Challenging 18 Month Old

Hi Alison, I guess this could be very annoying. Is it a new thing? If so it may be a passing stage. I would speak to her and ask her not to cry about things but rather tell you what is wrong. I would tell her you will not listen if she is crying. I hope this helps and gets better soon.My best, Grandma Mary

I would talk to your ped, I would also have her evaluated...to eliminate things(not always to find things)...she could have a sensory issue, also have her eyes and ears checked...again not because anything is wrong, but for piece of mind...does she speak? can you ask her what is wrong? do you explain to her what the things are that seem to set her off? Toddlers are always a challange sometimes it's as simple as mood swings or there could be something bothering her...I would set up an apt with your ped and call your school district to have her evaluated(they will ask who is refering and you just say yourself the mother)they usually want a physical done, I've had this done with 2 of my kids...I wanted them tested for speech(which it turned out they both needed, but they tested for everything...)and my friend had her son tested...thinking it was speech(which it was) but he also had sensory issues and now those are being helped as well...my lil guy used to cry and have tantrums before he got services...he wasn't able to express what was wrong...he had speech from ages 2-5 and then he was declassified and now he's 7 in the first grade and one of the top kids in his class...his teacher's have a hard time believing me he ever had services...and if there is something your daughter needs help with at least you can help her and move on from there...and if there is nothing then you have that eliminated and again move on from there... best of luck!!!

is she getting any attention for the crying at things? She may just be looking for some undivided attention with you. Just a thought, kids will seek any attention if they are not getting the good attention, so if she is looking for you, which is normal for them to want your undivided attention 24 7, then she will do whatever it takes to get whatever attention she can get. Does not mean you are neglecting her, means she wants you all the time. If she is safe in her playpen or a place where she is safe and she starts the crying at something outside or something that is not going to hurt her, then just let her fuss and eventually she will see it is getting her no attention and she will stop, if you don't have a time of day that you have undivided attention for her, then try to set up a play time with just the two of you for 20 min intervals through out the day. just a few of these will give her some attention that she is looking for and build some wonderful memories for the two of you. Get some of that liquid crayon type soap and play with that with her before and durring her bath, get some fruit, we freeze grapes and then you can get out a bowl of coolwhip before the bath and play with her with the fruit and coolwhip, making her a coolwhip mess before her bath, she will have a ball eatting the fruit and licking the coolwhip off of her fingers, make sure to use the camera for this. Memory lane.

So is she actually crying or just pretending? Is she frustrated by something? Has she always been a difficult child? Your descriptions are a little vague as I don't konw if she is just standing next to the garbage and just all of a sudden bursts into tears. Could she be sick? My son gets really sensitive if he is tired or didn't get a good nights sleep. Could she be sleep deprived? Is she hungry? If it continues contact her doctor.

Is she crying, or just whining? Is this recent? Has her sleep schedule changed, where she might be overtired? It's fine to cry about going in the swing at the park, she isnt' required to like it and it's frustrating when someone can just pick you up and put you someplace that you don't want to be. Is she looking out of the window and crying because she wants to go outside? She could have some sensory issues or she could be frustrated if her verbal skills are low and she can't tell you what she wants. Good luck!

She sounds like she's a little sensitive to new things? I would try to "ignore" the behavior and try to focus her attention to something she does like. Once kids figure out what makes us moms tense, they also like to play it up a little.

She might have an ear infection? I know it sounds weird but I would bring her to the doctor just to check, She might be in pain.

If she's not taking good naps, that could definitely cause this fussiness. It's warm now! Take her outside 1-2x a day and really run her around! Get her good and tired out, and make sure she's taking at least one long nap a day. Then get her to bed early, so she gets 11-12 hours of good sleep at night. That might be just what she needs!

If she's napping and sleeping well though, isn't sick a lot (ear infections or reflux), and isn't teething too badly (if motrin doesn't help), then I would schedule an appointment with your pediatrician soon. I don't really think that toddlers cry constantly because of "too much attention." My 15 month old already has pretty bad tantrums, and he whines and cries quite a bit! But it's not all the time, and it doesn't make me wonder if something's wrong- you know? I can tell it's just the normal toddler frustration.

If you're wondering, then your gut is telling you something. Talk to your doc. If it's a sensory issue, then a specialist can help! The last thing we want is for our little ones to have extra stress in their lives. Definitely ask for help!

She is learning and wanting things, but cant communicate yet. The only communication she has had with you for 18 months is crying. When she was hungry or wet or bored she cried and you picked her up and fixed whatever was wrong. So now she cries to 'talk' to you. She probably doesnt like the swing, so stop making her use it. It might bother her tummy. She cries while looking out the window because she wants to know what all that stuff is. Why is the garbage there? Why does it stink? You need to start talking to her like a big kid and explain things to her. Ignore her crying, dont ask her whats wrong, etc. Just say oh look there's a robin looking for his dinner in the grass. Look at the pretty clouds, flowers, etc. Theres a kitty. After a few days of doing this explain to her she shouldnt cry every time she wants something, teach her to point and ask what it is. She should be able to say 'dat?' But she cant learn to talk if she is crying. So AFTER teaching her to point and ask, no longer respond when she cries.