My 16 mos old has just started acting out in the past two days (literally overnight) and I think it's her molars coming in, as her gums are bothering her. And of course over the holiday sesson, had comments made by my sisters that she wants Mom's attention, as she does sorta stop to fussing when I pick her up. She'll come up to me and literally climb up on me to hold her and whine. First time Mom who doesn't know what to do...(no she has no fever).
I vote teething AND attention! ;-) The molars are tough to get through and take awhile. Your love and affection consoles her. Offer her cool things to chew on (wet wash cloth with ice cube in it was a fave at my house) and lots of love. :)
that makes me angry when people say that....teething is PAINFUL and they look to mommy to help them understand why they are in so much pain. She needs you to hold her and help her through the pain:) Unfortunately this is the time when moms have to stand up for their kids and not allow people to label. You have to go with your gut no matter who has how many kids and their experiences. From my own experience....the pain can be overwhelming and they want to be close to the person that they know will help them.
IF you need some ideas for remedies for teething we can talk about that another time.
Best wishes and happy new year!
The "mommy up" thing happened with all 4 of my kids right around 16-18 months. They get very clingy around this stage of developement. My youngest is 19 months old right now and still very clingy with mommy...my back is killing me from holding him so much...but they are only little for so long and I love to hold on to them while I can! Along with the seperation anxiety, all my kids started really acting out and becoming defiant right around 18 months (like literally overnight they went from happy/sweet little toddlers to little terrors!) It gets better at about 2 years old and then comes back full force from 3-4 years old (personally, my most challenging ages). Love the books Creative Correction, Love & Logic and 1-2-3 Magic for discipline ideas! Good luck and God Bless You Momma!
It could be teething or it could be food allergies too. I think you'd know if she just wanted attention or if it was a physical problem. If it's teething, it should clear up in a few days. You can check into food allergies also. Doctors now can check with a blood test or you can check with a naturalpath/ homeopath/ chiropractor and have her checked and cleared. Good luck to you!
Hi N.,
It sounds to me that your little one might want attention. It could be the change in her regular schedule, with the holidays that has her feeling a bit insecure. It may also be that you were around more people than she's used to being around or that she is tired. I remember my girls when they were that age acting the same way as your little one is but it was mainly because of all the activity around the holidays. Hope this helps. Happy New Year!
E.
Hi N.- it could be teething but it also could be just a behavioral stage. Every kid is different but both of my girls hit a a challenging period between 17-20 months. It was a phase with both of them as they were hitting growth spurts, learning basic language and communication skills, and testing their independence. My youngest is 23 months right now and is much better. She hit a better groove around 21 months and I attribute that to her developing language. I understand her much better now and I think around 17 months she really wanted to talk but just couldn't and would get easily frustrated. From my experience, I think from now until age 3 you will experience more whining and noise making for attention and to show frustration. Hang in there and Happy new year!
It could be either one or both. But she is clearly telling you she NEEDS you. At this age, they really need you. They are not manipulating you. They NEED you and your attention. Give it freely and love your child and this stage of her life. You will never get it back.
