The "Witching Hour" - Overland Park,KS

Is he able to nap okay at daycare while you're at work? Maybe his afternoon nap isn't going that great and therefore he's overly tired when you pick him up. Or is he eating okay at daycare? If not he could be hungry earlier than his regular dinnertime. I've always found that when my kids miss naps or wait too long to eat they get very cranky. The other mom was right about the whole communication thing too, your son is the age where he may be trying to communicate with you but is unable to yet.

I'd try coming home, fixing a small snack and drink (nothing to spoil dinner of course) and cuddling up with him on the couch for a few minutes so he can relax and unwind with you while he eats his snack. You can talk to him, ask how his day was, tell him how much you missed him (of course this will be a one-sided conversation!) but it might set him at ease to hear your calm voice and feel your hugs.

Good luck!

M.,

At that age our daughter was just starting to try and communicate with us. The "witching hour" was the worst time of day for us. She was trying to get our attention and I was distracted with dinner prep. The best thing we did was start to use baby signing to brige the communication gap.

It took less than an hour to teach a few basic signs and she was thrilled to be able to "talk" to us. It turned out that what she wanted was some milk and her baby einstien dvd to watch while I cooked. My advise is to take a some time when you first get home to talk directly to your son. Focus on getting him settled into some routine to help with the transition from playtime to dinner.

I really think that Baby Signing helped reduce our daughter's frustration levels as she learned to talk. That fussy cranky don't like anything mood can drive you crazy. Just try different things with your son. The signing worked for us something different might work for you.

J.

becky has a great point. give him some undivided attention when you two get home. a drink and snack and some quite time with mom. 30- 45 minutes with no tv, no phone, no computer, no dinner prep. i think you will benefit from it as much as he does.

I have found that my now 2 year old boy would actually be mad at me for leaving all day (I work 3 days per week). I realized the best thing to do right when we got home it to take him upstairs and sit him on my bed while I change clothes and then we snuggle and read a book or play with a toy for 10-15 minutes. Then I'll say, "Max, should we go make dinner?" He's usually ready to get down and play by this time and that allows me to make dinner. Sometimes when he's not ready to be away from me yet, I'll sit him at the table to get started on dinner maybe with some green beans, cheese, or fruit. It keeps him occupied while I'm cooking. This works most nights, but I've also learned to make a lot of crock-pot meals so my prep time is less.