So anxious and questioning myself

[5 Little Monkeys]

I had a new boy(18 months) who screamed/cried the whole day for two weeks as well so I feel for you!! I always tell myself and the parents that a transition period could last 2 weeks but this was the first child who took this long and who cried all day. After 2 weeks, it just magically stopped!! Here are some things I did....

-the parents were fantastic at quick drop off's. I praised them for this so that it would continue. If her parents aren't quick at dropping off, I would suggest asking them to be.
-I held onto him for a bit after parents left. I would talk to him quietly asking how his morning went, what toy did he want to play with, we discussed who was here and who was still coming etc
-after a few minutes of cuddling I would put him down with a toy. Depending on what I had to do I would either sit with him or near him. I allowed him to sit with me throughout the day at random times but if he cried he had to sit by himself and I explained that he can't sit with me if he is crying for no reason.
-there were times that nothing helped and he would just cry. I would place him in his playpen and tell him that when he was done crying he could join the group again. This seemed to help as his blanky was in his playpen and gave him some comfort.
-I would encourage him to join in all the activities. There were times he just sat at the table or stood outside or watched us do art and cry but at least he was with us and participating as much as possible for crying all day
-his parents would pick up and would stay and chat. I feel that this helps because it shows the child that the parent "likes" me and trusts me and that it is okay to come here
-I drank wine after work LOL

Having an all day crier is exhausting mentally and emotionally. I felt like you do and thought I was failing. I considered terminating him but I had seen how he was at our initial meeting and I knew that that little guy was in there somewhere. I am glad I stuck it out (and that it didnt last longer than 2 weeks!!) as he is now my most easy going, content, cute child! I hope she adjusts soon for you!

As far as the bum rash, that is not your fault!! (Unless you are not changing her diaper often and I highly doubt that is the case ) Some bum creams just don't work and she could have sensitive skin. My child with sensitive skin uses desitin(sp?) and it works wonders! My other favourite one is sudocream and I find that one works almost instantly. If it's really bad, I would suggest not using wet wipes but using warm wet cloths and making sure the bum is dry before putting diaper on.

At 12 months, she is probably still needing 2 naps. When I had 2x a day nappers, I would nap them for 30 minutes at 9 and then the normal 2 hour naptime at 1. This seemed to work well as the morning nap gave them enough energy to do our morning activities and make it through lunch without a meltdown.

GOOD LUCK!!!