Are huge emotions normal after starting reception?

[SurfinAndTurfin]

My daughter has started reception this week, half days only and has gone in happily and has said how much she likes it.

So I've been completely taken by surprise by her tonight - she's normally a pretty placid kid but everything has been a battle ending in her screaming at me for the tiniest of things. Come bedtime even though we did her normal routine it descended into her screaming and crying, saying she wasn't tired and got herself in such a state. She was kicking and biting and just generally uncontrollable in a way I haven't seen since the terrible 2s! I've just managed to get her to sleep now at gone 9pm so I know she will be cranky tomorrow now.

I know she is just exhausted and today has been a lot but I just feel awful now. Should I have put her to bed even earlier?? Is this normal behaviour for starting school?

Did she do nursery or is this a first for going somewhere without you? Does she react like that after other events? Is it possible she isn't feeling very well? There are some colds about at the moment already

Completely normal!!

She's been at nursery since 12 months (8 hour days) so she's very used to being away from me. Nope, I can't think of anything else that's caused such a big reaction. She is generally pretty chill and happily does lots of new things. So it's a bit of a shock

Very normal until January. Hang on in there!

Completely normal and it will be for the last week in August and first week in September for the next 13 years. Lots of TLC for you both and early nights.

Very normal for both of mine. And yes, both had been to nursery before. It’s a massive change for them after all.

Oh yes. Totally normal. They are going through so much new stuff, so much stimulation.

Yes! Mine needed a snack in my hand to meet her with for the walk home and was shattered that first 6 weeks!

She also regressed a bit and wanted some Peppa Pig.

It's normal.

Put them to bed as early as possible. I found getting them ready for bed ridiculously early (straight from school sometimes) worked because then you can judge when they're getting tired and just go straight to bed. Sometimes you spot it too late and if you then need to do bath etc. it means they're so overtired by bedtime.

Really normal, the first few weeks my dd needed a nap after school! Also make sure she’s eating enough, my dd was so hungry when she first started school.

So normal. You think if they’ve had full days at nursery it’ll be fine but it absolutely isn’t! But it does get better.

She's taking in a lot, it's only her first week. Mine weren't happy until exactly half way through year one and then something clicked into place. They work so hard processing all the noise, stimulation, understanding the rules, trying to be good, it all kind of just comes out when they get home. Also when they're at nursery, they're much less aware of social expectations. When they get to about 4 or 5, they start to become more aware of others expectations, big feelings like shame or embarrassment start to emerge where they never felt those things before and it just adds to all the other sensory noise they're trying to keep up with processing. My son used to say 'don't say anything mummy' on the way home from school because I think he just needed the silence

Yeah we had to move bedtime forward by a whole hour

Oh absolutely.
DS1 was an angel at school but as soon as he got home he would sob and cry.
Massively earlier bed time helped.
He got better by end of term but after each holiday going back it would start again for a while.

Very tired, possibly. One of mine, a summer baby so young in the year, would fall face down on the carpet and sleep as soon as they got home.

Absolutely normal! Very difficult phase but it doesn’t last. Good luck!

My ordinarily even tempered go with the flow DD had regular screaming meltdowns for the first term and a bit.

She needed quiet time (which included screen time) and snacks to decompress. She was the oldest in class as well with an early September birthday. My mum had warned me in advance it was likely to happen.

It's a huge, huge change, even if they'd attended nursery. They're learning and taking in so much, even on these early half days.

Normal.

Pick her up from school with a banana for the walk home. Let her chill at home, and then early to bed.

Yes, completely normal - from age 4 to 6 many little girls live on an emotional roller coaster. It can be like the teen years but without any of the restraint or inhibition of the average 13 year old girl...

Normal

Absolutely normal

She's exhausted