Knocked Up

My three year old is just like Axel-always has been...we have to steer clear of her for about 10-15 minutes after she wakes up, and proceed with caution after that...I think she's just not a morning (after nap) person...

Not that this helps, but it really might just be him, his way of waking up, especially since you say you also are a little slow to wake. My babysitter's second son was downright NASTY for at least an hour after waking. None of us could look at him or talk to him until he addressed us. Her other kids were fine when they got up.

It might be those on again off again ear infections.  I thought Michael was just a irritable, tantrum-prone lunatic.  But I really think a lot of his moods are due to him not feeling good but not knowing how to tell me.

poor axel! i feel like that on some mornings too... my question is: does he get a lot of attention and cuddles when he cries in the morning or after a nap? maybe it's his way of asking for them? another thought: is he usually hungry or thirsty when he wakes up? maybe leaving a sippy cup full of water where he can reach it when he wakes up would help.

Oh my God, Jane is the same way. I'm jealous of people who are woken up by "Mama!' or whatever. Not me. Jane is a screaming banshee in the a.m., and sometimes after naps too. She's fine once I go in, but geez.

My son (19 months) is EXACTLY the same.  I see no pattern to it (and we've been through the whole ear infection thing too-- no relation that I can see).  My only thought is maybe its a vestige of when he could only cry/scream to communicate.  It's like when he first wakes up he's still half asleep and forgets that "Oh yeah, I can TALK now.  All I have to do is call for [mommy or daddy] and they will come get me."  Instead, in his sleepiness he just reverts to crying/screaming.

Our daughter used to wake up a little like what you describe. However, since she's been in her big girl bed she sleeps all night and wakes up happy. Not sure if it’s the bed or just maturity, but whatever it is it works :-)

One thing that helped us overnight (both with sleeping later and Benjie waking in a decent mood) was to put a one-size bigger diaper on him. I might be cranky if I woke up with a gallon of water in my pants, too.

As for naps, Benjie sometimes wakes up like a bear, too. It's getting better as he gets older (he's almost 23 months). An Elmo video never-fails to calm a crabtastic toddler, though, at least in our house.

My DS woke up crabby for a long time. The trick for us was to be ready with a sippy cup of milk and a little Playhouse Disney. Anything else meant enduring wailing and flailing.

Flann is the same way, and my only advice is to avoid everyone whose babies wake up singing. So they claim, anyway.

I wish I had some words of wisdom for you. I think it is a symptom of the age. My daughter generally awakens, if not cheerfully, then not angrily. At night, though, she almost always awakens with a cry. I think it is the monster in the closet, myself.

My older son (almost 4) was the happiest sunniest baby whenever he woke up.  He was gentle with our family pets and sweet with everyone (including strangers). He was eager to please, performing adorable tricks on command (he did "Blue Steele" from Zoolander for God's sake) He was all around easy-going.

My younger son (19 months) is another story. He was colic as an infant, didn't sleep through the night until I weaned him at 17 months old. Now he enjoys chasing the cat and pulling her tail, delights in ripping my hair out in clumps, and has bitten me numerous times.  He scowls at any neighbor or stranger that tries to address him or make him smile. His whims are unpredictable.  One day he devours pasta, only to fling it across the room like it is a plate of poison the next day.

I marvel every day at the polar opposites I birthed. I really haven't done anything majorly different with them to make such a significant difference.  I work every day to not unfairly compare them and try to understand that they are different kids.  Certain elements of their personalities are obviously completely out of my control. But it makes you feel so sad when you can't figure out what's wrong and you just want to help make them happy.

Brendan also doesn't talk at all yet really (not to compare LOL but his older brother had an arsenal of words by this age).  I am hoping that as Brendan gains words, his frustration level will decrease and parenting him will get easier, but I still think he will always be my stubborn little guy.

So I can't really offer any advice but can say that baby-boy-in-belly may end up being the happy morning person his older brother is not!

My son is like that post-nap sometimes. He doesn't nap that often but when he does, he wakes up like a bear. Sometimes we wake him up to go pee before we go to bed and there are times when he wakes up and is sort of half-awake, half-asleep. He's always very cranky and difficult then.

When Oliver wakes up from a nap and he's in a real bad frame of mind, I leave him be. I get him up and bring him downstairs, get him a drink and let him sit quietly. I usually let him watch a bit of TV. I find that after about ten or fifteen minutes, he snaps out of it and perks up.

My daughter used to sob instantly when she woke up and we kept telling her, why are you crying? Just call for us. Eventually she just outgrew it.

Glad to read these other comments & see that my son isn't the only one!

The routine that I have come up with for my crabby riser:

Go into his room at the first peeps with a cup of milk...turn the lights on low...and quietly rock him.

It takes a little time(10-15 minutes), but eventually he pops up ready to face the day. He just needs that bit of snuggle time.

Not sure how I'd do this if I had a 2nd...but hopefully by then he will outgrow it.

Yes, the bear fresh from hibernation in our family is my youngest daughter (now 9).  She was AWFUL back in the pre-verbalization days and is marginally better now.  The key to improvement is we learned how to act around her and she learned that she hates mornings (and hates everyone she encounters before about 9 am).  The only key we found was to have those consistent bed time routines and not let her sleep too much.  (If she sleeps too much, her cranky factor is amplified - and lasts longer.)  She is also a true introvert and being around people when she's grumpy only amplifies the Grump.  I generally now just poke her with a stick to wake her up; if she comes back snarling or swinging, we all back off and give her space until she's ready.  Normally within 20 minutes, she'll simmer down, try to climb in my lap and be all snuggly and happy to be awake.

I take heart in my son, the Consolation Prize, who wakes up so damn happy (and I pray it lasts).  He actually soothes the Bear so it works out nicely.  

OMG Silas used to do the SAME THING. Once he cried so long and so hard after a nap that the backdoor neighbor (a PEDIATRICIAN) commented on it (parentfail).

Now that he's seven, he manages to wake up most days without weeping. Word to the wise, though: he's still GRUMPY AS HELL when he wakes up.

I am so glad to see that other people have this problem too! My one year old wakes and cries until we come get him, and it gets worse if we aren't fast enough. I like the idea someone mentioned of bringing him milk and cuddling for a bit, especially since I am just starting to wean him from nursing in the morning. I long for the day that he just wakes up and babbles until we come in to get him!