Ok, my 11 month old son has quite a temper. He tightens his little fists and turns red, stiffens his body when he does not get his way. I heard that "ignoring" will eventually work, but with others in the house, I hate to wake them up in the morning. does anyone have any great advice on things that have worked for them? Or perhaps a good resource book that I might read?
Yes, he certainly is communicating! I do appreciate the comments. Looks like I need to learn a little more about toddlers - on shaping behavior and on developmental appropriatenesss.
At 11 months he's just reacting -it's not so much of a tantrum. Wait until he's 20 or 22m! THEN you'll really be getting into tantrumville! When he's older, ignoring is a good tactic! At his age, just pick him up and love on him and see what the fuss is about -dirty diaper, hungry, etc. He's just expressing displeasure in the only way available to him at 11m. When he gets more verbal, encourage him to "use his words" instead of acting out.
This is not a tantrum. This is a form of communication. It is very normal at that age. It is a temporary phase. Pick him up and comfort him.
I'm reading "Happiest Toddler on the Block" by Harvey Karp, which seems to have some good ideas. I'm only just reading it so cannot really say what worked and what didn't :), but it may be worth your picking it up.
Good luck!
You might want to check out DoctorsOffice.net a great resource for health and parenting for some ideas for changing behavior. http://doctorsoffice.net/201.aspx
I agree with the other posters (normal behavior, comfort him, etc.). If you are still breastfeeding, a fool-proof way to get him to stop/calm down is to nurse him. Works like a charm for my 14 month old. He pops off a new man - happy and ready to go! Wish I had known about that with my daughter but I had quit nursing when she was 10 mos. :)
