Hi!

I have a 4 year old preschooler as well. I dread dressing in the morning, mealtimes, leaving the house, getting shoes on at preschool, leaving preschool, and after nap time.

We've had a few after school meltdowns. They all occur in the hallway of school while getting ready. One of them occurred because her nail was broken and she wanted it cut and I didn't have any nail clippers on me. She started crying and screaming and jumping up and down and refusing to put on any other article of clothing (it's winter here, I'm in Albera, Canada). Another instance was when she had broken her head band in class and I told her it was garbage now and made her put it in the garbage. That was one of the biggest meltdowns I've seen from her. Screaming, crying, running away, hitting, kicking, refusing to put on clothing. I ended up carrying her and her brother and her backpack and her boots to the almost the van then I couldn't carry her any more and asked her if she was willing to put on her boots 'NO'. So I left her in the snow, then she was screaming because she was wet and cold!

She does have good days and bad days. She seems to go through cycles of good and bad. She can have 2 weeks at a time where she has very little meltdowns, or weeks where she can have upwards of 15 meltdowns a day. It seems if she starts off the morning with a meltdown then her whole day is a wash.

Some times we know her triggers, but if I'm downstairs and she's upstairs I may not get there in time to see what the trigger was. As much as we ask her she will not answer, she'll change subjects!

Her triggers change too. Right now it seems to be clothing, a couple weeks ago it was anything I asked of her would either be NO, I DON'T WANT TO or instant meltdown. She frequently has a 1 hour meltdown every morning.

She doesn't have issues with new places - in fact, she thrives on them. She's EXTREMELY extroverted and will talk to, touch, anyone and anything! She has no fear.