12 answers

Bad Mood

Hello, My now 17 month old little boy is always in a bad mood. He is always crying if he does not get his way, and even when he gets his way he still cries. NOTHING seems to make him happy. He goes to day care and when he comes home all of his needs are met (like diaper change, a fresh change of clothes, food, water, etc) but he still acts out. He wants me to pick him up, and when I do he cries to get back down, and when I do the process starts all over again. This has been going on for about two months now. I've tried ignoring him when he does this but it seems to make him more upset!!! I even took him to the doctor thinking that there might be something phisically wrong, like and ear infection or a sore throat, but he cheks out just fine. has anybody gone through this??? what did you do???

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

Thank you all so much for your advice, and I will defenetly try the different strategies offered until I find the right one for us!!! and by the way, I can see his canines popping through!!! Thank you again
CH

Featured Answers

What about teething? My 18 month old has been very crabby when her molars were bothering her, and now the canines have been coming in and I swear they are worse!
It could also be the frustrations of being 1 and a half years old. They want to be independant so bad, but they aren't quite there yet. They can't communicate very well either. I try to get her to do as many things for herself as possible, this seems to really make her feel good about herself, and she is less crabby.

More Answers

Check out his daycare. If you can, make some unannounced visits? Just a suggestion.
sorry, after posting this noticed all the other responses! (I'm new to the site) hope all turned out well.

C.,
Best of luck. It has been a long time ago since my child was teething; but, one great thing that worked and was all natural was and is Hyland's teething tablets.
I hope it all gets worked out quickly for you and you have a happy child again!
L.

My daughter will be 16 months old tomorrow and she has just started that. She cries in the evening to get in her booster seat, once she starts eating it gets a little better. Tonight she cried through her bath, which we skipped last night, but tonight she was covered with black beans. I try to ignore her or get on her level (on the floor) and talk her down. I think she is having a problem communicating and... she wants to be more independent, but obviously dinner and bath are important. I understand your frustration. For now I am waiting it out. She started this at about 12 months and the more words she has learned the better she got. So I am talking her through it in hopes she learns some more words and can communicate easier.

S.

Did they check his iron? My baby gets cranky like that when his iron is low.

Hi! My son is turning two this Friday and he went through this really bad between 15-21 months old. Just like another mom said, now that he is talking in phrases, things are much better. I think time is going to be the only true fix for this! My son is also in a home daycare that he LOVES! But from what I have read, you son's reaction to coming home is completely normal and a sign of his love and need for you. Of course, that doesn't make it any easier! He knows he can come home and vent all his frustrations about the day and get out all his tantrums as well, because he knows you love him unconditionally and trusts you completely.
Try immediately doing something fun with him just the two of you when you get home. I had always dragged my son inside to change diaper, clothes, get drink etc... I then realized that he doesn't care about that stuff at all!! Things really got better when instead of doing the above and then trying to cook dinner, I do someting fun with him. So now, we come home and play outside or go for a walk around the block. After that, I offer him his favorite crackers and favorite juice. He is then happy enough to play by himself while I cook a quick dinner. So sometimes, we don't eat until 6 and sometimes he stays in a dirty T-shirt, but overall he is much happier. I wish you luck, I remember being at my wits end with this behavior!

C., first off, I am soo sorry you are going through this. It is so stressful as a mother not to know what is wrong with your child. There is not telling what it could be, however, if he was my child this is what I would do & have done in the past. Since both my kids were newbornds I have taken them to the Chriopractor. I know...I questioned it at first, but a friend told me about how it worked on her colicy baby. Since I have been taking them both there have been several occasions when the kids have been very emotional/cranky and to my astonishment they were out of alignment and with a little adjustment from the doctor, they were happy with in 5 minutes and stayed that way. So when my kids seem to get out of sorts, I take them in to see Dr. Stan. He is AWESOME with kids. He has 3 of his own. The us a machine called the atlas machine. I don't understand how it works, but it does. They do not physically move the child. They lie down on thier side and then they put this machine next to their ear (not in it) a little click sound goes off and that's it. It doesn't even look like it touches your child. Most of the time they get out of adjustment due to a fall or something of that nature. Give it a try, it can't hurt, it just may give you back your happy baby. I don't think they charge anything for the first visit. We use Dr. Stan Pierce

Place: PierceClinic of Chiropractic
www.advancedorthogonal.com
Address: 2201 62nd Ave. N. St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Phone: ###-###-####.

Dear C.,
My son turned 2 in January and he has been extremely challenging since about 13 months old. I also took him to the doctor countless times thinking something must be wrong. Sometimes he is sick and lots of times not sick. My son is very good in daycare, but at home can be a nightmare. My husband and I have actually sought parenting help from psychologists. That has helped somewhat. Time has helped. My son is a lot better because he is becoming more verbal on a daily basis and responds to rewards like stickers or going to the park. My son also always seemed to be in a bad mood. I think it was a combination of separation anxiety, not being able to verbalize his wants, and just being stubborn. Friends and family I know says boys are harder and it's "the terrible two's." There is a book called "Raising Your Spirited Child". It gave me a lot of insight and assurance in my skills as a parent. Give it a try. I feel your pain!!! I promise it gets better!! K.

I'm starting to go through this with my 15 month old. I try to get him busy with something, snack, play outside, or watch his favortie (The Wiggles). This has helped some not all. Like yours he goes to daycare too, its something about the attention.

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