It's the beginning of the year and thing are taking a disastrous turn for the worst. Dear reader I sense your concern let me explain the mind boggling, heart wrenching, stomach turning, though I am still a baby and can vomit on command, therefore the stomach turnings not really applicable. Anyway I digress, the parentships aka my devoted mother and father have sat us down and conveyed to Big Sister and me the most astounding of news. Let's recap the series of events, it's really hard for me to relive it all once again, but I will try.
So suddenly Dad booms it's time for a family meeting, our first official one, and I'm a bit confused, should I have a moment and just cry all over the place, hey I told you I'm still a baby, this crying for nothing phase is taking awhile to leave me. No, this all looks quite intriguing, will hold my tears for after. Mum and Dad quite proudly look at each other, and announce in unison, boy you've got to be married a great many years to do that, I think! Anyway, Mum and Dad in unison, shout they are thinking of expanding the family. Hooray! I shout, we're getting a dog! No Mum goes...okay not my first choice but a cat? Wrong again Dad goes, right I think, did the fish have more babies, those guppies are hard to keep a track off. Again in union they shake there head.. alright what? I'm thinking out of the box here people, a hamster, we're getting a hamster. I'm right. NO, they shout again, boy they sounded like me there all of a sudden with all their noos, all my guesses are wrong apparently. They are actually thinking of expanding the family by having another little brother or sister. You got to be kidding me I think, actually I didn't think I sat there in complete silence, not moving, actually I might have even stopped breathing.
Big Sister ran out of the room, shouting hooray I'm going to have a little sister. Traitor I thought. How could my parents do this to me, I thought they were on my side, I AM the baby! I will always be the baby, there's no other perfect baby than me, why are they questioning my perfection? Have the parents been sampling some of the leftover Christmas wines? They are just trying to be frivolous, and doing a bad job at it I think. Big Sister dances in again, shouting yay another little sister.. whoopee. Or it could be a boy Mum chimes in. Wait a minute, jumping Chewbaccas I didn't think of it that way, you mean another mini me, I could have a army of them. All in cahoots with me, we could systematically take over the world, maybe expanding the family is not a bad idea after all!
Why do toddlers just cry?
Although these bouts of crying may seem to happen for no reason, there are usually a few common causes. Pain or illness could be one; even if you don't see any signs, a headache or earache could cause random tears. Your child may yelp if there's a sudden increase in pain and then stop when it subsides. Also, because toddlers have limited ways of communicating verbally, crying becomes a way for them to communicate that they want or need something, such as attention, a toy, or a snack.Or your kid could have been reminded of a frightening experience, even if it didn't happen at that moment. Because the line between make-believe and real life is blurry for young children, something (a shark in a book, a loud noise on TV) could trigger your child to remember something terrifying, even days later. Toddlers and preschoolers switch emotions very easily, from happy to upset and back to happy within a short period, says Stan Spinner, M.D., the chief medical officer at Texas Children's Pediatrics in Houston. So if your usually happy child suddenly starts crying for seemingly no reason, here are ways to deal with the stop-and-go tears.
How to help toddlers deal with additions to the family
Even if he was excited about having a new sibling before the birth, your toddler may change his mind once the baby comes home. How your child behaves will depend partially on his temperament. Children who are more flexible and self-contained may adjust more easily. Those who are highly sensitive, need more time with transitions, and like routines may take longer to adjust. He's likely to want your attention most when you're nursing or changing a diaper. He may even try to express his feelings by yanking the baby's arm or snatching her toys. You can respond by saying something like, "I want you to be gentle with the baby. It can hurt her to pull on her arm. Let your toddler help out — he may surprise you with how much he can do.
By Mayuri Jayasinghe
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