5 year olds behaviour is so challenging

[Pickleparty1]

Hi all,

i absolutely adore my 5 year old. He's bright, he's funny and cheeky but his constant whining, ignoring us when we're asking him to do something and moaning is getting really really bad.
To the point where some days mine and my husbands day is just miserable. I feel so stressed at the moment.
No matter what time he goes to bed he wakes at 5am and he wake us up abruptly. Either shouting for us and I have to rush in to stop him waking his sister or he comes into our room and pokes me until I'm awake. He wants food straight away, or to watch TV.
we've tried the whole no tv and leaving him food but it doesn't help. He still wants me or his dad.
Today we had a snow day and so we went for a walk and thought it would be lovely (we had a snow ball fight last time it snowed and it was so fun). But he just moaned and cried the whole time. He moaned the whole way round the shop. He asked for a kinder egg and so I said no, because his behaviour wasn't good enough. He screamed and threw himself on the floor. I was so embarrassed. I never give in to demands. I am constantly saying moaning and shouting doesn't get you what you want and I mean it. It doesn't. If I take things away or say I will, I always follow through.

I just don't know what I'm doing wrong.
he does have coeliac disease so he can't eat anything with gluten and he's on iron for iron deficiency plus multivitamins so he's getting everything he should from a body development point of view. Just 😫

I have a five year old son and his behaviour got quite challenging over Christmas. Someone recommended Raising Boys by Steve biddulph which I have ordered. The same person said boys have a testosterone surge around this age and I don’t know how true it is but my ds certainly seems quick to anger and very emotional / volatile at the moment, though he’s calmer now than he was.

do you think he might stay in his room a bit longer with a tonie box or yoto player? Ds has a tonie box and it’s really good for when you want a bit of peace in the day without relying on screens!

sympathy though; ds whinged his way through a winter walk last week!

Thank you. He does have a Tonie box in his room which he always falls asleep to and he does have Lego, books etc in his room. Just wants me constantly. I'll have a look at that book thank you xx

Is he eating enough during the day @Pickleparty1? The Caroline Walker Trust has a useful guide here which includes sample menus and portion sizes.

Is he warm enough too? I think those are the first 2 things I’d rule out with early waking.

The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers has a Chapter on early waking. It’s an American book so I think your DS is still in the right age range for the book.

Have you also read 10 days to a less defiant child? It sounds as though it might help you deal with hin day to day without the misery

I would also do this simple progress checker, just to rule out any little quirks with his communication or understanding which could be behind his demands.

My nearly 5-year-old son is a lot like this. Like the other poster he was particularly difficult at Christmas. I know you might not want to, but on a morning when he wakes you up, what I do is I have some dry cereal in a bowl in my bedroom, and the iPad and I switch it onto the children’s YouTube section and I hand it to him he takes into his bedroom & we get at least another hour sleep.

Here’s become particularly resistant to demands, deliberately doesn’t listen or deliberately doesn’t do what we’ve asked him. He also every now and then will pick something to have a tantrum about which could be the colour of his socks, whether or not he’s gonna have an apple or orange, or any other reason and he will throw himself on the floor. Then during the tantrum says he can’t get up and just throws himself around on the floor for about 15 minutes. Sometimes it goes on longer if you try and intervene.

This drama attitude comes and goes and normally last for about three days, and then we have about a week off and then it starts again. I try and make sure he’s had plenty of sleep, warm & food, but we’re exhausted so he’s watching the iPad for half an hour at a time when it’s like this, so we can all have a break.