Tired?

[MrsDan]

DD, who turns four in July, has been complaining of being tired a lot lately. She gave up naps completely a few months ago. The last few weekends, she's been saying she wants to lay down, so we lay down in my bed for about 45 minutes. Well, she fidgets for about 15 minutes, reads to me for about 20, then I sit up and read to her the rest of the time. This morning she said she didn't want to go to school because she "doesn't sleep really well there." In the evenings especially she does seem really tired. I assumed there would be a transition period once she gave up naps but assumed that would be over by now. My sister thought maybe she was going through a growth spurt or something that could be making her extra tired. Should I be worried? 

[Guest TooSoon]

Hi there,  M used to get very tired when she would go through growth spurts.  It doesn't happen so much anymore but it definitely used to.  My experience has been that these things sort of come and go in phases. 

[Captains wife]

My 4yr old son is no longer a nap taker but I have him in pre-school 5 days a week now, plus our nanny keeps him pretty busy while I am at work. By the weekend, he is often exhausted especially if he is going through a growth spurt (and he has been going through one - his height is off the charts!). The other thing I would point out is how well is she sleeping at night ? I have had to sleep in my son's new room since his broken leg and I can now see why he is so tired some days - he is a VERY restless sleeper, grinds his teeth at night and has been more actively dreaming (as well as having nightmares since he is exposed and aware of more things vs. when he was a baby). Therefore, some nights he just tosses and turns and explains why he is so tired after an active school day. Of course, watch for any other symptoms but it could be (and likely is) some of these simple explanations.

[Guest Lost35]

I think tired means growth, either physical or mental.  My little guy  seems exhausted mostly when working on some new development.  Can you go to a doctor if you are worried?  I think we tend to "worst-case" everything and I think it is easiest to rule out any physical issues, if that is possible.  Otherwise it could simply mean an earlier bedtime, which is reasonable, as learning increases. I've done this and it helps...

 

 

-L.

[MrsDan]

Thanks all. I think it may be a growth spurt; her pants all pretty much became floods overnight and yesterday we had to make our first foray into the little girls section to get socks for her monster feet. It just seems to have been going on longer than I would have expected. She has always been an early riser, and that usually doesn't change even if she goes to bed later. Right now she usually wakes up anywhere from 6-7 am, but she has to stay in her room until 7. Her bedtime is usually between 7:30 and 8.