MY son is currently 16 months old and I was curious what to do with my sons behavior issues. It seems like lately he screams for EVERYTHING and literally screams. I am afraid I am doing something wrong. He is now hitting all the time and throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. We just recently went camping and it seemed like it was a huge battle just trying to keep him out of the rode. Every-time I would call to him he would look at me smile and keep going. When I would re directed him or get him and bring him back to camp. I would get the screaming and crying throwing himself on the floor. I know he understands when I tell him no or call to him.
We are currently trying time out but he just kind of smiles and and stands on his chair. If two's and threes are worse. ha ha I am scared. If anyone has advise it would be greatly appreciated
My daughter is 18 months and does the same thing basically all I can say is welcome to the terrible 2's a little young! All you can do is be stern and let him know who is boss now and stick to any punishment you give ( i make her sit in time out for a minute)
My son just turned one and has the same behavior with the screaming and crying, maybe even more temper than your son LOL. He will actually seek me out to hurt me when he has a tantrum....biting, headbutting, pinching, hitting, etc. he's been doing this for a few months now. I spoke to our ped about it at his 1 year checkup and he said "that's what playpens were made for" LOL. He's a really good doctor, but he was just letting me know it's okay to give my son time to himself to work out his tantrum, especially if he's intentionally hurting us. I don't have a playpen, so I use his crib instead and he said that was fine. I don't know if time outs are effective at 16 months or not. I don't remember what I did with me daughter at that age, but then again, she didn't have tantrums like these! I'm cringing also at what awaits me when he turns 2 and 3....but for now I just give him alone time to work out his angries!
If you lived closer, I'd say, let's make a playdate, cuz your boy sounds just like mine. I've tried all the suggestions, and I've come to my own conclusion that these are just developing behaviors he'll grow out of. I'm sure they will come and go as he gets older. While... I always swore I wouldn't, I finally broke down and bought a backpack/leash to have him wear if we're going somewhere that he could run out into something dangerous. He just doesn't listen, and I'm afraid sometimes he's going to run right out into traffic. If I call after him, he looks back, smiles or laughs, and keep son running. He started walking at 7 months so the terrible twos started long ago for me. Good luck.
Hello R., I experience the same thing at 15 months with my daughter. She has been doing this for quite some time now, biting and hitting and then the screaming came later. She does the biting and hitting and then laughs or kisses you. The screaming is in a fit of rage. She usually has her fist clenched and completely exhausts herself. I do try to find out what it is she wants because I feel it is difficult for her to express herself. She is learning to talk so it is getting easier. She will ask for her bottle (baba) about 2 times nicely because she screams BABA! I just get it for her and remind her not to scream. She does the same thing with "mommy". I think this will ease up once they are able to talk and be understood. Hang in there.
So good to hear it's not just me :). I have 15.5 month-old twin boys who are just the same. They don't really talk yet, so I think they just get incredibly frustrated that they can't express themselves. They point and scream at things. We just had a check-up and our doctor said they are COMPLETELY normal.
For you, make sure you don't blame yourself. I'm a first-time mom as well and I thought I was doing something wrong. It's just the age/stage and I'm hoping that once they can talk more, less frustration will mount!
My daughter went through a short phase of screaming things almost like she was trying it out. I think the key thing is to not reward him for screaming. If he is screaming b/c he wants something DO NOT give it to him. Keep your voice calm and suggest please. My daughter really fought me at times about saying what I wanted her to, but she never got what she wanted. Of course once she started saying please it was please, please all the time and we still had to work on the words for things. But we just made it into a guessing game, I would say "You want..." sometimes saying something really silly.
As far as the not coming, I remember that too. Actually we still have problems with that in public, but mostly now b/c she is distracted and not the willful not listening she was doing before. I didn't think time-out would work with a 1yr old, but it worked great for us. Sometimes she sang or hung off the chair or yelled, but we just ignored her and it really did seem to change her behavior. Now when I give her a stern look and call somewhere, she will come.
Just keep at it, even if it doesn't seem like its working it will eventually. No kid wants to site when they could be playing and exploring. And if you do it now it will make 2's and 3's much easier.
Have him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician or even better, early intervention services where you live. It's free and they will do a complete evaluation. If there is a problem such as developmental delay etc they can diagnose it. Don't let people tell you to wait and see. If there is a problem early intervention is critical to his future success. Trust me I know from experience. My daughter has high functioning autism that wasn't diagnosed until 3 1/2. I wish we had had a much earlier diagnosis. She's doing great with lots of therapy but an earlier diagnosis would have been so much betteer for her. Good luck. Make that call soon as early intervention services often have waiting lists depending on where you live.
You could really have been describing my daughter. Tantrums don't only come at two. They can arrive early as you and I have found out. If I even suggest that my daughter turn around to walk the other way, full on hysterical fit throwing. I think she could actually win an award for how good she is at throwing fits. I can't even hold her. I'm not strong enough so I usually don't venture off alone with her too often. I too am left wondering if this will only get worse with age.
Take a deep breath and know that you are not doing anything wrong. Also, rest in the fact that it does get a little better. My daughter is understanding more and able to express herself more.
When my daughter was about 17 months, she started her major fit throwing. My neighbor suggested to get down to her level, ask her calmly to use her words. I did that and took it a step further and would suggest things to her that I thought she may be frustrated about. "Do you want up?" "Do you want that fork back?" "Do you want a drink?" If I hit the bullseye, she would mimick me saying what I last said and then she would stop screaming or if I triggered her interest for something, we would redirect her attention to that instead of the fit throwing. I now am always asking her to "Tell Mama" or I offer her my hand and tell her to "take mama...show me".
I think most of the fits my daughter throws are from her being so overly frustrated with not being able to express what she wants. And when we say no...well that is like the end of the world. She doesn't understand it is for her own good.
Hope this helps.
