I m not sure this may sound a little crazy .My son is 7 months old and he seems to be tough, like sometimes he kinda yells and stiffens his body or when Im snapping the top snap on his pajamas he will yell and try to push my hands away, he also grabs and pinches your face and yells. Im not sure if this a normal stage or if i have a little bully on my hands or if there is anyway to try to get him to stop getting so uptight. When he grabs our face we do take his hands off and tell him no be niceand i do realize it is going to take a long time for him to understand. Is this a normal stage and any suggestions for what to do.
Im feeling better already,glad to hear its normal behavior...thanks moms
He sounds pretty normal, they do a lot of grabbing and wrestling sometimes, and for a while changing diapers can be a real wrestling match. Just don't imagine any "motives" behind his actions, he's just learning to use his muscles (and it sounds like he's pretty strong, good for him!)
So interesting. I have a 10.5-month-old girl who displays a lot of the same behaviors, but it never occurred to me to think of her as "tough" or as a "bully." I agree with the other posters that this is normal and just an example of them testing their own physical strength and their boundaries.
Your post made me think about how we implicitly attribute characteristics, sometimes negative, to children based on their gender. For instance, I would be more likely to describe my daughter as assertive rather than tough. Or we might excuse unacceptable behavior because that's just boys being boys or girls being girls. I think we have to work not to label our kids with stereotypical gender characteristics and constantly model good behavior. I know this is another issue, but your post got me thinking about this stuff! Enjoy your son.
Laura,
I'm wondering if you are snapping the snaps between your fingers or if you are pressing down on your son while snapping his pajamas. Probably between your fingers. Maybe you are unknowingly pushing against his face while snapping the top snap?
Otherwise, I guess you have a yeller.
: ) Maureen
Normal....completely normal!
Your description brought back memories from when my boys were little:)
The stiffening of their body...the grabbing of your face...the lil' noises (or yelling as you call it)...so cute!
Your doing everything right....he is still so little and is just expressing himself and his body movements any way that he can....
The "be nice" and "be easy" stage will last for a while longer, I am sorry to say....enjoy your baby!
They do go thru stages of exerting some authority but I wouldn't read anything into it as far as turning into a bully. The fact that a sharp sound close to his face/ears (snapping the pajama snap) seems to set him off makes me wonder if there's a sensory reaction. Do other sounds trigger the stiffening of the body or the yelling? Clap your hands next to his ear, or knock on the door when you are holding him - see if it makes a difference when he knows you are about to do it or when it's a surprise. See if it makes a difference when it is close to his face or when he's 5 feet away. Don't overdo it in any one sitting - just see over the next few weeks if you notice a pattern. There is something called Sensory Integration Disorder (or Dysfunction, depending on the source) and I can give you more info on simple ways to address that if it turns out to be the case. There are things that can be done long before an exhaustive work-up and interventions, so don't worry. Good luck.
