than a minute, but he’s happy running between different activities, playing outside and going to playgroup etc. He’s happy with grandparents all day while he and DH are at work or, on Wednesdays, he’s happy with me at home.

However, when I come home from work on the other days, he is horrible between the hours of 4-6. Sometimes he’s whining all the way until bedtime at 7pm. He constantly whinges, nothing will settle him and nothing that makes him happy works. He also has a really bad temper and throws toys around or hits out. It’s exhausting and depressing to come home to such an unhappy boy after a busy day at work.

It used to stop at tea time(5pm) but is now impacting that too, where he’ll sit in his high hair, eat about 5 nibbles of food and then scream to come out, throwing anything I try to feed him on the floor. He used to be a good eater but is barely eating anything at tea time now.

it doesn’t happen on the weekends, providing we go out somewhere in the afternoon or in Wednesdays when it’s just us.

Any ideas on what’s going on? I hate coming home to a sad, angry little boy.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Sadmammy · 13/09/2024 18:01

Sorry for all the typos - DH is supervising DS and I’m trying to hide my phone or he’ll have a meltdown if he sees it (as I won’t let him
have it or play with it)

OP posts:
Row23 · 13/09/2024 18:22

What are his naps like on the days he’s not with you? Maybe he’s just not getting enough sleep during the day so is tired and grumpy from 4pm.

Sadmammy · 13/09/2024 18:52

Row23 · 13/09/2024 18:22

What are his naps like on the days he’s not with you? Maybe he’s just not getting enough sleep during the day so is tired and grumpy from 4pm.

They tend to be pretty much the same as when he’s with us- about 2-2 1/2 hours in the afternoon. He doesn’t have a morning nap anymore as he started refusing it around the time he turned one and sleeps through the night. I did wonder if it was overtiredness but the length of his nap is pretty consistent.

OP posts:
Sadmammy · 15/09/2024 12:00

Any ideas? He was fine again yesterday afternoon. It seems to be the days he’s with his grandparents and me and DH come home to him. If he’s dropped off, he’s OK. Could it be a separation thing? He’s always been a high needs, demanding child but is very pleasant as long as he’s constantly entertained. He just doesn’t seem to know what he wants in these whiney afternoons - nothing works.

We’re due another one in November and I honestly thought he’d be getting a bit easier by now so I’m just anxious about how we’re going to cope.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page