Help me with my 3.5 year old, please.. I am desperate!

Luckie519

DS is normally a pretty well behaved kid (for being 3.5 anyways).  Lately, he has become this little brat.  I hate to put it like that, but he doesn't listen and everything is a struggle with him.  You tell him not to do something, he looks at you and tell you "But I want to," and continues to do it.  He has started to hit and kick, not hard, but it's still hitting and kicking.  I just really want to keep it from getting any worse, especially before DD is born.

It's just making me really sad.  I feel like all we do is get on him for stuff lately.  I don't know if it has to do with the fact we are expecting a baby in April.  He is always talking about his baby sister and seems really excited about her.  I just need some suggestions on how to handle this.  I will take any advice at this point!!!

klondikebar

I agree that you need to be consistent with a child that's determined to test every boundary. You can't give in at all. I don't know where you live, but with the extreme cold temps here, my boys have been a bit on edge since they haven't been running off energy outside as frequently.

wino2006

3 is the worst age for that reason. My 3.5 year old cries at the drop of a hat lately and just won't listen. We are all going a little stir crazy with the cold temps. I hope it will get better as it warms up.

FalconCrest

my 3.5 year old DS is going through this right now.  A lot of this is due to being cooped up due to the weather, but I have also taken away his super heroes for the time being.  We also watch the Daniel Tiger episode about once a day.  "If you're feeling mad like you wanna roar, just take a deep breath and count to 4".

Good luck, I promise it is just a phase and it will pass.

NoSoup4You

It's definitely part of the age, as you can tell by all of the responses!  I found with my DD that consistency was definitely key, but I also had to approach her differently.  Time outs just made the meltdowns worse.  When she would really lose, I'd just scoop her up, hold her tight until she calmed down, and then we would talk quietly about why what she did was wrong.  It was like she literally couldn't control herself and needed me to help her physically calm down before she could use her words.  Just a thought, it definitely helped us.

Also, bouncy seats and a good carrier will be your best friends when the new baby comes.  Good luck!

ByeBabyBunting

I notice that DS's behavior is much better when he gets a good dose of exercise, and if you can enroll him in a class of some kind then it means you get a break too. Maybe look into that? 

Luckie519

Thanks, ladies.  I appreciate all the responses.  I do not expect him to be perfect by any means, it just seems like within the last month, he has been especially bad.  I know sleep is something that has been off, due to my MIL letting him sleep late and take late naps, but it's been discussed and hopefully things will get better, when we get back into the routine.

I don't feel like we are too preoccupied with my pregnancy.  I mean, it comes up, but a lot of the working in DD's room, me and DH have done at night, when DS is already in bed and we include him in some of the easier and smaller stuff during the day.