Help! Toddler on the Loose!

Terrible 2's? You will just have to take a lot of deep breaths, you may even have to put yourself in time out till you can deal with her.

She is testing, she is not verbal enough to be able to say what she is feeling.. Help her find the words. "You seem frustrated. You seem angry."

Sometimes giving her choices can help. "Tonight do you want to pick out 2 books or 3 books for me to read to you. Do you wan to listen to this music or that music tonight? "

"We do not hit. If you are angry or frustrated you need to sit down for a little while.".

"Get her an inflatable punching bag and tell her, we do not hit . If you have to hit, hit this punching bag.."

Also since the sun is out longer maybe it seems too bright for her to be getting ready for bed. Maybe you need to get some black out curtains.
(I hung quilts up). We also made sure there was no tv or cell phone calls during bed time, so that our daughter did not feel she was missing out on anything. Your daughter is beginning to put together that after she goes to bed, you are up having parties with out her (ha!).

Maybe she's not tired at bedtime. Does she still nap? if so, maybe you could cut the nap a little short, or make bedtime a little later? Or maybe she needs to burn off alittle more energy during the day to tire her out at bedtime. I hope this helps!!!!!!

I always found that when they make a big gain in maturity in one area, you may pay for it in regression in another! Potty training is such a huge issue. She may just need extra hugging and kissing and attention for a little while to be able to sort out her new grown up feelings.

Good luck! I have three boys and this stage of life was always one of the hardest for me. One thing that helped me was to try to sit back and look at it with some humor which is not always the easiest thing in the middle of a melt down.

I hate to say it, but....she's that magical number-2/1/2! I wish I could offer more. Mine became a wild child around that age. Now that she is 3 almost 4 we have new issues. Hang in there. I have heard at 5 things settle down :-)
(next thing I know it will be 6)

This behavioral setback can most certainly be a side effect to the potty training. Things are changing in her little world, and she may be reverting to old behaviors as a way to express her anxiety or uncertainty or even a need to control something. (Please keep in mind, I am not a child psychologist, this is just my best educated guess as to what might be happening.)

My advice would be to stick to your routine. Keep it consistent. When she starts scratching and hitting, gently but firmly stop her and remind her that this is unacceptable behavior. Children thrive on attention. During the bedtime routine, when she starts it up, tell her okay, story time or song time is over. Lay her down, and leave the room. It may take sitting on the floor in her doorway with your back to the room for a few nights or more to make sure she stays in bed, but do not give her any attention. If she ends up sleeping on the floor, and she wakes up easily, just cover her up and let her be. If you can put her back in bed without waking her up, then do it. But as long as she is not endangering herself, do not give her any attention. Be consistent with it and back it up with praise for "desirable" behaviors throughout the day. Eventually (and it will take time) she will get the hint, and the hitting and scratching will stop.

Another thing to consider, is she might not be quite ready for potty training, but if that is going well, then I wouldn't think that is the case. But either way, I'd give what I said above a shot. It will take a lot of patience and diligence, but I do think it will help. I used this method with my 7 year old when he was much younger and throwing terrible temper tantrums.

Good luck!