temper tantrums before 2?

Rocheka - posted on 08/17/2009

Tantrums before 2 is normal I think. My daughter is 18 months old, and she is all about the temper tantrum, that and bribery, she gives out kisses to get what she wants, and to get out of trouble. Terrible 2's are a thing of the past.

Monica - posted on 08/14/2009

Hey my daughter is the exact same way. She started at 16mths, and I have been putting her in time -out every time, and if it comes down to it i spank her butt. So far there has been some change and shes now 18mths on the 25 of aug. I know first hand how difficult the tantrums can be but just always remember its a parents job to be fair firm and consistant. If you cant do these 3 things then u will never succed at making the tantrums stop....keep me updated on what you do for your son so I can try and see if it works for my daughter...

Angela - posted on 08/13/2009

My son whines for everything! OMG, it drives me crazy and as bad as I want to throw away the pacifier, it helps the whining a "little" bit. I think I may need to just start ignoring this behavior.

Missy - posted on 08/13/2009

My daughter is almost 18 months and she has just started to throw little fits. Typically when she wants something that I've told her she cant have. I have been picking her up and setting her on my lap and almost ignoring her behavior. After a bit I look at her and ask her if she is done yet. If she crys some more I go back to what I was doing.If she calms down then I ok you can play again. And then put her back down and let her go about her little kid business. I don't have that issue with diaper changing but then again I've always made faces and talked at her and her sis when I change their diapers so they have always tended to like them. And I'm over in Minnesota

Rosie - posted on 08/12/2009

I notice a lot of you moms have kids the same age as my son... anyone live in Wisconsin? ;)

Jennifer - posted on 08/12/2009

My daughter is going to be 18 months in a few days, and she definately knows how to throw a fit. My biggest concern though is when she is shaking her head "NO" at me, she tends to throw her head back against whatever she is near; carseat,wall,floor. Sometimes she even purposely hits her head because that definately gets a reaction out of me because i get terrified she's going to hurt herself.



Anyone run into this, or know how to deal?

Denise - posted on 08/08/2009

My son tried to have temper tantrums. What I did was ignore him. Of course I mad sure that he didn't need his diaper changed, or was hungry, or any other neccessary need. After about 3 mnths he realized that his temper tantrums did not effect me and cut down on them and eventually stopped. To ignore the tantrums you may want to invest in an mp3 player. You can still watch what your child is doing, but you don't have to listen to the tantrums.

Jessica - posted on 08/06/2009

My daughter is going through the SAME dang thing right now. It's been like this for almost a month and she is about to turn 18 months. The best thing to do is to not show frustration in front of him and try calmy talking to him. It's hard I know, a quick trip to the store for me is a total disaster. Little Miss Independent! For the diaper time we try giving her something to distract her (i.e our phone, a toy, remote) We are also potty training, so maybe he's ready to go potty like a big boy?!?

Nicole - posted on 08/04/2009

my daughter to is 17 mos old and like the rest of you is doing exactly that, in the store she screams so loud and she laughs and says "I did mommy, I did it!" But she also does it while not getting her way, either way it is the loudest thing I've ever heard come out of something so small, what sometimes works for me is immediately going "ssshhhhh, we speak softly, like a lady" and it usually works unless she s tired. But I had to be extremely consistant with it and I always talk to her as if she totally understands me, and with respect that I expect back from her.

Jenn - posted on 08/04/2009

Hey Rosie - we started having issues with diaper changes too. This is what we did: I did his diaper changes only in his room for a few days so as soon as I laid him down if he freaked out I got up and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind (there is nothing in his room to get hurt on). After a few minutes, he usually calmed down a little and I would go back in and ask "if he was ready to cooperate and sit still for his diaper change?" and then lay him down again. The first couple of times I had to do this routine twice but now if he throws a fit I just ask "do you want mommy to leave while you calm down?" and he settles down.

Cassie - posted on 08/04/2009

Mine's has been doing the same thing for a while, it's completely normal and completely frustrating! lol The best you can do is when he starts throwing a tantrum, let him throw and walk away and completely ignore him. He'll get himself out of it, but once he realizes he's not getting any attention for it, you'll see decrease. My son does the SAME thing when I'm changing him and I just have to look him in the eye and say, "Please stop! That hurts mommy!" I try to sound firm, but the message doesn't always get there lol. He's just trying to establish his independence. :) Hope that helped.

Cassie - posted on 08/03/2009

It must be a stage. My little girl is 17 months old, and does the exact same thing! Addison has went crazy the last month, stomps her feet, throws herself on the floor and acts like the world is absolutely ending. Thank Goodness I am pretty good at just ignoring it, or laughing at it one or the other. She gets over it pretty quickly as long as you don't pay too much attention to her. It's been absolutely crazy, and just hoping that she grows out of it quickly!

Michele - posted on 08/02/2009

First of all, YES tantrums at this age are normal! I've read not to try to stop a temper tantrum. I know that's easier said than done (believe me, my own daughter has been throwing tantrums for months!). Tantrums are the only way for a child our children's age to express dissatisfaction with their current situation. Kids at that age have a short attention span, so maybe trying turning your son's attention to something else. While you're chaning his diaper, give him something to play with or something that keeps his attention away from the diaper changing. If you're home, and he starts a tantrum, leave the room and completely ignore the behavior. When he stops, then pay attention to him again. It's almost a conditioning thing. He'll learn that mom doesn't pay attention to him when he fits but she does when he's calm. I'm working on this myself and it's doing pretty well. If you're in public, you might have to leave from where you are. If you're grocery shopping, leave your cart and go to the store. Kids learn what a time-out is very soon...that doesn't mean you are punishing him, it simply means that he needed time to chill out, then you can return to your grocery shopping when he calms down, etc. :) good luck!

Tara - posted on 07/29/2009

My 17 month old son HATES diaper changes, too! I resort to doing them on the floor whenever possible, but the downside is that he rolls over and tries to get away from me. I just try to be very fast and get the help of anyone I can to help distract him, but he screams like crazy until it's over. I can't wait for this phase to end- not to mention the grabbing his diaper area when it is covered in poo! Lol!

Rosie - posted on 07/28/2009

Thanks guys! My biggest problem is changing him.. he wont stop spazzing long enough for me to distract him. I try giving him a toy right before i lay him down, but as soon as he figures out that im changing him he freaks! I havent tried the strap yet, i think i may have to adjust the strap, but im afraid one of these days when im trying to keep him from flailing around hes going to fall. That scares me more than anything.. whats a mother to do lol?

Jillian - posted on 07/27/2009

I'm with ya! We are going through the same thing, I guess its normal? My little girl is 17months old, she is def. making a statement now, its her way or no way! I'm not sure what to do either, she doesn't understand time out and a simple no, no doesn't do anything!

Rainey - posted on 07/25/2009

With our first I asked the dr. if it was normal to start the terrible 2's at 18 months and he said it is really common. My little Sammi thinks she needs to scream whenever she doesn't get her way.

Megan - posted on 07/25/2009

Theres always a reason for a tantrum, even when you can't figure it out. The hard part is figuring out what exactly the problem is, as he lacks the appropriate language skills to properly tell you what he wants hes going to physically show you he is frustrated.



Before he gets totally out of control ask him if he is say hungry or thirsty, tired or even bored. He may even be testing to see if you will cater to his every whim.



If you can distract him go for it, but if you can't figure it out just ignore him, the more he sees that he will get what he needs or wants by him being nice to you the less often he will have a tantrum to get whatever it is.



Another thing about tantrums is, is that it is a way for kids to blow off steam. An unbalance in emotions can build up (even really happy emotions can boil over into a tantrum) a tantrum is like a reset button for emotions and sometimes hes just gotta let em out!



If you think he is having one for no reason it may just be that hes reached his boiling point and needs to reset himself to feel better. Just keep an eye on him and let him belt it out.



As for diaper time he probably just doesnt like to have to stay still that long, best thing is to do it quick and distract as much as you can.

Rebekah - posted on 07/25/2009

Mine is doing the same thing. We either just ignore the behavior and he stops when he realizes we aren't paying attention OR, if we are out in public, we try to distract him with a fun toy or a snack or something. It's amazing how fast he "snaps out of them." With his crazy behavior during diaper changes, we have had luck singing to him (which also helps with the tantrums) or giving him something to play with. If that doesn't work, we strap him in on the changing table (it has a "safety strap" built on so he won't roll off the table) and he thinks he is stuck most of the time and it buys enough time to get him changed. Hope that helps... Beka