I know toddlers are naturally defiant and have tantrums etc and I am understanding of that. But I'm after specific advice for a couple of things that are driving me mad with my 21 month old.
1.) How do you get them to walk with you in a public place? My toddler just throws himself to the ground and I end up carrying him while he arches his back and screams and a newborn and a bag. I make sure I never go to shopping centres with him but occasionally do have to go to the doctor/post office. He wont go in a pram. Can I help him overcome this or am I housebound until he outgrows it?
2.) He cries and whinges for the majority of the day. Especially after he's woken up from a nap or gets frustrated with a toy. I try to empathise with him but sometimes I just can't take it anymore. Is it wrong to discipline him for this? He wont tell me whats wrong or how I can help which makes me believe there isn't actually a problem.
Toddler behaviour help?
Monday, 9 March 2015 - 14:40
Toddler behaviour help?
Posted in:
Behaviour, Baby & Toddler
3 Replies
Don't give up on the walking thing. Keep practicing but do it in short bursts and when you don't have to get something done in a hurry.
Has he had a medical check? Ears, nose throat etc just to rule out an illness. They can go through whingey stages when there skill level hasn't caught up with what they want to do leading to frustration etc. is he teething?
1. I just hold my 18mth olds hand and calmly say, we're walking and almost pull her along but not hard. I refuse to pick her up when she is having a tantrum at the shops. She gets over it pretty quickly as I've done this since she started walking (about 12mths) she knows what mummy says goes. Yes you get looks but i find being calm and collected is the key. I just keep repeating your a big girl we are walking, stand up and walk properly. I only pick her up to put her in a trolly. She is my 3rd baby and I've done a similar thing with the older two when they used to crack it. They are ALWAYS in the trolly at the shops but get to walk from the car to the trolly bay in coles, they know from a very young age that at the shops their place is in the trolly.
Short visits when your not in a rush is a good place to start, then u can work up to longer visits. Also I find food a good distraction, but I don't offer it straight away.
You could look at getting some kind of ride on with a push handle and see if that is something he would ride in. My boys had a little car rather than a pushchair.
As for the whinging - this could be a communication problem. I would introduce some kind of sign language for the simple things that he whinges for the most - foods, drink, books and so on. Just simple single word signs (Makaton) would be easy. We used this for all three of our kids and it was great while they were learning to communicate with words.