Sons Behavior Changing Dramatically in Short Time

I have the same problem with my 17 month old daughter. It started about a month ago. We thought maybe my mom dropped her, but I think she would have told us! She clings on to us and is scared of falling all the time and cries very easily. She used to love slides and carousels, but now is afraid of everything! I think it might be from her canines about to come in. They say it throws off their balance. Well hey, if you get some good advice, please pass it on! K.

B.,

are you SURE your little treasure has not been alone with anyone? relaive, kid visiting with her child, ANYONE alone for even a short time, while you are busy...that behavior sounds so text book for a child who has had a traumatic experience. Or, to go the other way, perhaps he's teething? Or an ear infection, dr.s do overlook things sometimes. Best of luck to you!

V.

I am sorry to hear you are having so much difficulty. We have gone through this with my daughter (now almost three), and is isnt easy. Have you tried putting him to bed earlier than you normally do? We tried this with our daughter, and it worked wonders. Good Luck!

Dear B.,

My gr grandson did the same thing about that age. He screamed when we gave him a bath, hair wash, changed diapers, and fought when we put on clean clothes - He also had tantrums in the parking lot of grocery stores and the church. We would just rearrange our clothes after battling to get him out of the car seat, and pick him up and carry him in. He quit crying finally when he discovered something new to look at. ....or when the church usher handed him a cookie. They just do that.

Life goes on. Just don't fuss at him, do what you have to do, and get on with his life - going places and going to bed and reassure him when he wakes up. Maybe leave on a night light if you want to, and quiet music in his room. Stuff like that.

It happens. Sincerely, C. N.

It sounds like you have entered the terrible two's. I have a theory. The terrible two's aren't because kids are the age of 2. It's because it lasts for 2 years. Each of my 3 kids had them for 2 years. It is definitely a phase! It is just kids' way of expressing their independence.
Good Luck
K.

Check to see if he is getting molars. My daughter is 18 months old and she gets extremely cranky when she is having molars come in. Baby ibuprofen is a lifesaver. :) I agree with the other moms about the terrible twos also. Your baby just wants to express himself and he is also testing mommy to see how you react to different situations. Stay in control. He is the child and you are the mother. Don't let him get to you, because the more he sees how he's getting to you the more he's going to throw tantrums. Also, get a semi-bright nightlight for the bedroom at night for him, and a stuffed animal that he can connect with to be with him at night. This helps my little girl go to sleep. With the baths, make sure you're still making it a fun experience. Get in with him and have playtime too, that way he can remember why he loved baths in the first place. Hope this helps.

Your son is just changing, he is growing up, and becoming more independent. Give him space, but you still need to be firm at the right times. My son is now 3, but at one point in time, when nothing has happened he will just be so cranky and be a tremendous handfull. He was just venting his own frustration He will once agian become a happy go lucky little guy. Remember time and patience, but set the limit on how far it can go ... the terrible two's only last for so long.

I read that the terrible two's don't actually start at two. It's around 18 months (close enough to 16 months). Then, it subsides for a bit and starts right up around 2 1/2 years. It's supposed to be because the child's desire to do things outweighs their capablity to do it. They are easily frustrated and because they can't express themselves, you get tantrums. My son has been in the tantrum thing for a while. He is much better now, but there was a time when he had so many tantrums that I would cry almost every day. Everything caused a tantrum. I know how aweful it is, but I guess every mother does.

I got lots of advice on what to do, good, bad and ridiculous. I have a number of tricks up my sleeve that I'll share with you. First, and most important, stay calm. That's the hardest one. If he feels out of control and his only anchor is you, he really needs you to be calm. I've tried hugging him and telling him I love him (works sometimes). I also took a few paper plates and made faces on them for different emotions. I wrote the emotions on the back (happy, sad, angry, tired, etc.) and went over them with my son. It helped him to put a name to how he is feeling. I've done timeouts and just plain ignoring him. And really, just firmly telling him what I expect him to do ("You can eat your lunch or you can go have a tantrum in your room"). Also, I made a big effort to try to head off the tantrums. If I knew one was coming, I would try to distract him.

People say to be consistant, but with my son, nothing worked all the time. I think the only thing I could be consistant with was staying calm and honestly, there were times when I didn't do so well with that. It's hard with all that screaming. If you are going to lose it, just walk away from him. Give yourself a little timeout. It does get better.

Definitely the terrible 2's - my daughter started hers overnight at 15 months old. You're in for it now! LOL.
He is asserting his independence, and that can seem to happen almost overnight with toddlers. Its normal, but don't expect him to be out of this phase real soon. If you and your husband have not agreed upon how you will set limits and provide appropriate discipline, you should very soon, as the terrible 2s always get worse before they get better. Expect temper tantrums and the whole bit - and the best advice that I can give you as a SAHM of a very "spirited" child (thats putting it nicely - shes a stubborn, loud, screaming, tantrum throwing little monster) is not to let your terrible twoer control any situation. Try not to let his behavior "get to you" as that is the underlying reason for his behavior in many situations. Try to stay calm at all times, but never forget that a mean mommy face and a low pitched voice voice can do wonders.
good luck, and welcome to the club. LOL.

Hi B.,

My son is 16 months also, and he's been going through the exact same thing for about a month now. My son is most definitely going into the terrible twos, and I'm sure it's the same for yours. They just discover that they have a will all of the sudden! Also, my son started getting scared of things recently, too. My son isn't scared of the dark, but he's deathly afraid of his shadow all of the sudden. He also gets scared now with loud noises like the vacuum (when it was no problem for him before). My mom has 5 kids, and says it's totally normal; it's just a stage they go through. Have you recently taken the bottle or anything away? My son's fears seemed to start once I weaned him cold turkey from the bottle (I guess because it was like his comfort and security blanket). Anyway, it's hard to go through with your child, but it's totally normal! Good luck. =)

-C.