My baby is becoming a monster.

[FrightfullyPoshFloss]

He's about to turn one. He screams at bedtime, story time, all day in the pushchair he has been screaming. He refuses to sleep when we are out. He arches his back every time I pick him up, arches his back to stop me putting him in his push chair/highchair. He squirms on my lap and never sits still. We have an area of our lounge/diner/kitchen which we block off to keep him out of danger. He screams all the time in there too. He is delightfully happy to be wobbly walking around, which is what he has recently started to do. He only wants to feed himself. He has become so strong willed and it is making life somewhat of a misery. I'm sure it is just a phase and there are worse things, but I've been working so much that my time with him is precious and I feel both me and him are so miserable.

I have a ds who is 4 and a dd who has just turned one. I remember with DS that almost overnight he turned from placid happy smiley baby into total nightmare! just as you describe! It is a phase-a very frustrating age for them. DD is just entering similar phase-although she is a walk in the park compared to ds! with her I find it funny-maybe because I know it will pass Don't despair

should mention...other difficult phases have arrived with DS! at least at 12 months they are still gorgeously cute even when throwing a wobbler-not quite so endearing at 4!!

Dont dispair, we had one of these. From about 9 months he walked, refused to let us feed him, cried when we put him to bed, you know the story. I used to give up and give him a plate of finger food, funny how they never starve?? I think that once they can move around the whole world expands and they get friustrated over a lack of control. It will get better Can reccomend the odd glass of wine (for you not the baby) it worked for me

elastamum, was having the odd glass of wine before this!! Will have to be the whole bottle every night!! I know it should just be a phase but it's his party at the weekend and his beautifully behaved cousin will be there as well as all the rest of the family and I just feel it reflects badly on me that my baby seems to be screaming so much.

NO, it will NOT reflect badly on you! He is a perfectly normal child who is merely affirming his personality in his own way!
The best thing to do might be to take a big deep breath, and a few steps back, and let it all wash over you.
Don't attempt confrontaion to get him to do things. Give him finger food, talk brightly to him, read him a story and let him pick at finger food if he refuses to be fed. He will survive and everyone will be more chilled.
Enjoy the party, and please don't over-worry.

Floss - both my boys did this at 1, and both times I thought "bloody hell, toddlerhood has arrived early" and then it transpired that they were actually badly teething which put them in a foul mood (also my bad mood with them being in a bad mood made a bit of a circular atmosphere). Then the tantruminess sort of eased off for a bit as long as they were well.

Might it not be a sign that he's a bit under the weather for one reason or another?

Ds2 has just hit 18 months and now we seem to have the real deal tantrums

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Hi you two! Umm, the teething thing had occurred to me. And I do think he is in spits and spats. It is the whole screaming the place down whenever we are out in his pushchair that is the major thing that is bothering me. He literally twists himself round, full on, bright red face screaming as he wants to get out. Let him out at all and he is happy as larry again. So I don't think teeth can be causing this. I feel like one way or another he always ends up with calpol, and am trying not to give it on whims, IYSWIM. He was poorly with a temp last week, so had it then. I worry that he has it too often and I use it as a last resort when I don't know what else is wrong too often IYSWIM. He won't let me in his mouth to apply gel/ambesol so there isn't much else to do when he is teething. I'm rambling, sorry.

I also end up worrying that he isn't happy with how mummy is home one day, daddy the next, then both.. Things just must seem quite confusing for him one way or another!

Sorry MM! Cross posted. See predictability. Thats what is maybe lacking? When I was on nights the other day before I left for work, I caught him staring, just staring at me for ages. When I went over to him he kissed me over and over. Bless him. He used to ignore me when I was back from working. I wish he could talk and I could know what was bothering him!!!

I don't think teeth necessarily causes it per se but it does seem to make them more grumpy and more likely to flip. Does that make sense? I know it doesn't really help from a stopping the tantrums point of view, but I found that when I realised it was because they were feeling grotty I was less likely to get in a bad mood myself with them.

(It's also quite gut-wrenching in a way that they've reached "The Next Stage[tm]" of toddlerhood and really letting you know about it, isn't it?)

Tell you one thing, with ds2 this last week I've dug out my toddler taming again and rereading it. Haven't really got to the practical suggestions bit yet, but it's soooo much of a relief to realise it's all normal - plus his writing makes me smile so I feel a bit more reassured I'm doing an okay job!

(now, I'm rambling - sorry!)

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GA, I had been thinking about getting that book actually! Will have a quick look on ebay see if its about. Thanks for the reccomendation!