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biting, kicking, screaming and hair pulling - what to do?

4 replies

kveta · 16/07/2010 11:32

DS is 9.5 months and has a horrible temper already. He has started to bite me when he doesn't immediately get his own way - so, for example, when I take the TV remote away from him, or fish half the newspaper out of his mouth. He also kicks, screams, yanks my hair, and generally throws a proper, full blown, tantrum when he's thwarted. He has started to do this when we strap him into his highchair or pushchair, when we get him dressed or undressed, when we change his nappy, and when I wash his hair. The childminder has also noted that he is 'strong willed', which I take as code for 'a little shit'. (he is with her part time, 9-3, 2 dys a week, and with another childminder 3 days, again only part time - the other cm thinks he is lovely, but she rarely changes his nappy, doesn't strap him in anything without a dummy, and never cleans his face or uses a bib - we're moving him to a nursery on those 3 days soon, as I'm not happy with cm2...)

DP and I are not sure how to respond. We've generally been ignoring the temper and carrying on regardless, and praising good behaviour. However, I'm not sure this is working - he's been throwing proper tantrums for about 2 months now, and they seem to be getting worse. He's generally quite a fun baby - he's very smily, giggles, babbles, shrieks with joy when things are going his way. but these displays of temper are getting more and more violent - he broke the skin on my hand yesterday when I was getting him dressed and he bit me in anger.

Any ideas, before I traipse off to the health visitor and admit to being an incompetent mother?

thanks.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
MixedNutPlate · 16/07/2010 19:10

I see it more as him reacting to frustrations rather than temper.

Telling him what is going to happen next ie going out so here is x toy and into pushchair, using a firm no if he shows frustration and whenever possible using distractions should help somewhat.

baskingseals · 17/07/2010 15:45

why are you moving him from the childminder who thinks he's lovely?

I would put him there more! really don't understand why.

kveta · 17/07/2010 20:28

she costs 2X what the other cm does, and he always comes back from her fractious and filthy. I spoke to the CM he's staying with and she said he's generally delightful, but has had a few bad days - I was reading too much into her comment that he is strong willed I think!

thanks for the idea mixed nut - we're trying to inform him of actions verbally now too!

OP posts:
MixedNutPlate · 19/07/2010 20:07

Hope it helps you all.

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