My boy is 1 year and 8 months and he is driving me up the wall with his tantrums and attitude

Diana - posted on 01/10/2010

you could either A. let him throw his tantrums and hell stop when he knows he cant have what he wants or B. find something that can distract him. my son whos 2 likes cars so if he throws a tantrum, i show him a car and he grabs it n runs off to play with his car. sometimes in the stores he likes to throw a fit cuz he cant have what he wants but distraction is key before they get old enough to realize what you are trying to do. my daughter will b 2 in may and shes complete opposite of my son. they are like night n day. she doesnt throw tantrums as much (like, its almost rare) but she does whine alot when shes sick or tired which isnt as bad as throwing themselves on the floor or hitting you or throwing things across the room.

Christina - posted on 01/10/2010

Renee, our daughter started throwing tantrums when daddy left for a week or two, then one day she realized that he'll be back. I'm sure your kiddo will come to the same conclusion too.
Also, have you guys tried putting him in his bed when he throws a headbanging tantrum? It won't stop the tantrum but it's a little more padded. Or maybe laying him on the couch and sitting next to him to make sure he doesn't fall off.

Renee - posted on 01/09/2010

My son is a very independent, stubborn, and full of energy. He gets frustrated when he can't do something he wants be it buckling himself into his chair, putting a puzzle together, or getting legos to stick. This will lead to tantrums Those ones are easy to defuse...just help him do it. The ones are harder to defuse are the ones where he is told "no" or "uh uh". He is a headbanger...but he hits himself so hard that he leaves dark bruises and goose eggs on his forehead. My husband and I are at our wits end with this and out of ideas on what to do about it.
The last few days when my husband leaves to go to work, our son will start to cry and will refuse to say "bye-bye" to him. He is getting mad at my husband for going to work. He will push Dadda away when he tries to say good bye or spend any time with him prior to leaving for work.

Michelle - posted on 01/09/2010

Oh I totally understand. My son is the same exact way. I give him one explanation for whatever he's crying about, then I tell him that I'm not going to try to talk over his yelling, then I ignore him until he stops. Literally-- I walk into another room or turn my back on him. If he follows me or walks to my front, which he does lol, I turn around again or walk to another room. I do this until he stops crying. Sometimes it gets so comical that it turns into a game and he's forgotten all about his tantrum, and sometimes I swear I see a little bit of understanding.... *sigh* it's a frustrating age, but "this too shall pass," right?

Christina - posted on 01/09/2010

Exactly! It's the beginning of the terrible twos. In addition to what Karen said. Some days both of you need some alone time (like 10-20 minutes). Let him play in his room and you in the living room (use a babygate if necessary). I know it sounds horrible but space can greatly benefit both of your moods. Or if he wants some Mommy cuddle time, sit and read a book or watch a favorite show, where you are giving him your undivided attention. It's all about figuring out why he's throwing the tantrum and getting him what he needs.

Karen - posted on 01/09/2010

Welcome to toddler-hood. First thought is how many words can he speak, a lot of times tantrums are out of frustration because they can't communicate what they want you to know. If he doesn't have a lot of speech have you tried sign language, just a few basic signs, eat, drink, sleep, bath, etc can really help them communicate what they want or how they are feeling. Talking to them " I know you would like x but we need to do x can you come with mummy and help me" works sometimes with my youngest. Distraction is usually a winner at this age, they have such a short attention span and memory that they easily forgot that they were mad two seconds ago.



My youngest is the same age and he loves a good throw himself on the floor kicking and screaming tanty, I usually just walk away and let it play itself out. Occasionally he will pick himself up off the floor, come over to where I am and re-throw himself on the floor to continue.