When you can't figure out what's wrong...
So, DD has been EXTREMELY crabby lately.
Yes, she's not a good sleeper but she's still in a great mood. Her "bad mood" is really not a big deal, she fusses a bit, but nothing bad at all. And it usually doesn't last very long either.
The last week or so DD has been throwing quite the fits. She's crabby all day long, really fights naps and even though she wants the bottle as soon as she starts eating she starts screaming. She also won't take her Nuk.
Ok those do point towards teething and that's most likely what's up. But there are times I really can't figure out what is up with her. So... I have tried giving her tylenol and that does calm her down and she's usually quite good after that and will also go down for a nap.
BUT, sometimes I feel bad just giving her tylenol not knowing if she's actually hurting. And when she calms down, is it just the medicine calming her down in general or is it really helping with whateve pain she's having....
I feel like I'm the only one who can't figure it out. I don't want to seem like I"m just trying to find an easy fix. That's why I feel guilty when I say, "well, I don't know what's wrong, let's try a little tylenol" 
Does anybody else do that?
And I don't give her tylenol every day all the time of course. Just when she won't settle down at all and we've tried everything for a while....
Re: When you can't figure out what's wrong...
I only give her Ibuprofen when I know exactly what the issue is, like when she had an ear infection and needed something for the pain.
Our pedi said to stick to tylenol more than ibuprofen as tylenol is actually safer and better for kids.
I did try orajel and other teething stuff but that just makes it worse. She doesn't want anything close to her mouth and trying to rub her gums is nearly impossible and really stresses her out more than it needs to be. This tylenol flavor she actually likes and it's easiest to give to her (and she fusses with that sometimes, too). So that's why I've been sticking to that.
And like I said, this isn't the first thing I try. We always check first, does she need a diaper change, is she hungry/thirsty, too hot, too cold, nap etc.... It's just when all of that fails and we still can't get her to calm down, it's tylenol time.....
DD responds really well to Hylands Teething Tablets. They are magical. We use them during the day and Tylenol at night.
Oh, where do you get those? I'll have to try that! thanks!!
We have those too but I don't notice a big difference when I've given it to him. It should be in the section with other baby meds in the store. There's a hyland teething gel too.
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This.
The fussy period before the latest leap was brutal. I actively disliked my kid on several occasions. But we got through it and all is sunshine and rainbows again.
I credit the Wonder Weeks book with saving my sanity at least a dozen times this past year. Knowing why my kid is different from week to week and being able to attribute his shifts to developmental growth makes me much more understanding when the whining is this close to driving me up the wall. It is my #1 gift for new parents.