Is 3.1 a massive developmental milestone?

[BlueBumedFly]

DD has always been chilled but headstrong. Slept like a dream 7/7, was vagely complient and regular volume.

Suddenly we have hit 3 and she is not sleeping well at all 5-6am wake ups, is grouchy (as tired), loud to the point of shrieky, never does as she is told without me getting to scary mummy. She seems to go off in a mad trance of excitement and running.

Shops are the worst, will not stay in eyeline and usually has a tantrum over something or the other. Bedtime becoming a regular battleground and the lack of sleep is doing my head in!! She crashed out for 2.5 hours in the day yesterday but then woke at 5.59am on the dot again today, it's like her internal alarms being set wrong!

It seems to have coincided with the heat rise we have right now - anyone else seen this?

Who stole my sweet child and left me with the mad one?

She wouldn't be the only one unable to sleep properly in these muggy nights and waking up feeling below par and grumpy... and I include myself in that description. I don't think age has anything to do with it, really. Weather's meant to break tomorrow so you should be able to see if she goes back to normal when it's a little cooler.

My 3.3yo is the same- I think it is the heat too.

Thanks guys, it's really hot in her room (26 degrees) and I cannot get a breeze in there as it's a corner room protected by the extension behind.

My 2 yo dd has taken to sleeping on the landing the last couple of nights. It must be a bit cooler.

Besom - what a clever pickle! Obviously knows what to do. DD has hard and fast ideas about clothes and would only wear full length pyjamas and socks (!!!) in bed. Last night she abandoned the socks and actually asked for a short sleeved top so she must have been hot! I have tried removing clothes in the night to keep her cool but she wakes up crying demanding them back on.

Three was the hard age

It's one of those awkward in between age where they are toddlers one minute and nearly-schoolchildren the next.

Heat won't be helping either. But tbh mine were hard work even in winter. They don't call it the threenage stage for nothing! In fact, I am finding the real teens far easier to deal with.

Tower fans are good this time of year. On a low setting they're background noise and not too difficult to fall asleep to. Keep curtains to the room shut during the part of the day when the sun is on the windows. Cool baths and hair washed last thing so that they go to bed a little bit damp... anything helps.

My dd is 3.1 and generally a lovely, sunny, positive girl. But in this heat she's sleeping badly, waking early and it's just making her grumpy which is not like her at all. She's also not used to having to drink this much and isn't as hydrated as she should be sometimes. Ice lollies have been brilliant.

She has changed a LOT though recently. Started writing and basic reading so I think developmentally there's something key too.

DD was 3 in the spring, and she still went through this - obviously she's not much older now, but there was definitely a sort of burst into a new stage right around 3. Hard to begin to list the ways she's changed. Understanding a lot more, and asking "why?". Being a lot more sociable, which you don't really notice with children she already knows at nursery etc., but is immediately obvious in the playground (she's also more vocal about her friends at nursery, too) At the same time, being shyer with some other people. More independent-minded, but also more persuadable.

She was tantrummy at exactly 3, too (same thing at exactly 2). A few months later, she only gets tantrummy when she's tired. So heatwave + going through a developmental leap must be particularly tough on you!

OP, yes, I've read about a develompental spurt at around 3 which messes with sleep - see here and [http://www.isabelagranic.com/bed-timing/25---3-years/page/2/ here]] for more info.

My dd doesn't tantrum, never has really, but her stubborness knows no bounds atm. You can do nothing for her at all. It does not matter that it takes her 10 minutes to do up her own buttons/laces or that she can't wash her own hair without missing half of it and shampooing her eyes or that it really would be easier if she'd just let me strap her into the car. No, she must do EVERYTHING for herself. She has just made herself a sandwich. It's not recognisable as a sandwich in terms of proportions (it's 67% cheese, 32% margarine and 1% bread) but there's no ways she'd allow us to help her with it. Today most of her clothes are the right way round and she's brushed the majority of her hair. Her socks match and her shoes are almost on the right feet. She's getting better but the stubborness, crikey.

Wow, thanks guys I feel so much better!! I will read the article thank you ans try to employ more patience.

Will read all posts later when I am sitting down and calm

We are off to a birthday garden party now, in this heat, her two teenage half-sisters have arrived for the weekend which is so very exciting for her and we had a 5.59am start to the day.

When can I start on the gin????