Gentle baby turned diva

My boy got one a couple of weeks ago (slapping, grabbing and tantrumming) and we realised ita because his original keyworker left the nursery and there were new people in the room (they usually work in that room on days he isn't in, so the other kids knew them but my boy didnt). As soon as he got people he knew back he went back to being his usual cheeky self (he is known for getting into trouble for being too clever for his own good with locks and climbing). They won't dislike your girl as they are used to LOs going through these phases of development. She has obviously reached the pushing boundaries and being independent stage quite abruptly. They just need to make sure you are aware it is happening so you can continue the same sort of behaviour training at home (saying no to hitting, encouraging when they do what you say and not backing down when they don't etc), make sure they are being treated consistently across home and nursery.

Ours just started crying out of the blue. She does the same at home - she’s now impatient, when you say no she will scream and cry etc 😬 no slapping yet but this is alone is a massive change from what her behaviour was before. Noted by nursery too x

It’s quite normal for toddlers at this stage to explore a range of behaviours as they grow and learn. I would suggest having a conversation with the nursery to understand how they typically manage these situations and how they are interacting with your child during this time. I also think you mustn’t feel enmbarassed at all. Keep in mind that expecting a toddler to behave perfectly at all times, especially when they’re still learning to understand and regulate their emotions, isn’t realistic. None of us are perfect 24/7, after all! Perhaps you could approach the nursery by saying something like, “This behaviour seems a little out of character for her, so I wonder if it might be part of a development phase. How do you usually approach this sort of behaviour in nursery so we can support her at home?”