# Toddler still wakes up from naps crying



## ajsgirl (Mar 31, 2004)

Poor guy. I won't say it's all the time, but for about 90% of his naps, he wakes up crying loudly, like a young baby would. Occasionally, he will wake up happily and start chit chatting to himself, but most of the time not. Of course, I always get him right away to try to give him a more peaceful wake-up. He just turned 2, and I'm wondering when he'll wake up from his naps happy more often. I understand that after a nap we're all sometimes a bit groggy and cranky. If I wake up next to him (as I like to nap with him







), then he wakes up, looks at me and says "hi mommy!" and gives me great big hugs and kisses all over. It's the most wonderful thing, but unfortunately, I just can't nap with him every day.

The reason I'm even posting about this is because this weekend, at my MIL's house, he woke up like this (as he usually does) and she thought it was odd that he was still waking up crying. She's the supervising teacher in a pretty progressive preschool and her group is all kids my ds' age, so I thought to myself, "maybe this isn't so normal?? is he having bad dreams all the time? Poor little guy!" Then again, maybe since those kids are all in daycare full time, they're in a different routine....?

What do you think? Does your toddler wake up happy or crying? Maybe mine's just a cranky waker-upper?


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## Fletchersmama (May 23, 2003)

my guy, almost 2.5 still wakes crying too! I have never even thought about, except that I wish sometimes he would wake and just start playing instead of needing to nurse!









I think different kids/adults wake differently. I don't worry about it, I don't think you should either!


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## ktcl (Jul 12, 2003)

My DS is just 2, and he also wakes from naps crying. I want to believe that this is just normal, and he's ok, but it makes me kinda sad. I, too,wish that he would just wake up and start playing or chatting. I remember when I used to babysitt my neice, and I would her her babbling through the monitor, and I'd go in and she'd just be playing with her stuffed animals. I think that's what I always imagined. I'm guessing it'll change at some point, but I'd love to know what I could do to make it better for him. Side note...I don't think he wakes up crying at day care (he's there 2 days a week).


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## IncaMama (Jun 23, 2004)

yup DS usually wakes up whining/crying...i think it's just because he doesn't want to be awake yet...he always takes a long time to fully wake up and needs some snuggles/cuddles. when he wakes up next to me he never cries or whines...just rolls over to nurse and still takes the 20 minutes or so to fully wake up. if you try to mess with him/make him do something before those 20 minutes is up GOOD LUCK! LOL


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## Castle (Aug 29, 2004)

My 23 month old DD wakes up and cries out "Mama! Mama!" in a really kind of desperate way. I always run up as fast as I can calling out "I'm coming!" which calms her down when she hears my voice. If I take even a little bit longer she starts crying. I think she just doesn't like waking up alone. Even if I'm lying next to her, she'll cry out "Mama!" the same way if we're not touching and she's facing the other way so isn't sure I'm there.


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## Rox5266 (Nov 26, 2004)

My ds will sometimes wake up whining/crying from naps. Usually I think it is because he is still tired and really needs to sleep more. I also will go to him and nurse him awake for 20-30 minutes, or nurse him back to sleep if he is still tired. Sometimes I nap with him on weekends and he never wakes up upset when next to me. But when he does this for my dh and Mother, they have to deal with it another way since they obviously can't nurse him. :LOL

It makes me sad when I hear from them that he woke up from his nap crying and hard to console.







How I wish I was a SAHM and always there when he is upset to comfort him!

Roxanne
Daniel 8/9/03


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## eksmom (Jun 29, 2004)

My DD still wakes up crying most of the time at 19 mos. A lot of times she literally wakes up crying - it's not that she wakes up, looks around, and goes, "Oh, I'm alone... WAH!"

I guess/hope it's normal. I don't like to wake up either! :LOL


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## Mama2ABCD (Jun 14, 2003)

i went through this with both my boys when they turned 3 (they are 16 mos apart). waking for the start of a day, or after a nap they would wake crying. even though they nursed when they awoke, they still cried. it just seemed they didn't get enough sleep. after going thru it with the 1st, when the 2nd went thru it at the same age i new it was just a phase and not to worry about it. they are both thru it, but it lasted a few months in each dc. i think it was that they woke tired, irritable and didn't understand.
i think it's normal...at least it was for our family. my boys are pretty chipper when the wake now.
trust that it will work itself out. sorry, your MIL had to say that. that's not what you need to hear.


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Abi always wakes up crying. Still does at 4.5 years old. I think some kids just wake up like a rain cloud. Nitara is the opposite and wakes up happy and ready to go. I am sure it's just how they were wired before birth. I haven't done anything different.


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## scheelimama (Aug 2, 2003)

I have a few comments. First, my dd (2 y/o) still wakes up part of the time crying. She used to do it every time, so we are making progress.







And like others, I have to give her a bottle (she quit nursing while I was pregnant the second time around) and she will drink her milk while she wakes up for 15-20 minutes.

However, she's been in daycare fulltime for the last 9 months and she rarely wakes up crying there. There have only been a handful of times that they have said she was tearful upon waking. I think they are just in a different mode at daycare. She also sleeps better/longer there. The expectations are different than they are at home. I wouldn't worry about what your mom said.

Also, like some other said, I also believe it's hardwired into us. My dh says that I wake up crying/whining sometimes. I don't realize it and I think it is only when I'm really tired and am having trouble waking up.


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