My 15m DS has such a terrible temper, and will often hurt himself while throwing a strop

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DS is just coming up 15m. He has just recently started walking, sleeps ok most nights, eats well and can play very nicely with toys (in particular anything with wheels or music)

But, he has a horrific temper. I know tantrums are par for the course and I remember DD having a bad patch around the same age. But DS gets violent. He will throw his head back onto a hard floor, he bites, pinches, throws things and screams like I have never heard.

He is a very busy little boy, literally into everything (last week I found him on top on the fireguard!) and most of my friends (with children) have commented how full on he is.

Will this pass? Is there something I should get checked out? I have no concerns with his development in general. Should I get him seen by the chiropractor?

I am getting to the stage that by bedtime all I can think is "I have to do all that again tomorrow" :)

I am at the stage where I don't know if it is his behaviour that is making things hard or whether he is behaving badly because I am finding it hard iyswim?

Mine is exactly the same. He threw himself back so hard this morning (towards me) that he hit me in the brow/eye and I will probably have a black eye tomorrow.

It is just a phase I think. They get frustrated because the can do a lot more than they used to but not anywhere near enough. It is the beginning of terrible twos, the start wanting to do things their way.

Also with my DS1 he tends to lash out (he is three) when he is really tired, so it might be something to look inbto too.

I would just let him on the floor (with a cushion so that he doens't bump his head) and let him have his paddy!

There are a couple of other threads on here about toddler/ baby tantrums. Seems some of them are just like this. Ds also bangs his head repeatedly on the floor or wall, throws, slaps and is into everything. I am hoping once he can speak and explain better what he wants it may help his frustration.

Not sure what a chiropractor could do?

I can't help much as we are only one month ahead of you but I just try and get through it, explaining what is appropriate behaviour. Getting out, even if the weather is horrible, seems to help distract him a bit.

Thank you for replying. We do go out every day, but it is gettin.g to the point that I don't want to take him anywhere where I have to get him out and then put him back into the buggy you know?

I have just been speaking to DH, and we think it was probably quite bad with DD but we have blocked it out!

We try to put him down either standing, or if he looks like he is going to throw his head back we put him down flat, but he still manages to throw his head back and crack it.

I wondered about chiropractor because there might be something bothering him. We took him when a tiny baby as he was so fretful.

Mine was like this, it was so bad that nursery staff had me in so we could come up with a plan so he didn't hurt himself, I remember bursting into tears . I remember once paying for a sandwich in Greggs whilst lo was screaming and back arching on the floor and everyone staring at me wondering why I was ignoring him. I'm glad to say it was a phase and he's fine now. Prob lasted about a year though .

Oh and mine was a busy boy too like yours.

dd does this, especially throwing her whole body backwards so that the back of her head hits the floor with an alarming crack. horrible.

she seems to just have a feisty personality, more so than ds1 and ds2.

i've found harvey karp's 'happiest toddler on the block' book incredibly helpful though for dealing with and defusing tantrums - it's just taking me longer to get it to work reliably on dd than it did with her big brothers.

Thank you.

We had to go out in the car, he fell asleep but only had about 40mins when he really needs about 2hrs. I got him in (cantel leave him in car, we park on the road) and massive tantrum, he didn't want milk, cuddles, a book, a toy, the telly didn't distract him, so i have put him in his cot and had to leave him to it :( I want to be able to comfort him but he doesn't want me, the best best thing is to put him in a safe place to calm down I think?

Days like today I really wish I had a job to go to

Hello OP,

I have something very similar with my 15mo DS. He has always been sunny by nature, which was my reward for the fact he is always too busy to sleep and still wakes four times a night. Busy, busy, busy.

But recently he too tantrums about everything. He wakes up too soon from a nap? Fury. He points at something and I give him the wrong thing? Fury. I go out and his dad puts him to bed? Flailing fists and fury. I don't fancy breastfeeding him eight times across the evening and early morning? Not just upset, but screaming rage. For over an hour.

I too find this hard to cope with. I work full time and the time I do spend with DS is now mopping up tantrums. I spent ages wondering if he is reacting to me not being there, but he is just the same at the weekends or holidays. Nursery says he is an angel for them.

I agree that lots of it seems to be frustration. He can only say a few words and it drives him bonkers to point and say "that" and I don't get it. He is clearly keen to communicate more but doesn't yet have the words.

But it really knocks my confidence when some of the other 15mo I know are still quite relaxed. While DS is still very cuddly and kissy and very happy, busy and giggly when not in a rage, these tantrums now happen all the time.

Anyway, no advice but just wanted to say you are not the only one.

RubyRoo :( I am sorry to hear you are in the same situation, but glad at the same time iyswim?

I think he has inherited my temper. I need to try not to get so riled with them.

DS does point and say "this" and I try to get him to communicate as best he can as I know it is frustration based. he does say yes and shakes his head for no which helps. Bathtime has recently become such a battle for no obvious reason (he always loved baths) and last night DH and I tried a different tactic. Instead of just getting bath done ASAP we got his playmobil noah's ark and animals and put them in the bath and tried to make it more of a game. It was a slight improvement, so hopefully we can turn things around on that front.

Thank you to all of you who have taken time to reply, it just helps to know you are not on your own and that your child is normal and not a monster in the making :o