Really irritable toddler - help!

[Tenochtitlan]

I have a really irritable 19 mth ds. Although he can be a happy smiley little boy he will always have a few episodes of extreme grumpyness during a day. If he is not interested in a toy someone gives him, he will whack it out the way and grump, he can't bear sitting in car unless moving, and we have given up on taking him to supermarket as he will scream the place down from start to finish in the trolley. If we try to gently direct him in the right direction he will refuse and scream. He often makes it obvious he wants to be picked up but then just is very irritable (ie whinges, bangs his fists against you, arches and thrashes to get down). I often feel like I just have no idea what he wants or how to make him happy, it can be quite depressing. He has always been a bit of whinger (noticeably more than my eldest and he was not easy either) but I think over last few months he has become more irritable and I'm starting to wonder if I should take him to the doctors. Has anyone else experienced this with a toddler?

My 18mo has been like this but thing improved significantly when her canines started coming through. Is yourbiy teething?

I know it can get frustrating for all grumpiness to be ascribed to teething, but my little girl has 3 canines through now and she turned delightful almost overnight.

Your boy, sorry

Maybe he's just tired and hungry on these days. We all have our off days?

My DD 18mo has been through a very recent phase like this. She was a grumpy baby, then had 16 teeth by 13.5 months and became a different child with these through. About 5-6 weeks ago she descended into grumpy behaviour much like you described. My mum is a HV and suggested that I increase her meals as she may be hungrier now she is a bit older. This has massively improved her mood; I now give her a slightly bigger breakfast than I used to, and have swapped to a biggish cooked lunch quite early (11.30) with a yoghurt and a few berries too. If she is hungry inbetween these meals I am happy to give her some dried fruit and a rice cake or two. She then has a lighter tea (sandwich, scrambled egg). I have found that she is much much happier, especially in the afternoons where she will wait later for her dinner and not whine all afternoon! She is a wilful character and I don't think that will change, but tantrums and miserable behaviour are much less frequent. Perhaps he is a bit hungry?