Hysterics after afternoon nap - 2 year old

[greenlady]

Hi there
It's been a while since I posted but something strange is going on and I can't work out what!  So, I'm back grovelling to all you helpful BW's and hopefully someone has had similar situation so can give me a clue what to do. 

DD is 25 months, and has never normally had a problem with the afternoon naps.  But, today she just cried hysterically for about an hour when she woke up (by herself), and nothing pacified her.  Finally I got her to eat some biscuits and 10 minutes later she was clingy but at least not crying. Usually she sleeps for 2 hours in the pm and sleeps 12 hours ok at night.

Today we had...
7.00 wake up
8.00 breakfast
9.00 playschool
12.00 lunch
1.30 down for nap
2.00 sleep
4.00 awake - screaming
5.30 supper
6.30 bath
7.30 bed - no problem, no crying

I think she's teething, but she doesn't wake up cranky in the morning.  Also, it hasn't helped that over the last two weeks the routine has been very disrupted by the Easter Hols, and nap time has been all over the place for the last few weeks, but we are only reverting back to what was there before and I din't expect her to be soooo cross.
So, should I drop the afternoon nap completely?
Is 2 hours not enough?
Could it be hunger (low blood sugar levels).
Should I wake her up earlier - she used to be very cranky if I did that and take ages to "wake up"
Is is SA - or just a 2 year old thing?

Hope someone has some ideas - I don't think I could cope with the same thing tomorrow!

Thanks
Julia

[KellyC]

Hi Julia

I so know what you mean!  Zander tends to be like that if he sleeps too long or too late in the afternoon.  I certainly wouldn't go from 2 hours to no nap at all but you could experiment with waking her earlier and see if that helps.  Zander dropped his nap a couple of months ago but now takes one maybe 2-3 times a week (and is a nightmare to get to bed on those days - can't have everything eh?!).

Kelly x

[nike]

I remember experiencing this a few times when DS1 was your LO's age.  I just put it down to maybe having a little dream or waking when not quite ready   But then sometimes I also thought maybe he just had too much sleep.     Sometimes he'd be absolutely hysterical, others just very whingey, and nothing would help, then he'd seem to just suddenly snap out of it!  Very weird.  I'd be hanging onto that daytime sleep for as long as you can .  It might just be a little blip or phase.  But if it starts to happen regularly, maybe you can think about strategising then!

[greenlady]

thanks guys - it helps to know it's happened to other people.  DD slept right through to 7.00 this morning and is as happy as anything.  I agree about holding on to the afternoon nap for as long as poss! I'll see how it goes today.

Thanks
Julia

[KellyC]

thanks guys - it helps to know it's happened to other people.  DD slept right through to 7.00 this morning and is as happy as anything.  I agree about holding on to the afternoon nap for as long as poss! I'll see how it goes today.

Thanks
Julia

Though you won't be saying that when she gets to the stage Zander's at - any daytime sleep means he's still awake at 9pm or later!  So pleased she slept well last night   Hopefully it was a one-off.

Kelly x

[greenlady]

Update
What do you know - I put her down at 1.00 and woke her up at 3.00 and she was fine and even in a good mood!  So, I won't go so far as to say I've cracked it, (never tempt a sleeping baby), but I think maybe yesterday I put her down too late, so she was very tired and slept too long, and then was grumpy when she woke up.  So, thanks for your help. 
Kelly - not looking forward to Zander's age - when did he drop his nap?
Julia x

[KellyC]

Well, this is bad but I can't really remember!  I'm going to say at about 27/28 months he dropped it completely but just lately we've started having him nap maybe 2-3 times a week but we just play it by ear based on his mood really!

Kelly x