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on holiday with 18 months old who is being really really difficult - does this sound familiar to anyone?

4 replies

RaisingMissDaisy · 01/01/2013 12:02

Dear all,
I am just wondering whether this rings a bell with anyone: I am at the moment on holiday in Germany, visiting my dad, her granddad, with my 18 months old daughter. (we live in London) she has been here, in this house, at my dad's three times before, when she was 6 months, 9 months, 13 months and again now, for xmas. Previously she has always been a pleasure and delighted everybody who met her, but this time is the total opposite. After waking up in the morning she will be ok for about 2 hours, and then gets incredibly whiny and hard to please. Even when she is in a good mood she won't let me out of her sight, but when she starts getting whiny I cannot do anything to please her anymore either. She just whines, and whinges, and throws herself on the floor.. as if she wants to jump out of her skin almost. She is hard work at home in the UK as well (a normal, 18 months old toddler, I think), but this is worse. So I am wondering: is she acting like this because she is out of her usual surroundings? might she miss her dad, who is at home in London? Might the change of air make her more tired than usual, and maybe she she needs more than her usual one sleep per day? Is she so extremely clingy because I am the only familiar person in an otherwise completely strange place full of strangers? Is she bored? Does she miss the routine of nursery (she has been going to nursery since January 2012)? Maybe it is a combination of all of those things. I think for now I will start with letting her have two sleeps rather than only one during the day, see whether that helps. I am really mainly writing this to ask whether anyone else has experienced this: an admittedly full-on but sweet toddler at home turning into a little nightmare away from home. Its so bad that I am dreading her waking up. I had so looked forward to this time at home with my dad, but now all I want is to be back in London, hoping that my little monster will go back to normal.
I would love to hear from anyone.

Thank you!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
fryingpanalley · 01/01/2013 12:07

It's totally normal. Toddlers travel very badly, in the main.
Not much comfort I know.

leobear · 01/01/2013 18:44

Did you fly? My DD was like this on holiday in Spain when she was about 16 months, thought she had had a personality transplant. Hotel doctor found her ears were both infected, probably picked up on plane - worth checking. She was sleeping perfectly well, but just generally being a pain.

RaisingMissDaisy · 01/01/2013 18:53

Hello again

yes, I did fly.... but she doesn't pull her ears noticeably much and the GP checked her out the day before our flight. Will watch her tomorrow though, to see if I notice anything that might indicate ear infection, thank you for the tip.
She was a LITTLE bit better today. Even tolerated being around a couple of aunt and uncles she doesn't really know and SMILED at them! but it was still like sitting on a ticking time bomb that could go off any minute... She is in bed now, so we somehow survived another day....

OP posts:
Iggly · 01/01/2013 20:31

Whiny after 2 hours of being awake - my ds was having two naps a day at that age and would have wanted a nap about 2 hours after waking.

I bet she's tired from the travelling and h

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