how to get Dd1 to stop being tired?

[MadMonkeys]

Dd1 started nursery a couple of weeks ago, two full days a week. She is soooo tired and grumpy since then. She has a slight cold and her baby sister wakes her sometimes in the night. She usually sleeps 7pm til about 6.30-7am but we have moved bedtime earlier to try to stop her being so tired, to 6.30 or sometimes 6pm. She will not nap, I have tried nearly every day when she is not at nursery but she just faffs around in her bedroom. After an hour or so she shouts for me and that is the end of that. Ten minutes later she will start complaining that she is tired. It is infuriating!

What can I do to get her to catch up on her sleep? An even earlier bedtime? She is 3.8yo. Any suggestions would be great...

[ICameOnTheJitney]

I would look at ways to stop her baby sister waking her up to be honest...do they share a room?

[LittleRobots]

I don't know any children around here who still nap at that age. Are you doing lots in fresh air on non nursery days - that seems to help sleep here. Although it sounds like she's getting enough sleep.

How old is her sister? Is she just grumpy through being 3 and lifes changes? I think my daughter would have been tired doing full time nursery at that age - she's doing full time school next week so I'm just expecting her to be tired and working with that. I'm going to let her come home and unwind, supper, stories, bed. Not expecting a lot from her as I know I find constant stimulation hard when I'm tired.

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

If the baby is waking your daughter and disturbing her sleep, that is something I would definitely look at sorting. Can the baby be in with you if she does not have her own room until she sleeps through?

[MadMonkeys]

Thanks for your replies. Her sister is 12mo and sleeps fairly well but more often than not wakes sometime between 4 and 5.30 and I hear dd1 tossing and turning a bit, obviously woken by dd2. Maybe I'll abandon the idea of naps altogether then and see if 6pm bedtime every night helps. At least that eliminates nap time angst!

[ICameOnTheJitney]

I wouldn't have them in the same room tbh if the little one is waking the older one up.

[MadMonkeys]

They aren't in the same room, I meant to mention that, their rooms are next door to each other.

[ICameOnTheJitney]

Could she be needing a wee? My DD is 5 and I still have to take her to the loo at about 10.30pm or she wakes up at two or three wandering and looking for the toilet. Maybe you could try taking her when she's asleep...my DD hardly registers the face that I've removed her from bed and guided her to the loo in her sleep.

[ep1977]

my dd is four next month. She's just started doing 3 full days in addition to 2 mornings. She's shattered when she comes home and I try all sorts to stop her from falling asleep. once,she has had a nap from 4 til 5 cus I could not get her to stay awake!!