Please help! 15 month old - changing behaviour

[Dav87]

Hi, this is possibly going to turn into a long post so please bear with me! Just looking for some advice/reassurance please.

My daughter is almost 16 months old and has always been a reasonably happy and content baby.
She started nursery in June and there was no problems at all, she settled in really well and every day they told us she ate all her meals, had a long nap, all was well. At home we did baby led weaning and she’s always had a great appetite and tried lots of different foods. In nursery they would tell us she would even have 2 lots of breakfast and lunch, and we’d joke about her being just like her Mam 😊

She slept through the night and napped well at home. She crawled, cruised and walked within all milestones and was generally doing really well.

Since starting nursery she’s had one illness after another, but we expected that and dealt with it. She’s had colds, ear infections, tonsilitis, hand foot and mouth, and a cough that pretty much hasn’t gone away since June. Again, quite normal I think?

The last few weeks I’ve noticed a real change in her and it makes me so sad and feel like I’m failing her. She moved from the baby group to the toddler group in nursery and now cries at every drop off. As soon as she sees her coat at home she bursts out crying and doesn’t stop until I drop her off. They tell me she settles as soon as I’m gone but in all the photos they send me she looks so miserable and sad, and she’s always on her own 😢
She’s stopped eating, this has gotten gradually worse over the last few weeks and today she’s eaten a small handful of strawberries and a yogurt. That’s it. She won’t even eat her snacks, even her favourite ones. She was so good with her food and now she just throws it over the side and cries.

She cries pretty much all the time, like constant grizzling - I don’t mind I just wish I could help her. Nothing seems to make her happy. My parents have her 2 days a week and they say she’s the same with them. The only time she seems happy is when she’s watching tv. She cries when I try and dress her, change her, take her out in the car. She went to her favourite soft play today and just cried. We had to come home. I just don’t know what the answers are 😞

Any advice will be so gratefully received. Basically how can I encourage her to eat normally again, enjoy going to nursery and go back to the happy little girl she’s always been? Or does this all sound normal and I’m over reacting?

Thank you so much if you got this far x

I'd say teething. It's bloody miserable.

Have you tried giving her Calpol to see if her mood improves? Sounds like she might be feeling unwell or in pain to me.

I feel we’re experiencing a lot of what you are only she’s a bit older - almost 2. Happy content little thing, never slept through but seems happy enough. One virus after another for months, at least one day a fortnight off nursery. She cried for a couple of weeks at drop off moving from baby to toddler room but that’s settled down now. She’s just… not quite right. Nothing obviously wrong but a little bit miserable and I’m agreeing with the above post that teeth may be playing a part - we have 7 molars left to cut. It’s driving me insane and cannot wait until they’re all through - you have my sympathies!

I have a 16month old, she's fine at nursery but she keeps having screaming fits lasting up to 5 hours at home, she's not sleeping well, calpol doesn't seem to make a difference, she doesn't want to be held, then she does, then she's hitting me away again. She has two teeth coming through, and 4 already so if this is teething I'm not convinced I will survive it. I'm making stupid mistakes at work as I'm averaging less than 6 hours a nights sleep.

She also has the constant illnesses.

I don't know if it is normal but I'm really struggling. Although I also think she has developed some intolerances, I've cut up milk but no idea what the other one/s are so still waiting on GP referral

It does sound like she might have a rumbly illness or be in pain. If it was upset at Nursery you’d expect her to perk up at weekends so the timing is probably coincidence.

I’d guess teething and try Calpol and Ashton and Parsons powders for a couple of days. If not that and you suspect food intolerances maybe some baby Gaviscon.

Otherwise maybe consider a GP appointment just to check her over.