17 months change in mood

[user1465146157]

Hello
My 17 month old has gone from a happy bubbly child to sad and withdrawn and constantly crying. It’s been around 3 weeks - we put it down to teething and usual stuff at first but don’t think it would last this long.

If she wasn’t so young I would say she is showing signs of depression

She cries like something is very wrong - particularly when I leave the room or she sees a dummy (which we are trying to quit but lately just give in when she wants it)

Nursery are having real issues as she is very clingy to one member of staff and I get a feeling of exasperation from them which worries me while at work all day in case she’s upset and not getting the kind of comfort she needs.

I am thinking all sorts - is something happening at nursery? How do I broach this?

Is it an invisible pain and if so how would we help her?

It’s really hard given how she’s usually so smiley.

If anyone has experienced anything similar - a sudden change in mood and a look of sadness please let me know - is this separation anxiety and how do we deal with that? How long does it last and how can we help her?

Thanks

DD is younger but at 13 months seemed to have a personality transplant for a couple of weeks. She had a low level ear infection which may have contributed.

I'd get her checked by the GP to rule out any physical things like this.

I think it's very early days for you to be worrying about her mental health. Infants go through phases. In fact it sounds a bit like a separation anxiety episode. I know the first one is typically around 9 months. I'm not sure when the second one is commonly experienced...