DS tired in reception

[LightsOnNotIn]

My DS is so tired at the end of the school day. It's all I can do to stop him falling asleep at 3.30 when we get home.

What do you do with your children when you get home? Do you make a tea for them straightaway? Do you play with them? What do you play? Do you let them play by themselves and do jobs around the house?

I've been told that by Christmas he will be more awake.

Same here. My DS had never 'slept through', but since day1 of school he's been asleep within 2 minutes of getting in to bed and is sleeping for about 8hrs, waking for a drink, then sleeping again for another 3. Given the choice, he'd stay in bed even longer, as he did at the weekend.
So, we've brought bedtime forward, meaning dinner is at 4.30ish, rather than 6, and bath, milk and story starts at 6 rather than 7.30.
He was still having a nap most days, before September, and would happily have one at 3.30, like your son. It feels a bit cruel, keeping him awake, but I know it would be harder for him to go to school after a late night.
Most days we go straight to the park for a bit, just to distract him/keep him awake. Hopefully, when he gets used to it all, we can go straight home and chill out before dinner and bed.

What time does he go to bed? My DS goes to bed at 7:30, perhaps I should bring this forward. I was also thinking of going to the park after school, but the extra walk might tire him out even more! Still, worth a try.

Ds is just about coping, but only due to bringing his bed forward to 630 as he's an early riser and up at 615-630. 12h was unheard of before he started school.

He gets a snack when he gets home to give him an energy boost, big tea or sandwich then cereal for supper around 5 as his appetite has gone through the roof. He plays or has some quiet time at the moment. We don't do any after school clubs etc but will think about these after Christmas

He's going at 7ish now, rather than 8-9. I used to put him to bed that late, as any earlier, and he would jump up after 2-3 hours, wide awake, thinking he'd been for a nap!

We're fortunate that the park is very close to school, and that its still warm. Like you, we've been told he'll likely be less tired by Xmas. I did say that, if he was tired/tearful at school in the afternoons, I'd continue with half days for a while longer, but he is still enjoying it. We have had a few tears/tantrums at home, though, as he's just too tired/overwhelmed to be rational :(

DD is also exhausted. She was crying with tiredness on the walk home from school today. She did perk up after tea whereas immediate post-school snack had had no effect so I'm thinking we might change to having tea at 4pm and then, if she needs it, a snack at 6.30 just before bed. It doesn't matter if the DC eat that early as DP & I never eat until around now as he is never home before 7.30pm

7.30 seems too late. My ds has a 6.30 bedtime now he's at school.

DS1 gets home, has a snack, watches TV/plays, tea at 5.30pm, bath, bed by 7pm.

Snack straight after school, play/scoot/bike riding in the garden, tea at 5, bath, stories and bed at 6.30/45 here! Then dd2 sleeps till 7.30am!

Dd2 goes to the cm from school where she plays with the other mindees til 5pm. They have a snack as soon as they get there and that has ti keep her going til I can pick her up at 5. She is exhausted, but there's nothing I can do about it right now. She never slept through before she started school but now she stays in her own bed all night and is difficult to wake up in the morning. She goes to bed at 7 and I just can't figure out how to get that earlier without missing something important like dinner.

DS was absolutely exhausted in the first term of reception and that was after being in f/t nursery. It knocks them for six - the change, the new routines etc.

Our coping strategy was a biscuit/snack at 4pm with tea just after 5pm. Lots of time to watch TV and play, and some snuggling up to do reading or phonics sounds. I felt a bit guilty that our evenings were so dull but he was tired and extremely grumpy and emotional.

Upstairs at 6:25pm after a glass of milk, bath/shower, bed, stories and lights out by 7pm.

Just to reassure you that it does get better. The Autumn term is a long one though and you've got the fun of Christmas at the end with plays, parties, assemblies etc. so don't expect miracles . After Christmas DS coped much better and by Easter he was enjoying playing out after school, going out for tea and having friends round which I wouldn't have entertained at the start. It's amazing how much they grow up in that first 6 months.

My dd was the same. She fell asleep as soon as we got home until 6pm. For the first 2 terms I took her home after lunch on a Wednesday and Friday.

Hmm, I tried putting DS to bed even earlier last night, but he woke 4 times asking for milk. I think we'll try dinner as soon as we get in, then porridge just before bed. I don't really want to bring him downstairs after his bath, tho, as it hasn't occurred to him before that it's an option! Could try porridge at 4, dinner at 6, bed at 7, I suppose. He's eating twice as much as he used to, as well as sleeping longer. It just makes me even more convinced that 4 is too young for f/t school :(

My DS is quite knackered. This surprised me, as although he's doing an extra day from when he was in nursery he's always been very active wherever he is. I try to get him fed and to bed a bit earlier on the two days I can collect him after school (rather than when he's in after school club), but this seems to have backfired last night and he came into us at 4.30am :(

The meals at school are quite small my son was hungry when he started school.

I can't wait till Christmas! DS1 is exhausted already, but has the problem of becoming increasingly hyperactive when he's knackered, he finds it really hard to switch off so isn't falling asleep till after 8pm most nights and still awake around 7am latest.

We scoot to school, walk/scoot home - walking while eating snack, scoot when finished, tea at 4.30ish, upstairs at 6.15, lights out 7 to 7.30. Then up to an hour of "but I want a wee/poo/drink/cuddle/to tell you in minute detail something that happened last week..."

Only after school activity is swimming, which he's coping with so far but he can miss if needs be. Other than that it's playing in the garden, with his cars, lego, trio, trains, watching TV (actively encouraged at the mo, so he sits still and rests for a bit!)

His sister (now y3) was just the same, she did get better but I remember that first term was pretty hideous!

my ds is being a nightmare, he at the point where he's so tired he's just having tantrums and crying for no reason yet he can't seem to switch off and go to sleep straight away, i'm hoping its a short term thing

I am actively encouraging my DS to lie on the sofa and watch tv as long as he wants when he gets home from school. He has a healthy snack eg cheese and apple and then chills out until dinner at 5pm, leisurely bath, story bed by 7pm.

Sorry if I am being a bit thick but if they are tired why are you taking them to the park after school? Surely they need to have a physical and mental rest?!

maddhatter, chilling in front of the tv sounds ok. But I like to save his tv time for wind down time after 5.30 ish. He'd be a telly addict if I let him.

Like Maddhatter my DS is coming home and chilling in front of the TV with a snack for about an hour before he's ready to play after school. A couple of times we've gone straight out after school and while he is tired he has coped ok. I thought his swimming lesson on Monday evening was going to be a disaster but last week he did really well although he was very tired.

Tbh I thought DS would be more tired than he is. He's now in bed and asleep by 7.30-8pm and awake by 6.30-7am. This is better than over the summer when he wasn't going to sleep till 8.30pm. I'd love a child who slept more than 11 hours!

It will get harder as the term goes on I reckon.

Ds1 doesn't seem that tired tbh. But he's always had very active days. Non school days we spen hours outside on bikes/ walking/ climbing trees, and since tiny we have done 'work' at home ie reading/ writing practice. So I think school is actually less tiring for him than a normal day

Have brought bed forward from 9pm to 8pm though, so he sleeps 8pm-7.45am. Dinners at 7pm here.

In her first term, dd1 came home and took herself off to bed for a nap. I woke her around 5.00 for tea, then TV, bath and back to bed. By half term it was just a quiet hour in her bed listening to story CDs rather than a nap, and by the Easter term she could even manage one after school activity a week, as long as she had 'quiet time' (previously known as 'nap time') at the weekends.

Snack on the way home, reading, play.

Tea at 5pm, more playing, bed at 6.30, stories until 7.

They sleep (DTs) until 7.30a