Difficult toddler

chantel29 - I feel your pain, I think I forgot how difficult this age can be. My daughter is 19 months and has been very challenging as of late.

I have also realised that she is frustrated, as I think she knows what she wants but cannot tell us, so that must drive her crazy.

She is very clingy with me, and wants to be with me - in the shower, while I am making tea, while I am on the toilet, while I am hiding behind the curtain .... from her.

I find on weekends we stick to a sleep schedule with her and she has a morning nap, that we stick to even through I have my other two running up and down the passage like horses.

Then when she gets a bit cringy in the afternoon, I usually give her a bottle and let her lie down - she often does not sleep, but I feel the quiet time does both of us some good.

I also realise what the things are that are going to make her totally ratty and avoid them if I can.

I try to encourage her to play a bit by herself - which she does not do a lot, but she does sometimes wonder off and I find her in her sister's room playing with her tea set.

I do not know how to prevent it, but I look for ways that will alleviate some of her bad moods - if I see we are heading for a melt down, and sleep is not an option, then I take her out into the garden, just her and I, and we sit on the grass, or I pull weeds out with her sitting next to me - just something to distract her.

However some days if she is just going off pop and I am at my wits end, I change her nappy, give her a bottle and put her in her cot so (a) she can maybe calm down and (b) I do not feel like running away to join the circus.

But part of it is ensuring that she does understand she is part of a household that functions a certain way, and as important as she is, she is not the alpha and omega, and must learn to wait when you cannot get to her, and also that she cannot always get her way.

It is sometimes a difficult lesson to teach, but as much as giving in solves the immediate tantrum, unfortunately it sets the problem up for tomorrow.

memo - yip you have a point there too.

I also think they tend to be more of their whiney selves when alone at home with mom.

Your kids sound naughty. lol Jude will never be like that
Just kidding, I'm terrified, so already preparing (hence me reading these threads), since he's already using his cry weapon when he wants something (but it's still kinda cute) Anyway, thanks I like the idea of telling them what you gonna do and had for lunch etc.

I know I'm not there yet, but I wonder if kids esp ones that go to a daymother etc, where they arent accomadated quite as much as at home, arent just taking back their 'power' when they at home and find it easier to assert themselves?

Yip I hear you.

Sunday morning Jade comes into the bathroom while I was peacefully catching a few chapters in my book and having a little soak while Troy was sleeping. She needs the toilet. DH puts her on and she loses it cos she wanted to go on herself. DH tries to explain that she was holding a lollipop in one hand (yes he had given her one to keep her quiet and 9am in the morning, desperate times call for desperate measures) and that he was helping her.

Anyways, she loses it even more cos then she weed all over the seat cos she was trying to get off, and wakes Troy up in the process. DH get's mad cos now he has to attend to Troy who was blissfully having a morning nap. Jade carries on screaming and I am the whole time in the bath trying to placate her (we have only one damned bathroom too!). She get's worse. I get mad and tell her to please get out the bathroom and go to daddy and she just refused! Get's even more worked up. There goes my bath.... Took another 5 minutes to get her down...

Thanks Jems.

I can handle anything but its the constant moaning and crying that gets me.

I try and distract her by singing to her and making funny faces but sometimes she's just not interested.

I keep telling myself as she gets older it will get better - especially if she undertands me better in what I am trying to tell or show her.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of the Toddler!!!

I think the grumpyness is frustration at not being able to express themselves properly firstly. As well as they do not yet understand the needs of other people and think that their needs/wants are to be attended to first and immediately!

It's hard I tell you!

Jade is 3 now and it is a mission to wake her up cos "she is still tired and wants to sleep" (except on weekends when mommy wants to sleep!). Then it's a mission getting her dressed as she is always doing something else and I must wait. Then it's a mission getting her to eat, then it's a mission getting her to brush her teeth. This is where the threats of your teeth are going to fall out and there will no tv or sweets ever again start kicking in. Then it's a mission put sun block on cos it stinks! Sigh... See where I am going here...

I think it is quite normal, you just gotta try your best to placate, distract and humour without being a push over.

I find constantly talking to her and telling her what is going to happen next helps too - like after dinner you can play for 10 minute and then it's bath time and you can wear your Tinkerbelle pj's and then you can watch tv etc etc. They also like hearing stories. Any old crap. Jade currently loves me telling her about dinosaurs and stuff like that. Great distraction. Once you get in the swing of it, you will find yourself just automatically talking to her about anything. Tell her what you had for lunch etc etc. Tell her the plans for the weekend etc. They lap it up! Well Jade does...

Why is my 17 month old so grumpy?
She goes to creche and apparently happy at school.
But when we get home at night and over weekends she is so grumpy and she cries for everything.

Her dad is not allowed to even look at her without her making a fuss.
It's even a battle giving her a bath at night or changing her nappy.

She wants everything her own way and throws tantrums if she does'nt get what she wants. Is this the start of terrible two's?

How long does this difficult stage last? Its very tiring dealing with a crying, grumpy toddler most of the time.