Anyone else got a baby that seems incapable of waking up without crying??!!

[Meandmyjoe]

Hi, my ds has always been pretty high maintenance and grumpy. He is 10 months old now and ever since he was born he has had real trouble waking up. I don't think he has ever woke up happy! He seems to take ages to actually wake up properly and cries when he is waking up til I walk around with him and comfort him. I thought this was fairly normal for young babies but he doesn't seem to be growing out of it! If I just put him down to play after a nap, he sobs and screams, even though he can crawl and has plenty of things around to amuse him. Is this normal?

I used to give my grumpy a one a bottle of milk as soon as she woke up - until she stopped having naps!

Ahh thanks for the suggestions ladies. Often a snack does coax him out of it but he's generally too wound up to take a bottle and just arches his back til I walk with him

He is an awkward little beggar! I will keep trying with the snacks. I think he just seems to be stuck in the half awake stage and just talking to him overstimulates him and makes him cry

Thanks again.

my ds is like this too, when he wakes in the morning he just starts crying straight away, my friends tell me their babies chatter away happily to themselves in their cot for a while, but not ds!

it's the same with naps, I always give him his milk straight away and just sit and cuddle him without even talking until he gradually perks up.

I think some babies are just like this - and some adults too - dh also takes ages to wake up in the morning!

Nothing useful to offer I'm afraid but just in the spirit of sisterly suffering BOTH my DDs are / were terrible with this. DD1 grew out of it at 4 years but DD2 is completely hysterical on waking from a nap (not usually when waking in the morning praise be). Like you I find a snack / drink of milk helps but often she is freaking out so much that it is all I can do to restrain from hurting herself. Tis a nightmare.

[wan smile emoticon]

Have you tried waking him before he would naturally wake up IYSWIM does it make a difference?

My DS is the same - before I had him I was under the illusion that babies woke and chattered and played for a bit by themselves when they woke up, oh how I know differently now!

He is now 12 mo and has got a little better has he got older. When he was younger I realised he always woke screaming after 30 mins and eventually figured out he was just coming out of a sleep cycle but was still tired, so I would give him some more milk and send him back to sleep. He would often sleep for quite a while longer then but would wake in a better mood. More frequently now he will wake after 30 mins, yelp, but will get himself back off to sleep and tends to wake happier. Sometimes even smiling

He still sometimes wakes very groggy and it takes ages to cheer him up. Cuddles work the best I find. I will try a snack in future as this may help.

I always thought that ours was the only one to do this! She's 1.5 now, and still does it. I give her milk and a snack when she wakes up from her nap, and then she has a cuddle and some "coming around" quiet time. Which works, but it's still a trial to deal with a near-hysterical toddler every afternoon...

Oh I am so relieved, ds is so angry/hysterical sometimes I thought he must be the only one!

AS he gets older try the dump in front of cbeebies/dvd etc with snack, worked for a friend of mine with her dd.

Hi,just wanted to add dd is 3.5 and STILL wakes up crying almost hysterically - does nothing for my blood pressure I can tell you! She has NEVER just woken and played quietly or called without any sense of panic!

My DD is a year old and does this about half the time. Tis very stressful being woken up by crying. Sometimes she just chats but there doesn't seem to be a pattern to it.

Not just me?! Phew! Tv on, drink, biscuit/snack, sorts her out...after 10/20 min happy as larry. Unless she did not get enough sleep Like the cuddle and quiet time tho... will go try it now

Yes, my dd is the same! Every morning without out fail she wakes up screaming, and I mean screaming. She then wanders into my bedroom and screams in my ear some more. I'm hoping she'll get over this phase soon (shes almost 3) I can think of nicer ways to be woken up! She sometimes has a nap in the afternoon and that is the worst- she wakes up hysterical and it takes her about an hour to stop crying before shes settled again. The only thing that helps is offering her a small square of chocolate which I resort to more often than I should. I to was under the illusion pre child that they wake up and entertain themselves thinking I could have a little snooze in bed...

Ha ha Meanmyjoe, not surprisinly DS2 10 months is also like this! I too get milk down him asap which seems to help. DS1 was also like this from about 18 months on, so used to give him snack in front of TV which helped. when he stopped his afternoon nap at age 2 he was definitely much happier and so was I, as i didn't have that feelign of dread 1.5 hours into his nap!

My DS also ALWAYS wakes up crying even after a 12 hour sleep! he's such a happy child at all other times so it's reassuring to see we are not alone. Will try the drink and snack option tomorrow!