second child (4 year old) in a terrible mood in the morning?

[umami_mommy]

my daughter is 4.5, co-sleeps, and wakes up in a terrible mood! she is ready to go as soon as she wakes up, if we don't hop out of bed she is snappy and grumpy and well, just plain mean. (usually she is a bright, verbal, fun to be with kid) when i wake up and go downstairs with her, she is demanding and crabby and just someone i don't like. (no wonder parents of yore thought their kids could be stolen by fairies and replaced!)

my son is a slow to wake up person. it takes him a while to get it together and she can really steamroll him and work him up into a rage with her moods. she'll also hit or kick him, bonk in with sippy cups, throw things at him or turn the TV off on him. it's crazy!

is this a normal 4 year old thing? i remember hating 4 with my son for different reasons. we start a morning pre-k program in a few weeks and i'd rather the morning not be so stressful for everyone.... any suggestions? 

(we are an NVC family, BTW... i'm looking for experience and suggestions... not punishment ideas)

[lifeguard]

I don't know if it's a normal 4 year old thing but I suspect it can just be a personality thing. I am NOT a morning person & have never been. I remember being quite young & incredibly irritable in the morning - it just really takes me a long time to accept the day has started. FWIW - although I am not a morning person I do prefer to just get up & get going - I hate drawn out wake-ups, if I'm going to be up I want to tackle the day.

Is it possible to give her more personal space in the morning?

[prancie]

Is she hungry?  My ds has gone through phases of being a real pill in the morning.  Usually it coincided with growth spurts.  One thing that worked during this time was to leave a snack on the bedside table for him to wake up and eat right away.  Nuts and raisins or something like that.  He was always so tickled to find his surprise snack in the morning, it was very cute.  

[One_Girl]

I agree with the idea of giving her something to eat first thing.  My dd is very driven by how hungry she is and a quick bite to eat really does work well to end almost any grumpy mood she is in.

The rest sounds like a sibling issue.  I have heard a lot of good reviews about Siblings Without Rivalry on MDC so it may be one that you will also find useful.  If she was hitting you I wouldn't think that was normal, but siblings are sometimes very awful to each other whenever they can be.  I can't even begin to count the number of horrible things my brother and I did to each other during our childhood.  I am sure moms with more than one child will be more help on this issue.

[umami_mommy]

ruled out hypoglycemia. surprised her with a finger prick this morning.... FBG: 94. nope not that. :(

[phathui5]

What time is she going to bed? When does she get up?

[umami_mommy]

she falls asleep between 6:30 and 7:15. she is up at about 6:20 every morning no matter what time she falls asleep at night. 

[LynnS6]

Even though she may not be hypoglycemic, she may just be cranky when she's hungry. No one in my family is hypoglycemic, and yet many of us get cranky and unreasonable when we're hungry. I would suggest a snack with protein before bed, some orange juice when she wakes up, and some breakfast with protein in it as well. Maybe put the

Then I would develop a morning routine with her. Maybe you can leave a cup of juice for her in the fridge and a breakfast she can get for herself. Then maybe some activities she can do that are 'special' to that time of day.

Is it possible that she's also an extrovert and gets her energy from other people? If that's the problem, then she's been without her 'energy source' for 11-12 hours and might need some focused interaction with you. Maybe some morning yoga with you? Reading a book and snuggling on the couch?

[umami_mommy]

gifted, extroverted and hungry. all of these things. i tested her because my mom and i both have morning hypoglycemia.