Classic witching hour but he's 16 months old!

[nike]

Please forgive me if this is in the wrong place.  I have no idea where to post!  I think it's a food/eating issue??

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. My little guy is 16mo and is still a Mr Crankypants every afternoon, basically when he gets up from his nap. It's really wearing thin now, having a whingey bub hanging off my leg every afternoon as I'm trying to cook dinner (which I have earlier prepared to save time and in advance of this!) He is developmentally & speech delayed, so is only crawling and slightly babbling. Frustration perhaps??

I have moved him to one nap a day in the last month but things are going well there. He naps for 3 hours and is happy when he wakes. It's around 4 p.m. really that his alter ego appears! We dropped the a.m. bottle at the same time he dropped the a.m. sleep and his hunger is HUGE atm. I have bumped up his afternoon tea from a snack to almost a meal and he still appears hungry an hour later! TBH, I don't even know if it's hunger related at all but he seems to really perk up during dinner...in fact when he's eating or just after is when he seems most happy. 

He is cutting eye teeth and is recovering from an ear infection requiring 3 courses of antibiotics, so I know I should cut him some slack, but he really has always been like this from day dot. Classic colic/witching hour material. I also have a preschooler who I feel gets a little neglected due to my attention being focused on him. His grandma thinks he's got me wrapped around his little finger. Maybe she's right?? 

Any tips??

[EmMUK74]

so sorry you're going through this. when rachel has an eating day she will also not stop eating all afternoon and I have learned to go with her on this. she eats when she wakes and then I have taught her to tell me when she's hungry and I have a supply of food she can eat on the run which is healthy and filling (fruit and veg sticks and sandwiches and raisins and yoghurts in tubes and loads of milk to drink).  You said he is only babbling but could you teach him a sign to tell you when he's hungry so he can tell you and then you can feed him?

hth good luck

[nike]

Thanks so much for your reply.  In the scheme of things it's not that big an issue but it is starting to wear a little thin now that he's 16 months!  It would be nice if he could go and play by himself just for a little while so that I could get a few little things done, esp preparing dinner.  I just don't understand why he's so whingey and seems like he's starving when all I seem to do is feed him 24/7!  I do give him all the snacks you suggested, thanks.  He's not keen on veges tho

I hadn't considered baby signing but seeing as though it looks like speech is a long way off for him (our next step is seeing a speechie) then I could try implementing some basic signs.  He is being assessed by a child psych next week to see where he's at cognitively, so I will definitely speak to her about that. 

Thanks again

[Aly Mac]

Just wanted to send you some hugs love.xxxx

I taught L the food sign about 2months ago, and she picked it up quickly. 

[EmMUK74]

It would be nice if he could go and play by himself just for a little while so that I could get a few little things done, esp preparing dinner. 

sorry to say it but I am still waiting for that point!  however now I get her to bring some of her play food and cooking sets into the kitchen so at least she's not clinging to me but copying me!

hope the assessors can help, and remember you can establish any sign you want for food, as long as you both understand.  good luck

[nike]

Yeah, think I just had it too good with DS1.  He is excellent at playing independently, so I've never really experienced this before   Just goes to show how different in personality your children can be, even with the same environment

[Pigeon]

Hi, although DS is slightly younger than yours (13 months) we have the same thing here. From 4.15 onwards he stands at the stair gate in our kitchen and rattles on it like he's in jail, moaning and crying...and its always when I'm preparing dinner. I know he's great at playing independently the rest of the time and I know its hunger related in our case (I give him a bread stick, he happily goes off to eat it, then comes back when its finished and starts grumbling again!). I also have a cupboard in our kitchen with all the kids stuff in it, he spends many happy half hours emptying it/trying to drink from the beakers/banging the plates etc while I'm cooking.
Good luck with the child psych.

[Bryony's mum]

Ds2 sounds like your ds, nike.  He just whinges and fusses and cries from about 4pm onwards, and I end up feeding him a stream of raisins and small bits of bread in order to get dinner ready. Now the weather's improving and he can go outside, he's better, but then we run into the trouble that we can't stay out all the time as at some point I have to bring him in to cook tea.  The more I delay, the hungrier he is by the time we come in!

[Corinne's Mommy]

What a relief to know my child isn't the only toddler with a witching hour!  I was just discussing this with my husband today!  I think it's related to hunger, because she eats a ton at dinner and then is happy as could be afterwards.  If I let her snack before dinner (after her nap) she doesn't eat dinner very well.  Maybe we'll have to move her dinner to an earlier time. At least now I know there are other moms with toddlers hanging off their leg come late afternoon!!

[nike]

Hi there!  Not that you want anyone to experience the same thing, but it is reassuring to know you're not alone isn't it   I don't know if ours is related to hunger or not but maybe the snacking is a distraction??  I've tried many things, including bringing dinner earlier but it didn't seem to help with his whinginess.  We eat as early as we can (5 p.m.) and I've taken to feeding DS a meal-like snack at about 3.30 to get us through to dinner.  Previously I'd only give him something little as I didnt' want to spoil his dinner, but it seems to have no effect...he can still eat like a horse!  Anyway, hoping it's something they grow out of really soon

Just out of curiosity, did any of you experience colic/fussiness with your lo's as young bubs?  DS2 was a real witching hour bub, total opposite to DS1.  Maybe that shows a little predisposition??

[Bryony's mum]

Don't know if it's a predisposition thing, but when my antenatal group from having Bryony met up every Monday afternoon, you could literally set your watch by the babies.  Suddenly one would start fussing and in no time at all there'd be at least 6 more fussing and whinging and you'd know it was about 4pm! I can't remember at what age they started and when it stopped, but it was a running joke for a what seemed like quite a long time.