DD is 4.10 and has always been a stroppy, feisty character. But usually pretty sunny.
The last few months though, she's been difficult to the point of tears, arguments and fallouts on a daily basis. Her sleep is dreadful - she often struggles to fall asleep, if she wakes in the night she can be up for hours on end (it's 2.30am and she's been awake for three hours now), and even if she does seem to sleep well she looks and behaves as if she's exhausted. She still shrieks like a toddler if something doesn't go her way. She refuses to speak about things that upset her, instead making silly noises and clinging on to me. She cries, all the time, and I don't know what's fake and what's genuine anymore.
Health wise she had chronic throat and apnoea problems, sorted out by an op last year. She seemed much better and sleeps through much more since then. She still has smelly breath a lot though.
Does this sound normal? DH wondered about diabetes but she's growing, not particularly thirsty, and hasn't lost weight. I'm thinking maybe we should try her without any artificial additives/sweeteners for a few weeks. She doesn't get much (maybe squash once a day, and occasional sweets), but I guess she could be sensitive.
I'm really desperate for any suggestions. Maybe she's just a stroppy horror but she seems so persistently unhappy. At first I put it down to end of term pre school exhaustion, then holiday excitement, but actually I think it's more than that. :(