What happened to this happy child??

[LeslieG]

So from day one that I started caring for this little boy (have been caring for him for 5 months) he has been one of the best and happiest children that I have ever watched. Now all of a sudden the last two days that he's been here he has been SO not himself. He screams all morning long unless I am holding him (he is 13 months old). I can sometimes distract him with toys, but that doesn't last long. If I have to walk away to do something or help one of the other kids, he will follow me, screaming!!

He is getting his top teeth right now (but when he got his bottom teeth it never seemed to affect his mood).

Also, he used to take a 2 1/2-3 hour nap here but his dad asked me if I could keep his naps to 2 hours b/c he wasn't sleeping good at night anymore. So I started doing that... after about a week of shortening his naps, screaming in the mornings started. Does the change up in sleep schedule have anything to do with his mood shift?

So is it teething, a shift in his sleep schedule, or just a phase?

Ahh, as you can tell, I just want a happy child back!!

[SilverSabre25]

could be any of those (teething, schedule, or phase). I would NOT limit the naps of a child that age, btw. I don't offer that until late 3 or 4.

It could also be an ear infection or other developing illness.

[lolaland]

Sometimes I had the same problem and latter we would find out the kid had an unnoticed ear infection plus the teething... and most of the times there was no physical signs of an ear infection and was only detectable by a doctor exam... Other times it was just the teething... I do not believe it's because of the nap change!

Good luck... he will be back to his normal happy days soon

[youretooloud]

If it were the sleep issue, it could be that he's still not sleeping at night, and you have cut his nap schedule down by an hour. So, he's getting an hour less sleep a day.

If I were going to guess, i'd say he has an ear infection, or his teeth really are bothering him. He could just feel lousy from some virus that isn't really showing any outward signs.

[Leigh]

I would guess it is the teething...it seems with my own that as they got older, the teething hurt more. I wait to dose them with Advil until about 20 minutes before laying them down for sleep-laying down puts even more pressure on the teeth. And, if you are NOT giving the child something for teething, I would bring it up to the parents-children deserve to have their pain addressed.

As far as the napping-I would let the parents know that a 3 hour nap is normal for a child that age. I, personally, would not be willing to wake a 13 month old after 2 hours (I will for a 4 year old, but not a baby). This is just me, I'm no sleep specialist, but I won't wake a child that is under 2...they know what they need to sleep. The child is likely having issues sleeping at night because of the teething. Advise parents to give Advil right before bed, and I'd bet things improve.

In my opinion, parents who complain about kids not going to sleep well at night usually are the parents whose kids go to bed at 7PM so mom & dad don't have to deal with them. I'd try to understand the situation a little more (as you are doing) before I agreed to wake a baby from a nap.

[Willow]

Sounds super typical of a fear period and the age is spot on. Gotta love separation anxiety!

The good news is it should pass soon. Doesn't hang on long for most, try not to take it personally or too seriously. Reassure the parents that it peaks in a lot of babies between 12 and 18 months.

http://m.raisingchildren.net.au/articles/fear_of_strangers.html

[cheerfuldom]

I dont adjust naps at daycare, no matter what the parents say. my nap schedule is pretty firm and they are welcome to adjust the bedtime, if they want something changed. for a 13 month old, I would still be doing two 2 hour naps a day. most of my kids dont transition to one nap a day till 15 or 18 months. the reason is because many parents want "wake time" at the daycare and want to put their kids to sleep early and easy at home. just because they cant get a routine and some bedtime boundaries set, does not mean i am going to keep a cranky baby up all day.