Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

AAARRRGGGHHH! 3 year olds!

7 replies

Galena · 30/06/2012 14:53

I realise I'm very lucky - DD is 3.2 and has always been a 'good' child - she didn't walk till late, but since she has been walking she will come when asked and stays near us in shops, etc.

Then this week hit! We're attempting toilet training. It's not going terribly well. She'll tell me she needs the toilet - when she's already wet herself. If I make her sit on the potty every hour or so she will go and stays dry all day. Poo still usually ends up in the knickers, although today we did manage to get her to go on the potty.

She also wanders off and when we call her she runs in the opposite direction, giggling. We get cross, we count and she giggles. Today she has to hold hands or have reins on. She got a bit cross about that when we were out earlier, but we didn't give in - just reiterated 'When you come to us when we call THEN we can stop using reins' etc.

Just now DH was getting ready to take her out to give me an afternoon's peace, and as he was getting himself organised, she'd opened the front door and started off down the garden path without him.

Please tell me it's a phase and all 3 year olds do it.

Please tell me she'll crack the toilet training.

Is it too early for Wine ?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
needthistowork · 30/06/2012 23:08

Sorry i had to smile at this, she sounds adorable and totaly normal.

DS1 is 3.5 and has never stayed with us when walking and was on reins from about 12m. He finds it realy hard to stay still and is always at full speed. I dont use reins at the moment but if he keeps straying he gets put on the buggy board. Just keep with the reins if she strays and as she is usually good im sure she will get used to not running off. Try not to get cross on the inside though be sturn on the outside but try to see the funny side on the inside. Im sure it is a phase.

Its early days with the potty training so just keep putting her on she will get there

BonkeyMollocks · 30/06/2012 23:09

Ha! You think 3 is bad....wait till 4!!! :(

needthistowork · 30/06/2012 23:17

Bonkey dont tell me that. DH was stressed with DS1 today saying that at 3 he should be better behaved and that it was meant to be terrible 2s not 3s, but we have worse to come .......

Galena · 01/07/2012 12:27

Glad she sounds normal - to be fair she came home after 3 hours shopping with DH still dry and had held his hand well all the time when out, so I count that as a victory!

And I refuse to worry about 4 yet - we've only just started 3 and it can't get much worse! Grin

OP posts:
brettgirl2 · 01/07/2012 15:32

I cant really help with the toilet training as I was v lucky with that. In terms of the running off you need to be firmer with her imo. 3 is old enough to understand not to do it and that babies run away but big girls walk with mummy. Mine is also 3.2 and really does understand that this is being naughty. I still carry the 'baby reins' but increasingly only use them as a threat.

Galena · 01/07/2012 16:56

Oh, we're strict, trust me! It's a very new phase - and one we plan on getting rid of ASAP!

Potty training still going ok - again, dry throughout a shopping trip - although we did get poo in knickers later.

OP posts:
lobsters · 01/07/2012 18:08

I've got a three yr old, and I'm finding it far worse than the 2's. She has more confidence which is a good thing, but sometimes she throws teenage style strops. Other times she does what you describes and misbehaves while laughing as she thinks it's funny, only In our case it's about getting dressed rather than running off

New posts on this thread. Refresh page