Can anyone tell me when my overtired little madam will adjust to Reception and be my kind loving DD again?

[millingtonsmummy]

DD (4.8) started full time school 2 weeks ago and my kind, sweet DD is possessed with a snappy, rude little madam with a tendency to lash out and shout at me over the tiniest things. Lovely :D

I was braced for this but my patience is wearing thin, in your experience when do they adjust and start to cope better with the exhaustion that full time school entails. Am I being optimistic to think she'll be back to her old self by half term?

Probably! It definitely took longer than a few weeks with dd1. It is a huge adjustment and there are so many new rules for them to learn - they just kick off when they come out.

What helped mine was occasional days off, always meeting with healthy snack, bringing dinner forward to 4.30, being in bed by 6.30.

Way optimistic ! Korv has it right. Easter if you're lucky. Early bedtimes a must. It is my one regret that I did not give DS (Aug born) a few duvet days in reception. It might have made things a lot easier. Note this first term is ridiculously long.

sometime in year 1.

dd2 (year1) finds it impossible to be nice to anyone after school. Obviously, she is a delight in school.

Dd1 went ot bed at 4pm every night the last week before the first half term, and had to be woken in the morning at 8:30 for school.
After that she was fine.

Dd2 never seemed to notice.

Ds still hasn't really adjusted and he's year 1. (but young in the year)

My dd is 10 now but I remember this well.

She was in bed by 6:30 every night for the first term in reception and I can remember think in the November that she was still so grumpy!

I can't remember it happening after Christmas though so I guess it was just one term with her.

My ds did something similar when going into year one - he found that transition much harder than starting school.

Week 5 of the 2013 summer holiday.

Then you'll discover that Yr1 is harder work than Reception (less play, more structured).

Mine has gone the other away, still up at 9.30 wide awake, raring to go at 7am. I was hoping for the tiredness but no such luck.
Our reception teachers have advised us to have duvet days if they seem tired.

She will settle into the routine eventually but it must be so tiring for them!

I used to be waiting outside for DS with a drink and a banana, I would keep talk to a minimum so he had less chance to snap back at me or start whinging - he would often come out and say "do no talk to me mummy". Then he would get an hour of chilling out and being left alone, he often took himself off up to his room or would watch a bit of cbeebies. Then early tea, bath and bed!

A while to wait then! Thanks for sharing your stories, she's always in bed around 6.45 but I think I'll start making that earlier. I like the idea of duvet days, for both of us!

My dd took ages and is still like this after school to some degree. She was 4 and 4m when she started, so is 5 and 4 now, and still gets really tired out, stressed, and cross. I wish she was happier tbh. I find feeding her supper at about 4/4.30 at the latest helps as overtired and overhungry is a lethal combination. Then into the bath at around half past five and we are on cue for her to go to sleep before half past seven, which she really needs.

I think DD was okisch by half-term, by Christmas she got back to being overtired and ready for the holiday.

Early bedtimes didn't work as we aren't home before 6pm but she went back to having naps at weekends.