Please help me with constant and prolonged crying in my 3 yr old

[mom2lucy]

Here's the story-DD1 turned 3 at the end of February.  She has always been a pleasant girl with very few tantrums, and easily "talked down" from one.  Now, I know that 3 is notorius for emotional issues, but I just want a little insight on to what may going on with her.

Last week the whole family had a stomach bug, and she threw up a few times and had diarrhea for several days.  We also had family in town and she was playing with her older cousins all week (which she loved).  Beginning about 3 days after she was sick (she was better by this point) she started just crying out of nowhere, for no obvious reason, and it was lasting for quite awhile (maybe 20 min. to an hour). 

The only thing she kept saying is "pick me up" and definitely talking in a baby voice (which she's been doing more lately and getting VERY whiny), and if I couldn't pick her up or had to sit down, or put her down she would go into a hysterical panic-screeching and falling to the floor, hitting me, etc.

These episodes only happen when she's with me and come on out of nowhere.  We were in the stroller today going for a jog, which she normally loves and about halfway through went crazy trying to climb out crying for me to pick her up.

As she's crying she's saying "mama" about a hundred times but not ever anything else.  I've tried to discern if something is physically hurting her, and it doesn't seem like it.  I thought originally that this was just remnants of her being sick and then all the activity with her cousins, but it's still going on.  The times when she's not crying she's absolutely great and very happy.

I'm just at a loss of how to handle it when this begins.  I certaintly can't carry her around all day, and I just don't know if I should nurture her and hold her-if she's doing it because she's really emotionally distressed for some reason, or if I should allow her to cry but keep my distance and continue to talk to her in a happy voice like nothing is happening.  It seems like when I talk to her in a loving way it almost makes her go more. 

Sorry this got so long, thanks for reading and any insight is very much appreciated!!!

[Tjej]

It sounds like she thinks that's a good way to get your attention.  With my 3yo, I have found he is old enough to know what he is doing with yelling/whining/screaming, and he uses it.  So I'm working to teach him how to communicate his needs with me in a more pleasant way. :)  I tend to validate the feeling but expect to be spoken to in a kind way before I take action.  So if he's yelling at me to pick him up, I don't do that.  I validate that he is upset and wants up, help him calm down and ask me nicely to get up.  With the stroller one I personally would just say sorry, I'll hold you after our walk, and try starting singing the itsy bitsy spider with them or something - but I'm tough that way and my kids are used to that so they wouldn't try it on me. :)

Tjej