My DD1 is just over two and a half. She's always been an awesome kid, really polite, good fun, reserved but we've been working on it. We would do bedtime routine every single night and she'd get straight in bed no issue and sleep through until morning.
I brought home DD2 three months ago. No issues for the first month, DD1 the same in terms of being lovely etc. Helped DD2 was prem and slept a lot so eased into it. DD1 seems to love DD2, kisses, wants to help out etc.
Anyway went away for a long weekend with family, came back and DD1 has been nothing shy of Satan himself. Tantrum after tantrum, screaming battles, shouting, throwing things. I don't get it. I understand lots of development going on at this age and it's normal to act out but lordy, I'm close to throwing myself down the stairs just for a few nights away in hospital. Everything is a fight but as soon as I distract her from what she's doing she quickly forgets and goes onto something else. But she just does not listen to me anymore. She is goooood as gold at nursery where she attends two days a week, so it's only at home but she is utterly exhausting and a totally different child to who I had a month or so ago.
To top it off, she now makes me sit in her room with her at night time until she falls asleep. This is driving me batty as absolutely nothing gets done round here and three nights a week I have zero support so this does not work with a baby. Some nights it takes ten minutes, others it can go on hours. She's also waking up in the night, coming in to see me and making me sit with her again till she goes to sleep. I've tried leaving her to cry it out a bit but she literally stands at the gate at the top of the stairs screaming until she makes herself physically sick. She has a night light and gro clock, black out curtains, door is usually open at her request, nap wise is hit and miss but bedtime is adjusted appropriately. Nothing has changed, she gets full bedtime attention. We can even just be standing at the door - we just have to be in eyesight. I can't seem to break this and it's driving me mad as even though some parents may want to quiet five minutes, I do not want to be sitting here for however long when there are things to do I get zero opportunity to do during the day.
Is this the new normal? Or will I eventually get my lovely DD1 back???