Toddler Troubles Since New Baby Came Home

I (32F) am a mother to a 2 year old girl and a 4 week old boy. My 2 year old definitely had her moments prior to the new baby coming. However, since the baby came home, her attitude has turned up to 100000 and it’s driving my husband and I crazy.

There are a couple key problem areas. First is mealtimes. Prior to the baby coming she had no problems eating. There were times she even out ate us. Since baby came home she has been refusing most meals. Even snacks she will only take a few bites of and then leave. Nearly every meal results in a meltdown, even meals she had no problem with before. I’m not trying to force her to clean her plate, just have enough to be satisfied, but her dinner the past couple nights has been a banana because she has refused to touch her original dinner.

The other thing she has been struggling with is sleep. Prior to the new baby she was sleeping 10-11 hours at night and napping 1-2 hours during the day. For the past couple weeks, however, she has refused to nap. She instead turns naptime into a chase game. Our original sleep training methods aren’t working anymore, and it’s clear to see she is deliberately doing this to push buttons.

Whenever she doesn’t nap she turns into a possessed demon around 4 pm. She becomes overly cranky and melts down over any little thing. This often leads to her refusing to eat dinner. She spends all night crying for her pacifier (which she gave up months ago and only uses to sleep) until it’s finally bedtime and we give it to her. No nap is also ruining her night sleep. She’s now sleeping 12+ hours at night, often accompanied by a wake up or 2 in the middle of the night. It’s a vicious cycle we can’t seem to break.

My husband and I are at our wits end. We try very hard to make sure she knows she is still loved and valued. We spend time with her whenever we can. We give her praise and rewards for doing the right things. We don’t know what else to do.

For those who have been there, what works? We’re desperate to try anything at this point.