She started out so tough.Born weighing only 1 lb 5 oz, she had to fight from the start.
When I took her in for her four-month inoculations, she stared the nurse down and didn't even flinch.
When she somehow came down with shingles at 2 years old, she never cried or complained.
She's 3 1/2 now. And she's a cry-baby.
I hate to say it, but it's true. And I don't know what to do about it. My little girl throws herself on the floor and dissolves into tears dozens of times a day. It's frustrating. It's nerve-fraying. And, yes, it's also embarrassing. I really, really want it to stop.
It's not just when she gets hurts either. Or when she gets into trouble. If someone says to her, "Oh, be careful, Sweetie, you don't want to bump your head.", she collapses in sobs. There are times when I've COMPLIMENTED the child ("Good job, C! I love the way you did that!") and she loses it.
So we've tried giving her lots of "positive attention". We've tried ignoring the outbursts as much as possible. I've coddled and comforted. I've ignored or scolded. I've had no success.
ANY ADVICE???
I'm at my wit's end. Anyone have any success converting a cry-baby back to a pleasant child? I'm all ears...
(***Just a side-note for anyone wondering: this did NOT start when the new baby was born. It had been going on for at least six months before that event. I haven't noticed it getting any worse or better since baby G's arrival in June.)
I've got nothing for you, but hang in there and hope it's a (miserable) phase. :)
ReplyDeleteI have one exactly like this and he's 3 and has been doing this since he was appx. 18 months! Sometimes I can look at him and he just starts crying. He cries about EVERYTHING. We've resorted to disciplining (for us it's spanking) the overly crazy outbursts. Obviously, it takes a second to size up the situation and make sure he isn't truly hurt or something. I know this sounds really harsh, but NOTHING was getting thru to this child and my nerves couldn't handle much more. And like you, we tried everything we could think of and everything everyone else suggested. We've found that having an immediate consequence to his outbursts makes him think more often before he reacts.
ReplyDeleteI knew someone who's toddler would throw tantrums/crying fits at random. They finally got her checked and it was a blood sugar issue (I want to say hyperglycemia). Once they were able to regulate her food intake better, the fits lessened a great deal.
ReplyDeleteMy toddler is much more prone to crying fits if he's getting hungry at all.
My child screamed and cried over every little emotional bump in the road for 2 1/2 years (from 2-4 1/2).
ReplyDeleteIt turned out she had a huge sensory processing issue, all of her senses were heightened and she was experiencing the world with the volume turned way up. A wonderful doctor diagnosed her with a methylation deficiency. Two weeks on a methylated B 12 supplement ("methylated" not regular B-12) and her tantrums were reduced dramatically.
Since then my daughter has been diagnosed with Aspergers, but Methylated B-12 is helping kids with all kinds of issues. ADHD, OCD,autism, etc.
The behavior is always trying to tell you something. Good luck with your sweet little girl. Hope she feels better soon.
This is the info for the doctor who came up with the MB12 protocal: http://www.drneubrander.com/dev/index.html