Angry 10 month old - any advice?!

[Hoggle246]

My 10 mo is a lovely little boy but very, very determined! He is very active and into everything atm, so I find myself saying 'no' a lot, which is obviously no fun for him! He is getting frustrated a lot, understandably, and has started to bite, or have a bit of a moan, when this happens. I can understand where this behaviour comes from, he's at a frustrating age, and I keep calm and always try to offer an alternative activity so I'm not just saying he can't do something and that's it. And I'm saying 'no biting' whenever he does this, and putting him down.

HOWEVER, something I'm finding less easy to handle is his increasing temper!! Over the last week, sometimes when he isn't allowed to do what he wants he does a big, horrible, scream, which is pure anger and not just frustration. I do try to be understanding about his age and I'm sure this is probably a normal development stage, but equally I don't want to in any way allow him to get used to expressing anger like this. Did anyone else experience this at this stage, and did it pass or did you intervene? It's just as he's quite young he doesn't understand language yet so not sure how to indicate that screams of temper aren't ok. My mum said to tap his hand but I don't want to do this.

His frustration I can handle, but having a 10 month old scream at me in anger is just a bit much!

[mustardtomango]

We've had the screams too... I think it's just a new way of expressing themselves, and we took a couple of routes of distraction - a short sudden noise, not loud, to break the spell of the scream (ds sort of got locked into enjoying the sound he was making) and saying something I know he likes, eg 'I can see the cats! Can you see the cats?' or whatever, which he does hear when he takes a breath.

We also started using the word stop, so we wouldn't OD on no. Have done it for a couple of months and ds (1) now knows to halt in his tracks for stop, and that it's ok, he's not being told off. No, on the other hand, he dislikes and even said very gently can upset him, poor little thing. Works though, if he's about to do something dangerous

[Hoggle246]

Thanks mustardtomango, glad it's not just us! Using 'stop' is a really good idea, thanks. Like yours, ds def knows 'no' so for this reason I didn't want to overdo it, like you say. Will bring 'stop' out from today!

And thanks showmethewonder too. I know - my mum got a bit of a mouthful when she suggested it! She's a lovely mum and even lovelier grandma but I just think that her generation often didn't see physical discipline in the way we do now, for whatever reason. I can remember getting tapped, and later, smacked, and there's no way I'm going down that route!!!