Just checking in case I'm doing parenting all wrong or if this is completely normal. I'm prepared to be told to just suck it up...
My son is 2 and 3 months and is feeling like increasingly hard work to look after to the point I feel utterly despondent, tired and ready to cry.
He's always been a crazy energy ball and the type of toddler who's a bolter, runs round like the clappers the whole time, never sits still or plays "nicely", has to have reigns otherwise he'll kill himself sort of thing. It's exhausting but he's always been of a happy disposition.
Recently he was ill and was very unhappy. Overall he seems to be recovered, but his mood has not and not alongside his crazy energy he's now always frustrated, grizzly or angry most of the time. He's been hitting us and throwing books and toys, tipping over furniture, emptying out all his shelves in one swoop and generally getting really frustrated, much more than the expected tantrums. Crying every minute about anything and everything. The generally happy disposition has gone. Alongside this he's also started refusing his food, and only wanting snack food and kicking and screaming for each nappy change.
At nursery there are no reports of bad behaviour so I he seems to be fine there, but he's with me at home half the week and I'm totally fed up.
I'm trying the following:
Keeping him occupied, out of the house morning and afternoon
Lots of validating feelings but telling him we don't hit / throw
Trying to distract him
Lots of attention, trying to engage in playing with him
Cuddles
But it's not working.
It feels like more than the "normal" levels of toddler tantrums based on seeing other toddlers and speaking to other mums.
If he was still a baby I'd think he must be teething or something as it's like something is really bothering him, but he says he feels better.
Is there anything else I can do?