Help with 2yr old please!!

macymoo

I have a DD of 5yrs and a DS of 2yrs 4 months. DS is driving me up the wall daily !!! He sleeps and eats well and has a good range of words and we walk a fair bit during the day and go to various toddler groups, baby gym etc (trying to keep him occupied)
But he is constantly naughty eg: kicking, throwing toys, escaping from buggy / carseat / booster seat, climbing out of windows, hitting / pinching sister, jumping on DVDs, he can open all stairgates known to man, can unlock the front & backdoor and can even open bottles with child safety caps on them...(tried to drink BBQ lighter fuel yesterday, which was 6ft up on top of fridge/freezer)
He is not old enough to understand reward charts etc, will not stand / sit on naughty chair etc without being pinned down, he does not mind playing in an empty room on his own so excluding him does not work, he laughs if I tell him off, so I am out of ideas.
He is on a 9 month free trial of Omega 3 and I can notice the difference if he does not take it, but I am exhausted.
Any ideas please
Thanks in advance x

jopsey

Sorry not much help ,but your not on your own ,I have posted recently about my little boy(2 years 3 months ) being a monster got some fantastic replies if you want to have a read of them.

macymoo

Thanks as my DD (now 5) never had the terible 2's etc I had a mega shock when DS arrived, he has been a monkey since day 1 !!

lisa76

the only advice i can offer is that of a mother of a 2 year old (nearly 3 mind you)

she has finally calmed down and is starting to behave herself, but for months your post could have been about her!

she also would climb anything, touch/break anything, open anything and hit or spit at anyone!

i must admit i found the naughty step did work from the age of 2 - yes i had to physically hold her there the first few times and it took about 15 mins for her to finally sit there for 2 mins, but she soon caught on. then when she was being naughty she'd go there herself - so that soon wore off!

next i tried sending her to her room, but i stopped that because i didn't want her to feel like her bedroom was a nasty place or a place she was sent when she was naughty.

i didn't try star charts for naughtiness but my mum did and it worked. i don't think he's too young - dd understood a star chart for potty training

i found the best method is too ignore her - she absolutly HATES that, i think you just have to try all the old favourites until you find one that works. take away a toy, ban treats and reward good behaviour

i'm thinking of trying omega 3 soon, as she starts nursery in sept and i'd hate for her to be a brat!!!!!

i don't imagine i've been any help whatsoever, but sometimes it's just good to know you're not alone

Savvy_Sue

I have NO idea if this is relevant or not, but have you looked at his diet and tried excluding obvious things like orange food colourings, I don't know what E numbers it is that are often implicated in 'wild' behaviour but might be worth considering.

ChasingButterflies

On the subject of food and behaviour...

We really don't give the little people Chocolate/crisps/cordial etc very often.

However our little boy used to bounce off the walls when given a particular type of yougurt (didn't effect his sisters) we also had issues with no added sugar cordial - his reaction would be much the same as giving him a pack of smarties :eek:

Just a thought - I would say our kids eat healithly (well I would!) but sometimes healthy things could have hidden nasties etc. Might be worth keeping track of food eaten before any "episodes"

btw I know it is really hard I think girls seem to grow out of this stage before boys (well in my experience anyway!) Just be consistant - our boy now 5 only has to be told once to take himself to the utility room when he misbehaves - sits down, waits until he is told to leave and then apologises for his actions. A month ago he would have had a 15 min screaming fit before his quiet 4 mins of finally passed :eek:

tiamai_d

my 2 yr old is much the same. Only good thing is that he can't open baby gates, so I can always lock him in teh bedroom ( so long as I don't mind it getting trashed).

Have you tried a controlled hold? Get on the floor, hold him in your lap with you arms pinning his arms and you legs wrapped round his legs. Hold your head well back though as he may throw it back to head butt you, and watch for him trying to bite your arms.

I have to do this with mine to get him to calm down, though I swear he is evil, he remembers an hour later and hits you. He broke my toe, gave me a black eye and tried to kill me in one week.

And yes, boys are worse!

It does eventually get better though, you just have to be strong and ignore it, don't rise to it at all or he will think he has won. Its like a battle of wills, how can someone so small be so evil? Actually I hope it gets better, well it has to right?

bribri_2

Here are some thoughts, pick out of them what you want and remember that only you know your child.

Sleep - is he getting enough and is it quality sleep. My adorable daughter can drive grumpiness off the scale if she has a late night.

Is his behaviour worse at certain times of the day? It could be tiredness )see above) or hunger. Perhaps he need regular (healthy) snacks but take note of earlier posters.

Be positive - praise your child, is he being naughty or wonderfully exploring and innovative. Many is the time that I could tell off my daughter for some misdemeanour, but actually she is only 3 and has been very inventive. Yes there are times to clearly and consistently say no - drinking lighter fuel - but if you overuse it, then all the child hears is no. Very dispiriting leading either to a downbeat child or a rebellious one.

the hard job is to be consistent for a week and get through the tantrums.
Work with rapid rewards e.g a comic for picking up toys, rather than a reward chart which might be too much delayed gratification. But be prepared to withhold the treat.

Good luck.

JillD_2

I have DS 4 and DD 2 1/2. DD driving me mad though not naught per se just whiny and demanding and stroppy when she doesnt get her own way, and very argumentative with her brother.

My thoughts:
- excluding him may not "work" but it removes him from you and DD so he isn;t ionflicting himself on you and may gave youa break for a couple of minutes.
- DD wouldn't stay on the naughty step so I put her in he cot instead. Gives me time to calm down, and her too.
- I thought reward charts weren't working but we recently reverted to them for DS behaviour, DD wanted one too and we were just letting her stick stuff on it willy nilly but this week I started telling her she could have stickres as reward for very specific things and this seems to have clicked in her head suddenly. Let your DS see DD getting the sticker as a reward.

- What sort of activities do you some time doing with them/hm -play doh/water play/outside play - maybe some activities to use up some time constructively ?

If he can open staorgates then I'd say remove them as banging around they are just dangerous.
If he can unlock doors get bolts put up high or lock and hide keys up high.

Do you issue "empty threats" ? Maybe he is just pushing you knowing he will get his way eventually ?
Does he get enough sleep ?
Can you get him involved in helping you do things ? Looking for thigns in shops, hoovering (get him one), dusting, baking, basically keeping him occupied.


sorry if these are all repeats or patronising, they aren't meant to be.

Jill

eyelinerprincess

ChasingButterflies wrote: »

On the subject of food and behaviour...

We really don't give the little people Chocolate/crisps/cordial etc very often.

However our little boy used to bounce off the walls when given a particular type of yougurt (didn't effect his sisters) we also had issues with no added sugar cordial - his reaction would be much the same as giving him a pack of smarties :eek:

Just a thought - I would say our kids eat healithly (well I would!) but sometimes healthy things could have hidden nasties etc. Might be worth keeping track of food eaten before any "episodes"

btw I know it is really hard I think girls seem to grow out of this stage before boys (well in my experience anyway!) Just be consistant - our boy now 5 only has to be told once to take himself to the utility room when he misbehaves - sits down, waits until he is told to leave and then apologises for his actions. A month ago he would have had a 15 min screaming fit before his quiet 4 mins of finally passed :eek:

Even to this day I get completely hyperactive on Light Ribena, so I can understand that, lol.

NastyMatt

The best method to control a child like that is to punch him the face.. *WHAM* five knuckles squarely on the chin... he'll be out cold for hours. My Mum used to do it to me and it did me no harm.

I am only joking!!!

I don't have kidsand reading this thread sure has made me sweat at the thought of it.