Is this normal toddler behaviour or a side effect of lockdowns?

[MummaW88]

This is only my second time posting on here. My first post I received quite a lot of judgey comments (about a very innocent topic!) so I’m hoping I won’t regret posting this today.

I’m interested to know if anyone else is experiencing the same issues as me with their almost 2 year olds?

My daughter is 2 in December, meaning she was around 3 months old when the first Covid lockdown hit. As a result of subsequent lockdowns, restrictions, my returning to work but “from home”, she has spent the majority of her time with me/at home. As restrictions have lifted I’ve tried to get her out and about doing more/seeing more. But…

Whenever we go anywhere she just wants to be carried around (she has been walking since 10 months). She doesn’t want to play or run around (except for at our local park which she is very familiar with). Whenever I try to take her out to do anything fun (toddler groups, a new park, to do some crafts, to the farm) it results in major tears and tantrums. I’m trying to gently ease her into the world but 9 times out of 10 it results in a meltdown! She doesn’t like strangers talking to her (they say “hello!” And she says “no!”). Not super fussed about playing with other kids. I’m at my wits end. I feel like I need to persist so that she can get used to the world, but at the same time I feel like it’s pointless and she’s happier just sitting at home!

Are others with children of a similar age experiencing this? Is it just normal toddler behaviour, or is this the impact lockdowns have had. It doesn’t help that her sleeping has turned to absolute hell over the last couple of weeks. I’m tired, and frustrated, and fed up.

As I said, my only other experience of posting on here was not a positive one. If I’ve used a term you don’t like, or said something you don’t like, please, please, just scroll on by. I don’t need any negative or judgey comments, I’m already at my lowest. Just want some reassurance that I’m not alone! And any helpful advice on how to help my girl adjust to the big wide world.

Please tell me it gets better

It’s probably personality. My DS is 2.5 and goes to nursery, he’s well socialised, but when we go places he usually clings to me for a bit and then when he’s ready he’ll go off and play. I just wait for him to adjust.

It’s even the same when we visit family or they come here, he clings until he’s ready. It’s just who he is.

When we go out, he’d rather hold our hands than run about, but won’t go in his pushchair at all.

I’d keep working on taking her places etc, she will get used to it. Nursery has helped massively with socialising for DS.

I would focus on the fact that she is happy to go to the park she knows well and accept that for now - she’s getting fresh air and is happy to play there. You might be fed up going to the same place but the important thing is that she gets out and plays. Mine are much older so no lockdown toddler issues for me, but the refusing to respond to strangers is very common. Mine went from calling any bloke I spoke to ‘daddy’ which was rather embarrassing to turning his head away and refusing to speak. At 3 he told my boss to ‘go away’ when I’d just picked him from workplace nursery which as a mum of 4 herself she took very well, fortunately.