The joy of toddlers....

[buggie]

Having had a relatively un-terrible 2's, the 3's have hit us hard (probably not helped by the arrival of Bugglet II 7wks ago!).

Found this: http://www.rantsfrommommyland.com/2011/07/top-ten-reasons-why-3-is-worse-than-2.html?m=1

And wondered if it rings true with anyone else?!

My inner mantra is constantly "everything's a phase & this too will pass" but find it easier to believe in relation to

Bugglet II than Bugglet I's antics!

[buggie]

Forgot to add - the link to "turtle herding" also well worth a click!

[vicki08]

I've always said terrible threes not twos

[EmilyPie]

My eldest is 2. Feeling scared!!!

[EDmummy]

2s and 3s were an absolute dream compare to early teen! Trying to patiently wait for the next golden moment

[Strawbs]

As a mother of a headstrong 2 year old and another due in march this frightens the life out of me!

[midivydale]

Can terrible two:s start early....?

[Belle]

YES definitely midivydale, both mine were having tantrums from 15/16 mths if I recall correctly... number 2 def has terrible 2s, think number 1 was worse as a 'threenager' though...actually each age has had its challenges come to think of it! At almost 5 my first still has huge meltdowns.

Love the turtle herding link btw! There is also a v funny Michael McIntrye sketch about this (don't normally find him v funny but the sketch is spot on)

[buggie]

Threenager... I like it!

Sorry to have scared you Strawb's... my friend has a daughter 4mths older than Bugglet & has exactly the same gap between her kids as I do & she says their out the other side of it so hopefully I'll be able to post back in another few mths & say all's well (until the next phase!!)

[Strawbs]

Biggie I shall wait for that update, please have me be the first person you to hehe!!

Mivydale - mini strawbs was regularly tantruming at 14m and proper throwing himself around and bashing his head on the floor type tantrums so yes it can start early! Now at 27m he still tantrums but after working with him for months and months now just throws himself to the floor and lies still which is so much easier. X

[Strawbs]

Ps mivy - the book 'toddler taming' is a good read to get an insight in to behaviour x

[susyp]

terrible 2s started for mine at 21 months precisely. She was ok at 3 though, when many of her peers were throwing wobbles - they had all been ok at 2. hopefully you only get one or the other! 2 was pretty bad though!

susypx

[hellosailor]

midivydale my daughter started the terrible twos at about 17/18 months, and *appears* (famous last words) to be coming out of it now, a few weeks off her 3rd birthday. Unless she's gearing up for being an awful threenager?.aaaagh!

[midivydale]

Threenager- love it!

Thanks for reassurance everyone. Little I also started by 16-17 months and it is at times so tough! Over the last few weeks it has been pretty awful. I guess being indoors so much due to weather hasnt helped.

I have (hungs head in shame) lost my patience with him and snapped, nagged and have done most things wrong.

I feel so guilty and rather useless as ultimately he is just being a child. I am just so damn tired that I dont always have it in me to be the patient, calm, reasoned adult and instead raise my voice or say no when really I could have let it go.

I feel terrible as I is a sensitive little soul and he gets really upset.

Sorry guys rant over.

[Pickle]

I've had a variety of terrible 2 and 3 experiences with my 3 kids. Eldest (boy) was a dream through the 2's which was lucky as his little sister arrived when he was just 16 months old and life would have been a lot harder if he was a troublesome 2 year old!

When he hit 3 he definitely became more of a challenge - not so much in physical behaviour, but through his use of emotions to achieve what he wanted. They get clever!

Second child was pretty standard, a few tantrums but with hindsight nothing too bad.

Number 3 (also a girl) will be 2 in just over a week. She turns from a sweet blonde headed princess to a red faced screaming monster in a split second. A few times in the last couple of weeks she has made herself physically sick due to the screaming. She's just recovering from the latest one, caused by the fact she ate the top biscuit from her custard cream and then wanted "THE LIIIIIIIIID OOOOOOOOOOOON". Sigh.

[susyp]

i am sure you do this when it's not wet but i definitely found it helped with mine to "run" her as much as possible - the more running she did - the less tantrums there were! but this weather is the pits.

susypx

[Otta]

My older one definitely had her bad patch at 3. My younger one is 2.5 and a complete and utter thug, but I think that's just who she is. I suspect she'll have a great career as a bare knuckle fighter.

[devsdev]

Moments of misery love company :) http://www.reasonsmysoniscrying.com/

We're still at pretty compliant baby stage (15 months), but I can see changes already. However, the persons who need to change the most are my husband and I - we need to become more patient and accept that our daughter is her own person who we can guide but not control. I have no doubt I'll be back on this board seeking advice when all this resolve goes to pot in however many months!!! In the meantime I'm reading ToddlerCalm and Toddler Taming. There are also Toddlercalm workshops in the area if anyone is interested (you can check through the website).

[midivydale]

Toddlercalm workshop? Yes please! Will have a look at this - Thanks devsdev.

Pickle - I am sorry but I just couldnt help laughing out loud at the "lid on" outburst. Sounds just like my house x

[Yak]

Pickle, that's brilliant!

My favourite so far has been a complete meltdown on a packed long distance train (idiot trainline.com booked us in the quiet carriage allegedly by accident) with a toddler screaming "stop! stop! stop! It's going the wrong way! It's not dat way!) for 2 hours.

I almost died

[Pickle]

I must admit, given she's my 3rd, I do find it quite entertaining - I know that the majority of times there's nothing I can do other than sit back and let her ride out the screaming. 5 minutes after the screaming stopped she had forgotten all about the "lid" and was happily sitting there licking the middle bit (3rd child, it's not worth trying to give her a rice cake).

Yak, fantastic! I get similar if I cross the road at a different place to normal. "nooooooo, cross road DERE Mummy..." ad infinitum.

You've got to laugh about it, otherwise insanity is always knocking :)

[buggie]

:) have Bugglet often trying to tell me to go slower/faster in the car & ordering me to try & drive trough red lights/over stationary cars in front & find that annoying enough, so Yak, I really, really have every sympathy for you.

Seems getting back to nursery has been a big, big help today (with trains delayed & hubbie running late, he was gobsmacked to find only Bugglet II crying & bugglet & myself happy & organised for bedtime!), but let's see how we A&E by the end of the week!!

[srisky]

midivydale Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have (hungs head in shame) lost my patience with

> him and snapped, nagged and have done most thingsI

> wrong.

> I feel so guilty and rather useless as ultimately

> he is just being a child. I am just so damn tired

> that I dont always have it in me to be the

> patient, calm, reasoned adult and instead raise my

> voice or say no when really I could have let it

> go.

> I feel terrible as I is a sensitive little soul

> and he gets really upset.

Ditto ditto several times over, to my shame

[sylviamaria]

I have to say that this thread has relieved me slightly. My 3 year old daughter has turned into a little ... cant really find the words! I was worried it was the arrival of her little sister 2 months ago, but the blog describes her perfectly, so it must be an age thing! When does this phase finish!? Everything I say she has an answer for, she has decided she doesnt like any of the foods she used to and she can go from happy to screaming in less than a second! I am mentaly exhausted most evenings!

[buggie]

sylviamaria Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have to say that this thread has relieved me

> slightly. My 3 year old daughter has turned into a

> little ... cant really find the words! I was

> worried it was the arrival of her little sister 2

> months ago, but the blog describes her perfectly,

> so it must be an age thing! When does this phase

> finish!? Everything I say she has an answer for,

> she has decided she doesnt like any of the foods

> she used to and she can go from happy to screaming

> in less than a second! I am mentaly exhausted most

> evenings!

Well, DD's nearly 3.5yrs & DS is now 15wks & things are seeming easier than they were when I started this thread, but there are definitely still moments that DD would challenge the patience of a saint!

I've a friend who has the same age gap as me between her DD & DS and by the time her son was 6mths she felt that they were out the other side, so not long to go!