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Toddlers: 24 Months+
At our wits end with 2.5 year old...help!
My DD will be 2.5 next month and we are at our wits end with her. She is acting out about something but I'm not exactly sure what. She started potty training on her own around Halloween. She all the sudden is regressing (which I expected) but it's almost like she is a dog left at home all day that pee's all over the house. If we give her a timeout, she pees. Last night she didn't want to eat dinner and kept wanting to get on my chair while I was eating (which she knows she can't do) and got so frustrated, she literally squatted right in front of me and peed on the rug. She started biting the child that we do a nanny share with and recently she climbed out of her crib so we put a toddler guard rail up so it's been a struggle to get her to stay in bed and go to sleep and then she gets up at least once a night. She has been super clingy to me and not wanting my husband but also at times, wants nothing to do with me. I realize she is in a stage that she has to do everything herself but we are going through such a trying time right now. She is being so defiant and throwing tantrums all the time. I am 17 weeks pregnant and due in May so maybe that has something to do with it, but I swear she just doesn't quite understand it yet. I feel like she is going through something emotionally and I don't know how to help her. Any advice or anyone else go through the same thing?
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Re: At our wits end with 2.5 year old...help!
I doubt she understands your pregnancy. She may know things are changing but not exactly how. My daughter thought that I was hiding a ball until her brother was born. It sounds more like your daughter is acting out for attention and may also be testing how far she can push you. She may be frustrated with all the changes and just doesn't know what to do. There's a reason it's called the terrible twos.
Be patience, kind and understanding but also set clear boundaries. Spend time with her and make her feel special but avoid rewarding bad behavior. If she wants to pee where she shouldn't then put her back in diapers. If time out doesn't work start taking things away instead. One of the best ways to get my daughter's attention and stop her bad behavior is to take one of her favorite toys away.
My daughter was in a toddler bed by the time she turned 2. Yes, it was a fight and still is sometimes. But she made it clear she knew how to get out if she really wanted to. I didn't want her climbing out in case she fell. And I was getting to the point in my pregnancy that I couldn't get her in or out of her crib anymore.
are you talking to her alot about the baby? She probably wouldn't really get it, at 17 weeks it's probably not that obvious, so if you keep brining it up maybe she's confused. DD was around 18 months when I found out I was pg and we didn't really start talking about until about 2 months before DS came.
My DD will be 3 in March and sounds very similar to your DD. She's in a bed and about 1/2 the nights I'm either in her bed or she's in mine half way through the night. She also climbs onto my chair during dinner. If it's bothering me I tell her if she's done eating she can watch tv or color or something. She lets DH do very little. He does bath and bed, but many nights she refuses to let him put her in the tub, I'll put her in and then she's good to go. Other than the purposely peeing thing, which I don't know what to tell you, that would really bother me too, my DD sounds very similar to yours, I try to let alot of things go which seems to make DD and I more relaxed. DH gets upset with me and her alot, but I feel like if her or anyone else is not in danger, why make a big deal of it.