I don't want to monopolize the rant/vent thread although I could with all my frustrations over DD.
DD was a BIG screamer - at the top of her lungs - you think something is deathly wrong - as a baby. Often times she just wanted to eat, and she wanted to eat NOW. She is a VERY strong willed girl. Right now we are back to the screaming whenever we don't get what we want, the minute we want it. I know she struggles to communicate, but at the same time I feel like she can say a lot more words than most 16 months can. Our main struggle right now is WALKING.
She is 16 months old and FINALLY walking, but still not primarily, she can do it, but she much prefers to butt scoot, crawl or ideally be carried. I am at my breaking point because I realize I am CONTRIBUTING and CAUSING the problem by constantly picking her up when she whines/cries. It instantly stops her tantrums but has also held her back in terms of walking. The other night they were paving our road so I had to park two blocks away. She held my hand and walked nicely for the first block and by the second block she had a fit and just starting screaming and crying for me to carry her. I refused, and it took us another 20 minutes for her to crawl the last 1/4 block home. I had three neighbors come out and ask if I needed help. I explained that I COULD carry all my bags and DD, but that I was having a battle with her.
Our other recent battle. After rocking and singing to her I go to put her down and she says "no" then screams for a bit before going to bed. I tried rocking her and comforting her, or giving her milk but it only seems to make it worse and she thinks she doesn't have to go to bed. It just delays the inevitable.... although the last two nights have been better.
Regarding the "use your words" or "that's not good manners to whine or scream".... I say those things but at the same time I know DD doesn't have a TON of words to use, and I don't find it effective yet.
Happiest Toddler on the block suggests you summarize what they want first (and mirror their emotion, and put it VERY simply), and while that works sometimes, it also doesn't work at other times. I think the most frustrating thing is that there is no rhyme or reason to why sometimes DD is cooperative and other times she is defiant.
Most recently she has been crying when I come to pick her up from the sitters... and I try the "you want to stay.... no go home.... but we have to go home" but that usually doesn't work. Then she has a tantrum when I try and make her WALK to the car. Now yesterday, I took her hand and she walked so nicely out the door and to the car with me as happy as can be?
Her stubbornness is totally staving off any potential baby fever... which is a good thing because we cannot afford another one, nor could I juggle it with work.
Please share your toddler struggles here with me!
DD was a BIG screamer - at the top of her lungs - you think something is deathly wrong - as a baby. Often times she just wanted to eat, and she wanted to eat NOW. She is a VERY strong willed girl. Right now we are back to the screaming whenever we don't get what we want, the minute we want it. I know she struggles to communicate, but at the same time I feel like she can say a lot more words than most 16 months can. Our main struggle right now is WALKING.
She is 16 months old and FINALLY walking, but still not primarily, she can do it, but she much prefers to butt scoot, crawl or ideally be carried. I am at my breaking point because I realize I am CONTRIBUTING and CAUSING the problem by constantly picking her up when she whines/cries. It instantly stops her tantrums but has also held her back in terms of walking. The other night they were paving our road so I had to park two blocks away. She held my hand and walked nicely for the first block and by the second block she had a fit and just starting screaming and crying for me to carry her. I refused, and it took us another 20 minutes for her to crawl the last 1/4 block home. I had three neighbors come out and ask if I needed help. I explained that I COULD carry all my bags and DD, but that I was having a battle with her.
Our other recent battle. After rocking and singing to her I go to put her down and she says "no" then screams for a bit before going to bed. I tried rocking her and comforting her, or giving her milk but it only seems to make it worse and she thinks she doesn't have to go to bed. It just delays the inevitable.... although the last two nights have been better.
Regarding the "use your words" or "that's not good manners to whine or scream".... I say those things but at the same time I know DD doesn't have a TON of words to use, and I don't find it effective yet.
Happiest Toddler on the block suggests you summarize what they want first (and mirror their emotion, and put it VERY simply), and while that works sometimes, it also doesn't work at other times. I think the most frustrating thing is that there is no rhyme or reason to why sometimes DD is cooperative and other times she is defiant.
Most recently she has been crying when I come to pick her up from the sitters... and I try the "you want to stay.... no go home.... but we have to go home" but that usually doesn't work. Then she has a tantrum when I try and make her WALK to the car. Now yesterday, I took her hand and she walked so nicely out the door and to the car with me as happy as can be?
Her stubbornness is totally staving off any potential baby fever... which is a good thing because we cannot afford another one, nor could I juggle it with work.
Please share your toddler struggles here with me!
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