Man I hope 1 1/2’s are the next ‘terrible’ 2s. This new stage of Ethan’s can be really fun but man, can it also be a challenge! Ethan is not shy about throwing a tantrum. He will go from laughing to stomping his feet on a whim, and then throwing himself on the floor screaming at the top of his lungs.
It would be so easy put him in his crib on a time out (in fact, we got to that point with him today that we had to for a couple of minutes) but all the reading I’ve done, says that they really can’t understand them, and that you should only start putting them on a time out when they can understand sitting on a chair, rather than holding them hostage in their crib.
Everything I have read (positive discipline by Jane Nelson, and other articles online) says that you need to use distraction, and guiding methods. Rather than hit a cat for example, show them to pet the cat gently. Their emotions are so immature, you have to teach them to control them. They don’t understand words the same way that we do, that ‘no’ means ‘no’ for example. They are not trying to ‘be bad’, they are just trying to figure everything out and express their emotions (anger, frustration, etc.).
I’ve been doing my best to use these positive methods and quite frankly, they don’t seem to be working. Every day without fail, he goes to grab the things he shouldn’t, or gets so mad if he can’t have something that he wants. I know I’m not perfect in my techniques (far from it) and maybe that’s the problem. It’s hard when you yourself are frustrated to keep your patience and be the bigger person. He’s a baby for goodness sakes, and sometimes I act like I’m the toddler.
I realize it’s our job to make an environment, where he can explore, that there aren’t things that he ‘can’t grab’ accessible to him, but let’s be honest. Is it really possible to make your house 100% baby-proofed?
Some days I feel mentally exhausted by the end of the day (today included). I had a really good day at work and have been on a roller coaster ride since I’ve been home. In a 5 minute period, I can have a baby guy blowing me kisses, making all the animal sounds that he knows, thinking to myself what a sweet baby he is (which he really is 🙂 to a baby that seems like he’s a terror…
I need to learn to be more patient and not let him frustrate me so much. I constantly have to remind myself that he really doesn’t know any better, and that all toddlers go through this….
Life as a Working Mom 