Starting school has made 3yo DD's behaviour worse - help!

[mumofeve]

After a LONG summer with my feisty 3yo DD, I was quite looking forward to her starting school. Until I went on maternity leave in Feb, she had attended nursery each morning since being 8mo, and then playgroup 2 mornings a week from Feb - July this year. I therefore put her bad behaviour over the summer down to being bored and being 3! It was nothing terrible - just not listening to a word I said, following me round constantly, annoying her brother (6mo) etc. Just general 3 year old behaviour. I was hoping that starting school (2.5 hours a day) was going to sort out the boredom issues and give some structure. She's been going for nearly a week, and her behaviour has got much worse. She has started being quite destructive (which she has never been before) - for example yesterday she hit her brother with her bag deliberately, and broke one of my DVDs, and this morning she threw the baby monitor into the fireplace in a temper. Her sleep has gone really bad lately - she has started getting up 4 or 5 times in the night, and waking up really early. I know her behaviour is probably cos she's tired but its only been a week and I'm already despairing! HELP!

Sorry, I don't have any advice. I've seen this with friends' children when they've started school - she's very young to be in school. I think it can be very overwhelming to them - exhausting mentally. And being away from you etc.

Anyway, we home educate so don't have this problem but thought I'd bump your post for you!

Probably a mix of being 3, new baby and perhaps doing too much and finding it difficult.

The fact that she is suddenly waking up such a lot would make me think she is unsettled.

5 mornings is a lot if you don't need it, perhaps do 3 so that you have gaps in the middle where you are not rushing to get up and out of the house. Private nursery is different to a school nursery and there are a lot of expectations that can be over whelming. Sometimes they work so hard at being 'good' at school/nursery they let it all out when they get home.

Have you spoken to the nursery teacher to see how she is when she is with them? May be worth having a chat and then thinking about what you can do to take some of the pressure off.

Also, do you have any support or help with the baby? Was just wondering if perhaps having an hour or 2 a week where it was just you and your DD might help.

Or you could set aside some time when your baby is asleep to play games etc. Just a thought that perhaps with starting nursery 5 mornings and a new baby, she may be feeling a little pushed aside.

Hope things settle down for you soon, especially with the sleeping

you do mean nursery school don't you?

cut down on the days until she's a bit older