12/26/2008

What happened to my sweet little boy?

Within a week, the Little Monkey has gone from the sweetest of little boys to a crazed, screaming banshee!! Over night he decided he no longer zonks out at 7pm and instead is up until 9:30 or 10. He throws everything he sees, and tonight we went to a restaurant and had to get everything boxed up due to his flailing and screaming! Please give me tips on disciplining an 18 month old!

12 comments:

Mike Golch said...

No toys.

Kelly said...

Hey, my munchkin has taken a turn for the worse, too. She won't sleep through the night which is slowly killing me. When she acts up during the day, I threaten her with going to her crib, which is the only place that will hold her for a time out. When I go back to get her, I tell her why I put her there and ask her if she can be good. Does it work? Kinda. I think it helps. She's about 21 months old. Good luck.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Commit him to the Lord and leave him at Sunday Bible school every time you attend a Sunday worship service. Nothing is impossible with God. Here's wishing you the best of the holiday season. God bless.

Rhonda said...

My best advice would be to stay consistant. Around that age, they start to really realize the control they have and want to test the limits. I found staying consistant was very important. We still put the kids to bed at the same time, kept to the same rules, removed our kids from situations when they could not regain their composure. I would just calmly tell them what was expected and why they could not do as they wanted to. Eventually they worked through things and their behavior went back to normal. Good luck! I know it is a frustrating time but also a very important stage in their development.

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Be firm, be consistent, and leave the room when you need to.

Especially that last one.

Like Rhonda said, it's about testing you. You're the boss. Remember that. YOU rule the roost, not him. Firm and consistent. Kids look for that, especially the consistent part.

Hang in there!

Lou said...

Don't feel bad. :-) I think most kids go through that phase unfortunately. One time we left the house fine then when we got to the restaurant he had a meltdown and was under the table LOL So just like what u did we had everything wrapped up phew! :-) Too funny bec. now that he's almost 9 and we mention that incident to him he wishes he never did it but what can we do, right? :-)
Happy Holidays!

Unknown said...

Aha...the wellknown 18 months.

Distracting him from what he is doing is the best way to deal with this.

Recipe? Patience.

When you stay calm, he gets calm again too.
He copies your behaviour.

3LittleFlowers said...

Advice? This shall pass... I promise!!!

That is the biggest piece of advice that I can give you...

HawgWyld said...

Pray. Cry. Pray some more.

Seriously, it gets worse.

I hope that doesn't sound negative, but it's true. I've learned to embrace the chaos. Here's the way I look at it -- my kids are active, creative and snarl at convention. That kind of behavior may be inconvenient now, but they're developing into fascinating people that will go far given the right setting.

In my mind, I'd rather let them run loose a bit then stifle them. They'll be better off in the long run.

Hope that makes sense!

The Natural State Hawg

Signe said...

ITA with the pp's.
Oh, the joys of independent toddler-hood! Patience, firmness and consistency are key. Keep the same routines and let him know it's bedtime. He's testing his boundaries and when he knows you're not going to change, he'll comply. My 3 yr old was notorious for this type of stuff (tantrums and up all hours of the night) but we set the rules firmly and calmly and he's a great kid (now).

Later Gator said...

Muwahahaha! Welcome to my world. :)

Wendy said...

paddle.