Annoying toddler

[jinn2025]

Feel awful writing this but I’ll just say how it is. Since having a newborn who is now not so newborn and at 4 weeks old her sibling/our daughter has become very annoying!
Attention seeking, now me and my partner have been putting in effort spending time alone with her such has work and play centres making time to play with her like play doh, books, dolls the usual so her paddying, screaming is just annoying the hell out of me. Doesn’t listen at all!
is this because of the new baby? Or age? She is 3.
any advice is helpful because I’m just not enjoying spend time with her

“Since having a newborn”
and
“is this because of the new baby”

you answered your own question

It's very normal and you just have to be patient, this is a very big change for her. Try to involve her in caring for baby and to cuddle up beside you when feeding. When baby sleeps, make that a special time to play and cuddle with your toddler.

That poor little kid. Her world has been turned upside down and she is just ‘annoying?’

Imagine if your DH brought another younger, cuter, woman home. How would you feel?

your DD has had the baby upend her life, she didn't ask for this.

stop saying anything needs to be done/not done because of the baby. Whether that's going into another room to change their nappy or stopping playing a game with her because the baby is crying or anything. Make your actions about something else, preferably revolving around her.

Do 'big girl' things with her but don't talk about the baby just have a prearranged that you will be spending time with her and Your DH will be looking after the baby.

The baby won't know or care at this stage, but DD still needs to feel like your priority.

It won't damage their relationship

Agree with all of this post and I think this is a good comparison. Your toddler doesn’t have the emotional literacy or comprehension to be able to reason and tell herself that you love her and her new sibling equally, that the baby isn’t replacing her. There’s just a new small person in her home who is getting the attention, hugs, time, and love that used to be hers alone. Few adults would take that situation well, let alone expecting small children to. You need to help her adjust by showing her that she’s still important and loved, and now has her own special role to play in the family as a big sister.

To add - even when she’s “being annoying” you need to take a breath and keep on letting her test your boundaries to some extent. Whilst bad behaviour obviously does need correcting, a lot of her behaviour right now is how she communicates fear, anger, and jealousy, and she has to know that she’s still safe to show her emotions and act her feelings out, that you won’t stop loving her when she does.