Thursday, September 10, 2009

The ultimate excuse

I use one excuse for almost all of Bug's terrible antics: teething. Well, that and "he's tired". If he is sick, he must be teething. If he is a downright cranky terror, he must be teething. If he is drooling profusely, he must be teething. If he has a diaper rash, he must be teething. And, you know what, more often than not, he actually has a tooth pop out shortly after the "teething symptoms". I guess it helps that at his age, kids are ALWAYS getting new teeth. I honestly don't know what excuse I will give him once he has a mouth full of teeth. But, for now, I am blaming it all on teething. Bug has 11 teeth now. And one tender bubble where tooth number 12 is working its way out of his gums. (Yeah, that explains a lot.)

Really, sometimes I just can't handle my long days spent with a cranky toddler! I should be more understanding to his feelings. If he is whiny and clingy and fussy and angry because he has sore gums, I should show him more love. But, even if he is whiny and clingy and fussy and angry for some other reason, I should still love him.

What do you other moms do when you have a super cranky toddler?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Sometimes for me it works to change the scenery. Chase get cranky often and often it works to change things up a bit. Going outside seems to work every time! I'll throw him in the stroller and the girls ride their bikes, we go around the block. Usually that's enough to fix it. And if he doesn't fall asleep at least he's content to be out seeing new things. For my girls they love to do art. So when they get fussy it's usually bordom. If I pull out paint and crayons they love that for at least an hour! Chase loves books. Quite often when any of my kids get cranky I've noticed it's because I haven't paid enough attention to them. Pay attention to when Benji gets fussy. That might be why.

S. Chaffee said...

My first and most favorite thing to do when my kids were teething was to rub olive oil on their gums. It would keep them content for a few hours! That stuff is wonderful! It also worked for me when my wisdom teeth were coming in.

As far as a great excuse for a cranky kid that's done teething... I use, 'There going through another growth spert,' or, 'They're ready for their nap. They didn't sleep well last night.'

I don't know why but those seem to help. A night out with someone who's really awesome will help out too. Hang in there!

TopHat said...

Sometimes I just have to let Daddy take her for a few minutes while I re-center myself and take a few deep breaths.

Rachel Sue said...

We are moving into day 5 of unbearable teething symptoms. I never thought I would be so excited for one of my babies to get a tooth.

Hercules Family said...

I totally use that excuse too!! haha... I LOVE the teething tablets! They are all natural and dissolve in the mouth and they work wonders!! Much better then anything I have found that gets rubbed on the gums. Anyway, I didn't know Grant was getting married!!! When is that happening?

Mimi Collett said...

Well, I have no clue what to do with a cranky toddler, but you're welcome to hang out with me, and we can wonder together what to do with a cranky toddler. :) I recommend going to the park with me and Jill or getting an ice cream cone. ;)