Is my 1 year old just a spicy baby?

[Shesacrazy]

Name changed as posting for advice with DP aware.

Using spicy babies to describe the toddlers who do or say things that draw your cheeks.

My DD is 1, she’s fully walking and can say about 7 words all in. Very early learner and was very pleased.

My worries are about her attitude, none of her behaviour is learned as it’s not something she’s seen so she seems to be just a wee handful.

She shouts dad at random men and when they turn and aren’t her dad she spits at them.
She hits me on the face if I don’t give her breast on demand.
She screams high pitched for ages if you take anything off of her (anything)
(She is currently rattling the couch while shouting ahhhh at me for taking the cats toy away)
She’s ridiculously full of energy, Tasmanian devil around the full house till everything is pulled out.
If you tell her to stop she shouts no at you.
She’s started looking me straight in the eye and fake laughing (it’s hilarious but creepy)

I could go on for ages honestly but we never just let her act like it or give into her tantrums so I assumed she would learn it wasn’t getting her anywhere.

My mum had a lot of and even she thinks DD is a handful.

Is it some kind of early terrible twos? Will she grow out of it? Or am I destined to have circles ground into the floor around me till she moved out at 21 😂😂

She's a normal toddler.

Tantrums are an expression of feelings or frustrations that they cannot actually verbalise. They're entirely normal.

Rather than telling to stop (toddlers don't have impulse control by the way), distract instead.

Nothing wrong with teaching nursing manners though.

God, I’ve never known a 1 year old like her and I’ve a lot of nieces and nephews.

Certainly glad it’s normal, she’s actually fantastic so smart and funny but I get a little jealous with my friends who have the more even tempered little ones.

Definitely understand the no impulse control for her age, and I really just draw the line at the hitting, she’s always told no and moved to sit on her own for that...

I find it hard not to giggle at her most of the time though which I’ll need to try and stop 🙈

If you are worried at all OP you can always ask the HV to assess her and she what she thinks. If she high pitch screams a lot, and you are all ignoring it, it might be worth asking her to refer DD fir a hearing test too.

In the meantime, have a read if this book which is full of tips on encouraging good behaviour.

How is she at napping and sleeping at night too?

It’s more of a shout no tears but she had an ear test a few months back and was fine.

My HV just calls her spirited as she was a really upset baby from the get go with CMPA and reflux. She sleeps okay but still wakes for 2 dream feeds as she’s in the room with me, 2 solid 1.5 hour naps a day and down from 7.30pm-6.30am.

Not sure how to wean her from bight feeds as I don’t want her to cry it out

Well the night weaning might help you to feel more rested. If you do want to do it without crying it out, try this method. It's aimed at BFers but can be used however you feed your baby.

Once you've cracked the night weaning, you could try and get her to gave one nap, which is more usual at one.

Can I ask how you are getting on with the CMPA too? I have it and I'm having a reaction to some meat which was cooked in butter. I am EVIL right now

That article made for interesting reading, it’s basically how I’m already doing things so it promotes a natural transition for her. Let’s hope it works! She’s always been a sleepy baby, she liked 4 solid naps up until 8 months then 3 until 11 months, she’s just recently dropped to 2 without prompting so I’m happy to keep the 2 for a little while 🙈

I’m completely dairy free for her and have been since she was 3 months, I’m due to start the ladder but I’m a bit timid with it, I had some biscuits myself and she was fine so I’m thinking of upping my dairy content before introducing it to her, least that way I know she’s stomached some through me! My HV said there was no rush as I’m happy to breast feed still, oh god I miss mashed potatoes though 😂

Are you doing the milk ladder with your HV? Only asking as it's usually done with the support of a Paediatric Dietician.

Is it? Yeah my HV has been the one taking me through it, she gave me booklets of advice and told me to find my own feet with it.

Don’t get me wrong I’m still scared to start with DD so maybe the referral would give me the push!

The very least your GP/HV should have done when CNPA was suspected was to refer you to a Paed Dietician.

As a fellow CMPA sufferer, I really wouldn't advise doing the milk ladder alone. And when you do do it, please stop the dairy at the first sign of a problem. Reaction are just so miserable and so many families are encouraged to keep going dairy when the child is clearly suffering.

My DD’s reactions were mainly purple faces screaming for hours at a time and diarrhoea.
No rashes or blood in stool but it wasn’t colic was she didn’t stop, wasn’t distractible, it was 100% pain screaming.

The GP only advised to go dairy free as a last resort cause she was fed up with my weekly visits I think (so 14 by 14 weeks) but within 2 weeks my DD was smiling and playing like a dream, the drs just kept saying to do what I’m doing so the health visitor was the one talking me through CMPA so I’ve not had much help other than google 🙈

From what you've said it does sound very much like CMPA OP.

The NICE guidelines might be useful as they cover what referrals should have been made

Thanks so much for your advice with it, I was totally a bit lost! I’m going to contact the GP Monday and request a referral for the actual testing to be done as I know DD had a reaction when I ate buttermilk chicken as a one off 2 weeks back so I can’t imagine how sore she’d have been if it was fed to her directly.