Should a 13 moth old have a temper already?

Jennifer - posted on 06/06/2012

Holly has some great advice. Check out "Raising the Spirited Child" too. It has made a great difference for us. It helps you evaluate both your child's and your personality and quirks. This, in turn, helps you to understand what may be going on and offers ways to approach it. Best of luck!

Holly - posted on 06/03/2012

I frequently turn to books for answers. Especially if he was a colicky baby, and the fact that he was early, I would recommend reading about Sensory Processing Disorder. I wish someone had told me to do so earlier. Just for tips and techniques. Can find info online of course, but reading The Out of Sync Child from the library really helped me.

Nicki - posted on 06/02/2012

my son just turned 12 months and he has got my temper lol. he lets everyone know when he doesn't like something...he screams, throws his head back, kicks, and worst of all, bites! also, the kicker is, when i tell him "no" he laughs and says back "yeah". he was such a content baby but its like a complete different child the last few months. it is frustrating, but i feel that this is the way they communicate. we can vocalize...they aren't there yet. but i completely feel your pain! sometimes though i just sit back and laugh because he is so full of emotion and is super focused :) gotta make light of the situation right?

Danicia - posted on 06/02/2012

my 7 month old daughter is starting to learn to express her discontent in the form of the typical 2 year old tantrum of kicking her feet and wailing and trying to thrash around. granted, she's hitting most developmental markers early but it's obnoxious lol. just another way for her to express herself for good or bad :)

Kaitlin - posted on 06/02/2012

It's very normal. Think about how frustrating it is to want something and not be able to get it, and then, to want to say something but not be able to communicate it! Very frustrating!
I think for a 13 month old there are some better ways than just crying it out every time he throws 'tantrums', but sometimes ignoring the behavior is the right way to go. In general, with my very spirited boys, I have talked in low tones, offered alternatives, and distracted at this age, but there were some times when I told them that certain behaviors are not acceptable and stepped away. You have to determine those moments for yourself. Good luck! :D

Jennifer - posted on 06/02/2012

They call them the terrible twos, but honestly it starts a lot earlier. It is perfectly normal. At 15 months, my oldest started banging his head on the floor when he didn't get his way. I just simply ignored it (as hard as that was) and he stopped. Kids that age, know a lot about what is going around them, but they just haven't learned how to communicate how they feel. They can't tell you what they want, so they throw a fit to let you know they aren't happy. Also, they have learned that fit throwing gets attention, so usually ignoring until they have calmed down, like what you have been doing works great.