I'm hoping my other Momma friends read this and comment, because I'm getting a little concerned.
I've noticed in the past month or so a definite change in Punkin's personality. Where he used to be fun and (mostly) compliant and all around a happy kid, he's suddenly become overly whiny and clingy and defiant. I'm hoping this is just normal toddler behavior and maybe he's just learned he can assert his independence more now that he has a better grasp on language, but I'm worried something else may be going on.
In the past week or so, bedtime has been a major issue. He's always been a great sleeper, but suddenly he won't stay in the bed and we either have to lay with him until he's asleep or put him in the big bed until he's asleep and then move him. I want to make him feel secure and let him know we're here if he needs us, but I also don't want to get him in the habit of sleeping in our bed for fear it'll take forever to break.
I can't help but wonder if part of it is his diet. He's so incredibly picky and really eats the same 4 or 5 meals over and over again. And even when we give him those 4 or 5 meals, most of the time he hardly eats anything. Could he be low in some nutrient we're not aware of? Could he have some sort of food intolerance that's making him cranky?
Maybe he's bored being home all day. He's starting preschool 2 days a week soon, and I'm excited because I think it'll be good for him to be in a social environment with kids his own age, but now I'm worried the whole process will be made more difficult since he's become more clingy in the past few weeks.
He's been pretty good with Skeeter this whole time, maybe it's catching up to him now. The only time he seems a little jealous is when I'm feeding her and he wants to sit with me or lay on the pillow I'm using.
Sigh. Hopefully it's just normal toddler development, but I hope it passes soon. Any words of wisdom or advice?
Jeni,
ReplyDeleteI think it's highly likely that this is just a phase he's going through. It might have a little bit to do with the big transition of having a sibling. It may be just the next developmental step he's encountering. Honestly, age 2.5-now with Benjamin has been TOUGH. Very whiny, defiant, ornery. We try to be super consistent with discipline so he knows where the boundaries are, but the name of his game is 'pushing the boundaries.' From every mom with older kids that I've talked to, it's a 'this too shall pass' sort of thing.
But it's not a bad idea to reevaluate diet, etc to make sure that it's not something outside of his control contributing to his challenges right now. What are the 4-5 meals he likes to eat? Does he have a lot of gluten? Any food dyes? I've read that foods containing dye can affect neurological health, making it difficult for little ones to feel good depending on how sensitive they are to it. I would also try cutting out sugar for a bit.
Since we found out that B's allergic to gluten, obviously cutting it out of his diet has made him feel better. But it's not like he's suddenly super compliant and well-behaved. He's still 3.5 and super strong-willed and it is hard.
So, (super long comment, sorry), I think you're wise to look into all the possible factors, BUT most likely, this is probably just a phase. Give him all the snuggles you can, keep your boundaries consistent, and all the good stuff you're already doing. One last thing: I've noticed that with Benjamin it comes and goes in waves. He might have two weeks where he's just awesome and so fun to be around. Then there'll be month of tearing my hair out. So enjoy the good days and know that the bad ones are not here to stay forever.
ALL of the meals he likes are definitely high in gluten! PB&J, grilled cheese, mac&cheese type of meals. The one saving grace is that he loves fruit, so we give him lots of fresh fruit during the day. Veggies are hit and miss. It's just so hard because I want to give him variety, but I know he won't eat it. So I'm stuck either feeling guilty because he basically hasn't eaten and is going to bed hungry, or feeling guilty that what he has eaten isn't great nutritionally. I can't get him to eat meat either which makes me worry he's low on protien and iron. Sigh. I guess I should just bite the bullet and start making him whatever food I want him to eat and if he doesn't eat it he doesn't eat it.
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