Somebody tell me WHAT just happened!

coasterqueen wrote: OMG, I don't even know what to say right now. Ryan put Kylie to bed tonight because I wasn't feeling too great. Let me say he's not a very stern parent (for a male) and he gives Kylie and inch she'll take a mile. He put her to bed FINALLY after her procrastinating, everything seemed fine. I was lying on the couch resting my eyes, Dh went downstairs to watch tv. All of a sudden she's SCREAMING and hyperventilating. I go back there and shes says she wants to wear her pink pj's because she doesn't like the yellow ones she's wearing. I assume this is a stall tactic, explain to her she is to keep the yellow ones on and go to bed. I know I could have just solved it by letting her wear the pink ones, but it wouldn't end there. So Dh gets EXTREMELY irate because she's screaming at the top of her lungs and hyperventilating from crying so much and he tells her she needs to calm down or else. She doesn't stop. She's still crying! All over freaking pj's.

Ok, just actually had to stop typing because she came in the livingroom SCReAMING and told me we forgot to do her foot exercises so can she stay up to do them. WTH? We did them already she's stalling now and really PEEVING me off. She's back in her room just screaming.

What in the world is going on? Has anyone's elses 3 year old done this???? Grrr, she's back out of bed again. WTH?

I'm two seconds away from loosing it with her! What in the world is going on???? We had a great evening of fun playing around the house. I just don't know what is going on with her.

Anyone?

My3LilMonkeys replied: Sounds like stalling to me. Sorry I can't offer much help though.

luvmykids replied:
You sound just like me from the hours of 8pm and 10pm every night! The twins (one of whom is also named Kylie!) are horrible, we've done everything under the sun, and still ..... they aren't wearing the right jammies, they need a drink, they need to potty, they don't like the sheets on their bed, they need a toy, a book, a different blanket. It goes on and on and on and on and ... you get my drift.

Good luck, if you figure out how to stop it, please let me know!

luvmykids replied: Oh, I forgot to pass on the advice given to me by other friends. When I've asked what to do about this they all say the same thing:

Hang in there until they turn 4!

But seriously, a verrrrry strict bedtime routine helps a tiny bit. They get to pick their jammies, they get to pick the books we read. Then we brush teeth, drink water, read, go potty, then bed. It's a little easier when we know for sure and can remind them that we've done everything on the bedtime checklist. If it varies even the tiniest bit they completely fall apart, but if we stick to it exactly, we just keep telling them we've taken care of everything they need to go to sleep and everything else will have to wait until morning.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Yuck. We don't have that with our 3 year old... but our 2 year old is just as bad. Worse even... she wants a snack, a drink, her dora video, no not THAT dora video - change the pjs, not the BIG blanket, just the fuzzy princesses one - no not THAT one, the other one. She wants a book read - then go pee - then another drink. Then a snuggle - then she's all set.

Next thing you know, she's WAILING and it takes up 10 minutes to calm her down to figure out what's going on - she wanted her blanket pulled down a bit.



And that's just between 7:30 and 8pm - she's usually still awake at 10pm.

coasterqueen replied: Well I understand normal stalling. Kylie has done that a bazillion times. This was full out screaming, crying, literally hyperventilating looking like she was going to throw up and couldn't catch her breath tantrums. I've NEVER ever seen this from her.

amynicole21 replied: She was probably over-tired. Sophia has thrown some doozie tantrums like that - her little heart is beating out of her chest and she's almost growling like an insane person - eyes lolling around in her head. It's freaky.

Sophia will also freak out about the smallest detail - which blanket she uses, how her socks are put on, etc. I guess it's just a 3yo thing. I really try not to give in to her, but it usually causes WWIII.

moped replied: YIKES - you are scaring me again - LOL

Sounds like she jsut wants to stay up..........................poor mom and dad!

Maddie&EthansMom replied:
Yep, Maddie did this same thing when she was 3 and it was always b/c she was over-tired. There are still times when she throws these tantrums at bedtime, but nothing as bad as when she was around kylie's age. She was almost demonic looking.

coasterqueen replied: Well I'm glad I'm not alone here, because I was freaking out myself last night. This morning I asked her what the deal was and she said she just really really really wanted to wear her other pair of pj's because they are her favorite.

MommyToAshley replied: I was going to say the same thing as Amy and Aimee. She's probably over-tired. Ashley is a completely different child when she is overtired. When she's overtired, everything is a BIG deal. When she is over tired like this, if it is a small thing, then I usually give in just to get her to sleep. But, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't give in. Maybe that's the wrong thing to do, but she usually goes to sleep within seconds. Or, sometimes it just takes Daddy or I rocking her like in the old days.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Well I understand where some of us are coming from. Christian will on occassion throw royal fits as well. But there are also three stages to her faitgue, and the first is the worst with tantrums and lots of ugliness, the other two are more gentle she is actually hyper and bouncing off the walls when she is in the 2nd and 3rd stage of over-tiredness.

I will have to be patient and drag myself onto the four years mark, even though I am going insane now when she is in that first round of fatigue. Then we have to go through it with Kellie... oh what fun that will be.

ITA with Monica on keeping to the bedtime routines as much as possible. Also, watch for cues she will give you as to when she is in the winding down phase. You may have to bump up bedtime, and forego the bedtime bath if she especially had a busy day.

Keep us posted, as any ideas will help on this end. And just knowing taht someone else can empathize with other parents of 3yr olds helps too.

kit_kats_mom replied: Yep, I concur with the others. Overtired ness can lead to all sorts of strange behavior. K gets really whiny & tearful, she is incapable of listening, shes super clumsy and everything is a crisis.

b&bsmom replied: I was going to say the same thing with overtired. My guys will do that as well.

What I use to get my guys to go to bed ( and other behaviors during the day) is my marble system. We sat down and made some rules together on how you could earn a marble and how marbles could be taken away. One of the things is staying in bed after I put them to bed. If they stay in bed they get a marble in the morning. If they get up once no marble if they get up anymore than once they lose a marble each time they get up. My 3 yr old has taken to this system pretty well.

With the marbles they earn 20 and get $2 and if they save up $10 we will go to build a bear or chuck e cheese or whatever place or store they want to go to spend it.

I think she was just overtired but I hope this helps.

A&A'smommy replied: goodness poor mom and dad!!!! I hope you don't have to go through that again!!