Parenting Toddlers (1-3) Support Group

This community is focused on the joys, challenges and concerns faced by parents of toddlers (1 to 3 year olds). The major areas of child development include: physical development, perception and sensory development, communication and language development, cognitive development, emotional development and social development. Join to share your stories and get advice.

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joleneLS
joleneLS
My daughter is 29 months, so we are no strangers to attitude and tantrums. As of late a new type of trouble has arose. Suddenly a tantrum that involved crying and laying on the floor, maybe limb flailing, would be a welcome repreive! Now she has started to scream...blood curdling, neighbours may think theres a murder occuring scream, and she arches her back (ecspecially frusterating while trying to strap in a car seat) and she hits. Plus theres the hurling herself at walls, the slapping furniture and the tears. The old bit of ignoring her wheb it happens DOES NOT WORK anymore. And Im to the point where I want to just sit down beside her and throw the same tantrum!!!
deleted_user
deleted_user
My son is doing that with the car seat and has tantrums. I just stand there and say "I will wait for your to calm down and collect yourself" and let him go. I give him a bit then I ask him if he would like some time out to help calm down. That usually calms him. Then I try distraction. Which is hard in the car. I ask him to help buckle or pick a song etc... Good Luck!
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have no advice for you. These are the kind of tantrums my son has been having for two months, now, and he's 13 months old. Ignoring it has done nothing so far and I basically just hate leaving the house because he has no problem throwing a tantrum in the middle of a public place. Let me know if you find a "cure."
roseBud23
roseBud23
I think after 2 years toddlers are old enough where ignoring is not going to work so well anymore. They understand their actions and are now starting to understand that certain things are "button pushers".... let the manipulation begin!
I feel your pain... sometimes I notice my DD doing things now to show "hey I can do it even if you told me no...just watch." testing to gauge your response and your consistent disciplinary skills will be the norm from now on. My daughter usually responds to me when I ask her to make eye contact with me whenever I'm disciplining her or getting her to listen to instruction. I'll say, "I know you're upset, mommy knows, Lily look at mommy please, calm down stop and look at me. Mommy needs you to sit in your seat like a big girl so we can drive and go to the store." if I get interrupted I tell her no and ask her to look at me again and explain how important sitting and buckling her seat belt is, plus I drive it home that it's not a negotiation, seat belts are always worn to stay safe. I let her know I don't like her flailing her arms around, that's not polite when someone's helping her stay safe, and I repeat myself until she tires out and starts to listen while making eye contact. I do change my tone of voice so she knows its serious and make sure I let her know it's not funny if she starts to laugh it off. So far it's working as both me and my husband are consistent in the way we handle her tantrums.

Good luck to you :) I feel your pain.