Does anyone else's toddler pretend to be hurt?

[babasheeq]

DD will be 2 in January and when she has done something she knows she probably shouldn't have and will get 'into trouble' she starts to say 'ouch' and will hold a body part. This then means she will get a hug and reassurance etc by after having watched her, she doesn't actually hurt herself, she is just saying ouch for the cuddle! Anyone else's toddler do this? We have also started with a fake cry as she knows this will get a hug as well. Am I wrapped around her little finger?

A google search on how to handle this type of behaviour came up with an article on psychopaths don't think we're at that stage yet, she is all round a lovely, intelligent and caring girl - just very good at acting and over-dramatisation!

Haha she sounds clever to me.
Fake coughing next.
Bless her all perfectly normal.

Yes! Also, Ouch you hurt me and You just hit me. It’s extraordinary.
She also falls to the floor whenever her brother is getting attention.

Oh no!! I already dread what the neighbours must think from her 'ouch'ing and loud, fake cry. It'll be worse if she starts saying I've hurt her

I'd laugh at her or ignore it.

Yes my son is the biggest over actor. He is 3. The other day on the bus a man brushed passed so gently he fel in my lap oh.oh . mummy the man kinked me. He's very good if he's about to get told not to do. Something . It hurts he will go to the effort of pretending to fall over. Very hard not to laugh.

Oh yes, very normal! I well remember watching dd aged about 3 fall over her own feet at toddler group, no one else near, sit up and look around to see if anyone was watching, and then burst into dramatic and noisy tears some 30 seconds later when another parent wandered past and asked if she was ok, blaming some other child who wasn’t anywhere near. Not a mark on her. They are programmed to be attention seekers for survival! She’s not showing signs of being a psychopath so far (now 10). My tactic was always to be over dramatic back, declare them to be dreadfully hurt and it was either time to fetch The Big Knife to deal with the injury properly, or smother them in noisy and sloppy kisses which they soon wanted to escape from.

I’m not sure I’m the best role model for this but it worked and they usually went off laughing.

I am very glad it's not just my child going for Actor of the Year!

@Caselgarcia I do try to ignore it or tell her she is okay, but that just causes her more 'pain'. She definitely knows exactly what she is doing

@Anyoed that poor man on the bus haha!!

@Chickenitalia I like the idea of being over-dramatic back actually. I am very much a drama queen myself so that will be easy to do 

Youngest DS went through a phase of this.
He hated going to bed and would pretend to have banged his head or foot to get cuddles instead of being put into the bed! 😂

Yes! My 2.5 year old does this, followed by a “you kiss it better”,
Also likes to throw in the odd “the cat scratched me” and “you/daddy hit me!” (We have never even so much as tapped his wrist before!) “the baby hit me”

Mine is 2.5 and does this a lot.

"I hurt my foot"
"There's a mosquito on my back!"
And my favourite "I'm sick. Need medicine. I want calpol!"

Loving all of these dramatic quotes! Looking forward to what will come next as her vocabulary expands lol

"a kwokodile (crocodile) bit me" to get out of going to bed is probably the most dramatic so far.

Dd1 used to do that.
One time I put her in her bedroom she'd been naughty. I could hear her crying loudly. When I went in she was sitting on the floor in front of the mirror looking at herself crying although there was no tears.
When I asked her what she was doing, she said I'm looking at me crying 😦😦

We have choruses of "[name] no like it! Big hug!" here. Even better when she mangles it in DH's language .

My little godson uses “ow, I’ve hurt my ” as an excuse to make you take his clothes off in that region to check then he runs off cackling as he hates wearing clothes

My youngest still does a bit of this. He's 5. It's usually accusing me of hurting him if I'm trying to deal with shoes, coats and the school run.
Sometimes when walking along he will just stop dead. One time I gently put my hand on his back to chivvy him along only for him to go "Ow ow ow mummy! You hurt me!" Then he cried dramatically and said "Don't push me again mummy! Don't push me!"
However if I do nothing he will not walk.
Also his school bag is, according to him, incredibly heavy and I am the biggest stinkiest meany for making him carry it himself. Also I smell of cheese.
I actually miss the toddler years, at least I could pick him up in a fireman's lift and get where I needed to go.