Back at work, sleep and routines messed up totally! Normal?

[gerbo]

Help!

I'm back at work, teaching, after 16 months with my dd. She's at a local chhildminder's, and she seems fantastic - kind, smily and helpful and dd has apparently been happy there...

So, why is her sleep up the spout? And we're suddenly having tantrums...

She usually naps for 2 hours in the middle of the day, goes down well, then goes down pretty well at 7 and sleeps till 6/630.

Now we run home after my half days, I try to calm her down with a story then put her in bed at around 1 (later than normal). She then seems to chat and mess around till around 230 when she drops off, and hour and a half or so later than normal!!

I've been waking her around 3/330 (so she goes down at night) and this seems to cause an almighty tantrum - screaming, shaking and cross crying. Then I feel terrible.

Her night time sleep is also messed up and she's waking more than she ever did - last night was the worst night we ever had with her - hardly any sleep at all.

Tantrums and messing around not sleeping are so out of character. Is this normal when you're back at work? (Maybe she's sensing that I'm struggling a little and frankly don't want to be doing it...)

Any tactics/tips from other mums of toddlers who've left babies with childminders?

Thanks....................

yep it is normal.

Tantrums/messed up sleep always happen when their lives get disrupted - it will settle down in a few weeks. Try to keep much the same as normal and she will start to settle down.

With her nap - have you considered dropping it? Or changing the time of it? I wouldn't wake her up if she's so bad tempered when you do. OR could she nap in morning at childminders?

It makes going back ot work worse, but hang in there and she will get settled down into her new routine.

Thanks Armadillo - I feel so bad about the whole thing and friankly wish I cold stay with her till she's at school!

I thought it must be the changes she's going through...

Thanks for your reply - I'll hang on in there! Going back to work sucks.

For her, her world has changed. She's had 16 months of you all the time, so things are going to be odd. When you pick her up, she's delighted to see you, so isn't going to want to go to sleep straight away.

I really wouldn't wake her up (my DS is like this if you wake her), and then just see how things go.