Is your toddler difficult to discipline? Is he arguing and mad about anything? Don’t worry it’s just a phase…

My daughter will turn 2 shortly and she’s showing her personality. Every action leads to a negotiation, from sitting on the table to changing the diaper.

Today she refused to change her diaper, so I had to make her choose between that and the bed. It worked and it was really funny.

Earlier this week, I came across an article about the toddlers’ behavior from the age of 18 months to 3 years.

The author, a pedo-psychiatrist, explained that at this age they become conscious of their environment, so they start making  a place for themselves. Then, don’t be mad if your kid is not listening to you. Even if he says some words that might heart your feelings, he really don’t mean them, it’s just a phase.

Here are some tips on how to deal with this type of  temper:

1. Be aware that your baby is not mean to you, he just don’t know how to express himself properly.

2. Without ignoring his crises, don’t overreact (don’t laugh, don’t put him down or be mad).

3. Don’t isolate the child or punish him.

4. Don’t give him what he wants; otherwise he will feel that what he did is working.

5. After the crises, hold him and tell him how much you love him. You will just make him realize that his behavior didn’t help him get what he wanted.

6. Avoid confrontation or turning him off systematically. Negotiate with him and give him choices or conditions. This way you will help him developing his autonomy.

I think that the most important is to understand that your baby loves you and don’t mean to challenge your authority. It is about him and not about you. At his age his vocabulary is not developed enough to express himself properly. So be calm and help him understand what he needs to do in order to get what he wants. I believe that if you succeed, you will be raising a fantastic kid.

3 thoughts on “Is your toddler difficult to discipline? Is he arguing and mad about anything? Don’t worry it’s just a phase…”

  1. Kimberly Bauknecht

    i’d love to share this posting with the readers on my site. thanks for sharing!

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