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Both of my kids have done a similar thing, right at that same age (my youngest now at 22 months) except: instead of post-daycare it is post-nap at home. I've tried to sort out a million reasons why and I really think it might be a phase at that age..POSSIBLY mixed with some low blood sugar / hunger in our case. Does he get a good snack and drink before he leaves daycare or after he gets home, pre-dinner?

So sorry you are dealing with this and I hope it gets better soon I know it's so hard when they are inconsolable.

@MrsADS: that sounds like my daughter when she has an ear infection. I would take him in to get checked- worst that happens is they say it's not that but at least you know. Best case they can give you a drug that will fix it in a couple days. My daughter never gets a fever wth ear infections, though her sleep is usually affected.

It could be something like being overtired but the fact that it just started would make me want to get him checked out. Has he had a cold or congestion recently? That can lead to the ear infection.

@gingerbebe: what age did you notice the two year molars starting? My 19 month old just went through a super fussy stage and I suspected that, but she also had a virus soni really don't know what it was. She's better now but I wonder when to watch for them.

We had canines around 17-19 months and that sucked but the two year molar saga started around 22/23 months, then it was quiet for a bit, then I know around 26 months was awful, then we got the last molar 28 months? It was like 7-10 days of horror, then 2 weeks normal, then another week of cranky pants and low grade fever, then another week or two of normal, repeat repeat repeat. The molar hurts when it's pushing up and moving into position, then when it cuts its awful because it inches out a bit at a time so the gum is all pulled (I actually thought he had a huge canker sore at first), etc. I don't know why it took my son so long but it was brutal when he was in pain.

I'm sorry to say it doesn't sound abnormal for my kids anyway. Usually there was something we could say was a cause like a mental growth spurt or ear infection or teething or sleep deprivation/schedule being messed with... but they both have definitely gone through phases where they are like Dr Jekel and Mr Hyde... Crazy irrational tantrums that we couldn't do anything but wait out... it sucks. Hope you find some cause/relief!

@MrsADS: Yes! We are in the same phase. I remember my oldest doing this also. It was the early terrible 2's. The good news was that it only lasted a couple of months. We found that her language exploded around the same time.

I agree with 2 yr molars. It's been a rough ride for us. Every single molar cause about a week or two of near constant meltdowns. As a sahm, I'm starting to have meltdowns myself!!!

@MrsADS: Yes, kids this age don't like to be misunderstood. Like to the 100th power don't like it. I would stop asking, What did you say? when unable to understand and just play along as if it makes sense while you are guessing...maybe repeat what LO says (close approximation) if you don't understand and really want to know. Then he/she can correct you if up for it. They just want to be able to freely experiment with language. And yes, LO had a few super tantrums around that age. It stopped about 2 months later.

@charlotte: @gotkimchi: Wow, my toddler was the same way after some naps, especially really long naps. It happened every once in a while around age 2. Never figured out why and never realized it was a common experience! But yeah, we just made sure he was safe and when he was ready to be held, we held him. He's 28m now and he hasn't done it in a long time.

He only has four molars -- 2-year molars are the second set of molars, right? So for us it definitely wasn't the 2-year molars. Shrug!

@MrsADS: Good luck to you! It was definitely scary and worrisome, no doubt.

Ugh, we went through this too at that age, you have my sympathy!

One thing that really worked for LO during that rough time was sensory based interventions during meltdowns. Talking to her never worked, as she was so far past being able to manage language when that upset. Examples: we would put on music (something she already loved, or something danceable), or a TV show, a favorite food, and most helpful was a frozen item - she loved one of those teethers that you can freeze. We wouldn't engage her at all, other than to make sure she knew the item the item was available to her, and gave her space.

I have no idea if this would work with another kid, but engaging a different part of her brain that wasn't language based was almost always key to a quick end to those kind of meltdowns.

@MrsADS: Good thing for DH's coming in to interpret. I meant that the guessing is not out loud...just keep it in your head! Not even the approximations at this point. I bet the language thing is it!! It's like the feeling that I so badly want to be a mermaid but I can barely hold my breath under water!