New Little Alter, advice? *trigger-defined roles*

So, lately my little, Cassie, who's 8, had been acting more like a 2-year-old and not adjusting to our recent move very well. But now I'm wondering if it was her at all, because it seems there was a younger alter hidden within her. She was triggered out by herself instead of going through Cassie. I've never known her to exist before and she's never been triggered before. She used to cry through Cassie and throw tantrums and fuss, and Cassie would always either not remember acting in such a way or seem surprised by herself/her own actions.

But now she's separate from Cassie and I know of her, although I don't have much control over her yet and I'm experience time-loss again when she comes out. I haven't had time-loss in a while, and it's hard to deal with again. Although, what's more difficult is that she is 2 years old. (She goes by Gertrude (a childhood nickname my mom had for me), or "Gertie" for short). Not only that, but she doesn't seem to share Cassie's memories. I've been told by my boyfriend, who's been around when she's been triggered out, that she doesn't know about my mom being dead and doesn't know that I/we don't live with my dad anymore. She seems to have memories up until age 5, but has given her age to be and acts like she's 2.

Thankfully, with the appearance of the younger alter, (I don't know if it's an actual split or not), Cassie's stopped being so fussy and as started to act like an 8-year-old again. But now I have to deal with the full force of a fussy, confused, unhappy 2-year-old who cries about wanting to "go back home" and doesn't understand why I/we aren't at home with mom and dad. And with my lack of control over her because I'm not used to her being there yet, she's had a tendency of leaking out and causing me to be afraid of things I'm not normally afraid of, which in some cases has cause me anxiety and panic attacks.

I was just wondering if anyone had advice for dealing with a newly-appeared, toddler-aged little? Is there anything I can do to ease the childish fears and the fussy-ness and how she throws tantrums? And does anyone have any advice on how to tell a 2-year-old that their mom is dead and they don't live with their dad anymore? Because I'm lost on how to do that safely...I'm not sure she'll understand, but last night I woke up completely confused and feeling lost because I felt like I was supposed to be at my childhood house, still living with mom and dad, and I wasn't there. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't there and I got pretty scared about trying to figure out where I was and my boyfriend had to calm me down. So I can't have her going on thinking that we're still supposed to be living with my/our mom and dad, but I don't know how to gently let her know this... And, since I'm used to older ages, (at least older than 5) basically any advice anyone may have about dealing with a young alter in general would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading.

Maybe just tell her one thing at a time. I would think it's a bit much for a 2yr old to take in all at once. I'd start with telling her you moved house, because you can't really get round that one. If she asks about your parents you could just say they're not here right now. X

Thanks, I will try that. She cries almost all day, I can hear her in my head. My older alter, Rain, has been trying to take care of her, and I can hear her ask for mom and dad and ask where they are. Rain's been telling her she's a babysitter and that her parents are away for a bit, but you can only tell a child that for so long before even they know something's up. So hopefully I can figure out a way to tell her at the very least that we don't live with our parents anymore.

I remember reading this but I believe there was a little trigger that took me elsewhere then. But I'll give you some advice I got from this board. Invite her to go to sleep with you. Even if you can't reach her, perhaps speak to her as if she's there. I'm guessing she can hear you now that she's awake. It seems like she was asleep and in hibernation for years. Many of my younger alters have reawakened exactly, it seems, the way they were the moment they went to sleep and don't understand anything but what they knew then. But they seem to pick things up over time. Like, okay there are a bunch of guys around who talk to me but I can't see them. Little kids need to know they're safe, the new place they're at is safe, and the people here now are going to look after them, protect them, give them what they need, make time for them, play with them or whatever else it is they're looking for. Let her know she's appreciated for being just the way she is. Gertie may expect to be somewhere else but I'm not sure you can or even need to convince her what happened. Let her know she's safe, she's being looked after, and she may be drawn to you like a magnet and probably calm down. Kids need attention and as long as they're getting some, they'll often sit calmly for a bit when you tell them you need them to do that. You could also suggest for her a way to get your attention if she feels the need. This may help keep her from acting out inside and she probably really does need comforting.

Thank you so much, Johnny-Jack! I'll definitely try getting her to sleep with me. She's come out a few times (I don't know her triggers yet), and has been around my boyfriend, who thankfully was able to keep her calm and told her he was a babysitter and that she was safe. I bought a sippy cup for my 8-year-old little, Cassie, since she was acting like a 2-year-old often and not coping with our most recent move very well. I think it was Gertie who was acting through Cassie, but thankfully the sippy cup still really seems to help her. My boyfriend's given it to Gertie when she's come out and she calms down a lot. I'll try seeing if she'll move on from asking hard questions once she's calmer, both inside my mind and outside. I/we were pretty attached to our mom, though, so she may always ask for her/where she is. But for now I'll take one step at a time and focus on helping her feel safer, loved, and comforted.