Is anybody else's LO this difficult?

Sep5Bride · April 2014

I really hope this is a phase, but DD has really been testing my patience with her absolutely wicked tantrums lately. I'm sure it isn't helping that she has been refusing to take a second nap at DC, meaning she is getting a total of 40 minutes of sleep a day, but even before that the tantrums were out of control. I pick her up about an hour before DH gets home from work, and today I had to just put her in her crib for awhile and close the door so that I didn't lose it too. DH always seems to have endless patience with her, and I think he thinks I am overreacting. Of course, this bothers me too. Ugh, this parenting thing is exhausting.
I have never seen the other kids in her class have fits the way that she does (eg. every day when I try to put her coat on or put her in the carseat.) It's really making me wonder if this is normal behavior or not.

Mom2anAngel2 · April 2014

We are going through the same thing. DS has been having awful tantrums. Yesterday and today were the first days that were nice enough that we could play outside. Well, DS did not want to come back in. I literally had to carry him kicking and screaming inside both days. He also takes his plate and spills it on the floor when he does not get what he wants at dinner.

I also try to ignore the tantrums as much as possible. He does occasionally get so worked up that he starts gagging. At that point I will pick him up and console him. I try to talk to him when he calms down, but I am pretty sure he does not understand, but all we can do is try.

ambmama · April 2014

We are getting there too. I say he is demanding. DH doesn't understand because he doesn't see him for as long. I get him an hour or so before dh gets home and there are days he's exhausted and cranky and is just miserable. But of course when dh gets home, he's so happy and excited so doesn't understand when I get frustrated when DS has his next little episode. I've been trying to step away, count to ten, and walk back and try to be calm. It has been helping my sanity a bit. I'm also letting him deal with his tantrums a bit more before I soothe. Good luck to you - I hope things get better for you!

spainy17 · April 2014

We have seen little bits of this too. Mostly with diaper changes and some with bathtime. Ooh and throwing a huge fit if she doesn't get food fat enough. I'm just trying to keep my words consistent so eventually she will understand what hold on means and be no nonsense about the diaper changes, etc. independence, eek!

this decaf life · April 2014

I lay DD on the floor as soon as she starts having a tantrum. I don't have much patience and I'm not willing to feed into them over silly things. She's been doing this for a few months and sometimes it is awesome and she just rolls right over and is over the tantrum but other times it is harder. Usually I lay her down and then try to distract, if she's easily calmed but starts right back with the tantrum I know she's just doing it for attention.

ReeceFamily · April 2014

DD can be like this if she is overtired. They are also starting to develop more complex emotions that are hard for them to handle.. So I try to empathize and give her words to describe her feelings (wow, you must be so tired and frustrated from your long day!). I won't walk away. I don't want her to learn these feelings are "bad". I stay with her and let her get it out. I know this method isn't right for everyone but some studies show that ignoring tantrums actually prolongs them.

jobiann · April 2014

DS too is not very patient, I just ignore his bad behavior and try to reward his good behavior. Some instances are worse then others. Distraction still works fairly well. But he is pretty stubborn so it is getting more difficult.

Wild_flower25 · April 2014

oh yes, this is just the start of it. they are learning how the world works and how to get their way. It's worse when they are overtired so transitioning to one nap doesn't help. One thing that helps is to try to stick to routines. when the baby knows what's going ot happen next, it can sometimes prevent a tantrum when you're moving on to a new activity. don't be afraid to let them cry if all their needs are met and they just want their way. DD is especially bad in the evenings after daycare but I know this so I try to accomodate to her the best I can. This may me having DH cook and giving her extra cuddles or snacks so she can hang in there until dinner time, then it's pretty much bath and bed after that.

the main cause of this is their inability to communicate to us what they want and they are at the age when they really think they know what they wantand get frustrated by not being able to tell us. It gets better when they learn to talk, as long as we stay consistent in how we deal with tantrums. gl!

Wild_flower25 · April 2014

Talkativ15 said:

DD has been difficult lately. I wouldnt say tantrums per say but when we get home at the end of the day for the past week or so she has been loosing her cool and sobbing hysterically until I pick her up. Its hard since I get home 1-1.5 hours before dh and need to get DD's dinner ready and then start our dinner. Yesterday I put her down for 5 minutes to put all our stuff down and I needed to cut up some flank steak and put it in a marinade and you would think the world was ending. She got so worked up. I picked her up and it took awhile to calm down. We went up to her room and shes usually fine, put her down so I could unpack her daycare back, started right back up. Only way she calmed down is when I sat on the couch with her and cuddled. I am not sure whats been going on with her recently.

yes, this is our nights too. I cook with her wrapped around my leg if dh isn't able to help. giving her snacks buys me a few minutes to get dinner in the oven, it's normal. I remember this with ds.

Sep5Bride · April 2014

This is a little delayed, but I wanted to thank you all for sharing your experiences. It sounds like we're not the only ones with a toddler "witching hour."

That hour after daycare pickup but before DH gets home when I'm trying to get dinner ready is definitely the most challenging, and the tantrums aren't as bad if I forget about dinner and we spend time together instead. If only dinner would make itself, or I could hire a personal chef. Or maybe we need another LO so they can entertain each other...

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