Wondering About the Terrible 2'S

Hi A.! Gosh I remember the terrible 2's. My daughter is almost 14 and I overheard her using our method on my 3 yr old nephew a few weeks ago when she was babysitting. My daughter had set up an imaginary boundry in our living room. She told my nephew that as long as he was within that boundry(usually a corner or off to the side area) he could play,color or whatever he wanted to do. Once he came across the boundry, he was in our area and had to go by a different set of rules. Of course your child is younger than my nephew but he liked the fact of his own area and doing his own thing. I pushed the actual time out aside. My daughter knew her limits and you have to set those limits early and stick to them. One method might work for one and not the other. Best of luck.

A.,

Bad part about terrible 2's... there isn't much you can do for them but be firm and fair when it comes to discipline. You have to decide what is best for you and your child. Our new day care center, PlayCare Christian Learning Center in Indianola MS, says that if a child is spitting, give them a cup and make them fill about an eighth of an inch with spit. Its teaching them to be responsible and learn what is bad and what is good. They also say, if a child won't stop hitting, give them a kinder-mat and let them hit it for a few minutes none stop. Suddenly the child doesn't want to hit anymore.

Decide what is best that you can stick with and make your child know that when you say something, then that is what is going to happen. Consistency is the BEST thing for a child regardless of the age.

Hi A., I have had the same problem with my 3 year old when he was going through the terrible two's. He head banged everything including the cement floor. He came home from daycare with bruises on his forehead everyday. What I did and my mom told me is to ignore the behavior. Leave the room and show him no attention. Do not punish him for it. Just let him fight it out and then when he calms down, sit down and play with him with his favorite toy. Just keep the focus off of him when he acts that way.

Another thing that works for us is we would put him in his room when he cried or acted up. He cried for 20 straight minutes sitting at his door with a gate up while I sat in the next room. He finally calmed down and said in a soft voice that he was ready to come out of his room now. He has not acted that way since. But when you put him in his room as punishment, let hime know what he has to do to be able to come out. It has worked for me.

hi A., i know exactly how you feel. i have twins that are going through terrible two's right now. my twins used to listen to everything i said and than the terrible two's set in and that was it. lol now they get into everything. the only thing that i can do is stay on them. i still use time outs and sometimes i have to sit with them to make them stay in time out. i basically have to stay with them at all times if not they will get into everything. i wished i had more advice to give you. if you find something that works let me know. its just one of those things that you hope they grow out of sooner than later. just try to stay positive and explain to him what he's doing wrong and that he cannot do it. they understand alot more than what we think they do.

Hi A. - DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT respond to the screaming and crying fits, laying on the ground, etc. Completely ignore him when he does this; walk away. If you respond in a positive OR negative way, it will continue because you are giving him attention. Respond POSITIVELY to good behavior ONLY. Smile, use your sweet loving high voice when he is behaving. Be consistent. If he needs to go into time out (naughty chair as the Nanny calls it), just put him in it when he is bad. When he gets out, put him back in again and again without saying anything to him (Watch Nanny 911 to see what she does). When my daughter used to act out in public (restaurants), I would turn her high chair around to face everyone else. She would completely be quiet and freaked that she wasn't a part of the table conversation. After she settled down and showed good behavior, we would turn the high chair back around. You've got to try this one...it works and it is hilarious! Before you go into a public place, tell your toddler exactly what you are going to do and how long it will take (for example, "Now you and mommy are going to the grocery store to buy food and you get to sit in the cart and help mommy shop for 30 minutes. If you behave well, you will get a treat at the end of shopping. If you don't behave, we will have to go home and not get a treat.") This used to work for my daughter. If he doesn't behave in public, don't take him in public...give yourself a break and get a sitter!

Ok, I feel exactly what you are going through. My daughter is just turned 25 months and she is starting to push it to the limit. They have to test you to see how far they can go and what they can get away with. She has a lot of evergy stored up and thats what causing them to get into trouble. I take her outside a lot whenever I can and tr to get educational toys and books that will keep her attention and definitely keep her entertained. I have to keep my daughter on a tight schedule or she seriously starts to act up. And no...time out doesnt work anymore. I take her toys away and stop her from playing when she takes it a tad bit too far. It's not easy dealing with their temper. Good Luck!!!