My 29 months old DS is horrible....

[wangle99]

Anyone want him???

Having read the recent threads 'worst day with your 2 year old' etc I know he is 'normal' but how on earth do you cope with it?

I am fed with up with being ignored, not answered, purposely doing the opposite, tantrums, not wanting what he's asked for then wanting it when it's removed, not wanting to go to bed, not eating etc etc the list goes on.

Coping strategies please before I hand him to my health visitor and make a run for it....

if you find anyone to take him can you ask if they want a 2 and half year old dd? she has managed to reduce me to tears everyday for the past week! today was particularly bad i ended up really shouting at her and now feel really bad!

yup, my 2.10 year old is up for grabs too..

DD 2.11 here to.Free to good home!

im on a no refund / return policy as well!

Have you tried the 'naughty step' technique?

He could be friends with my dd3 who's 2.5yrs - life can be sooo difficult with her. It just makes me feel so bad that what ever I do - even being nice & not shouting - makes no difference.

I found the book "The Social Toddler" very useful to understand why children this age can be so challenging and how you can improve things. It has got to be worth trying something different if you are feeling that he is "horrible". Parentline are extremely helpful as well: 0808 800 2222.

He doesn't grasp the naughty step so have been restraining him facing away from me but I don't think I've been doing it enough really for him to cotton on

Am going to make a concerted effort to be more positive and see if that makes any difference.

I don't think restraining is going to improve your relationship - it will make you both feel antagonistic. Toddlers need guidance not punishment at this age - so frustrating though I know :(

nursery??

my coping strategies are:
getting out of the house everyday
nap or quiet time every afternoon (use a dvd/viedeo if needed)
deal with onr thing at a time i.e. deal with bedtime and forget about the eating issues etc for a while
concentrate on your behaviour - which you can control - on retaining a sense of humour and being patient
I find a mantra is helpful - when he is really annoying you say to your self "this is normal, this is normal etc" and if you are tempted to restrain him or lose your temper say "I am the grown up, I am patient and kind...."
get lots of company - toddler groups, friends houses etc
a nice long walk or run about in the afternoon makes bedtime easier

I found 'how not to be a perfect mother' by Libby Purves extremely useful in explaining a toddler's mindset and offering great coping strategies.
It's also a very easy read and can be dipped in and out of in between looking after a 2 year old!
The crux of it is, ignore bad behaviour in the first instance, distract, distract, distract, never try to reason with a tantrumming toddler, only fight the fights worth fighting and don't give them too much choice ( false choices are fine eg do you want green socks or blue, not do you want to put your socks on now..)
Also has loads of age appropriate games and ideas...
I am not doing the book justice but honestly it changed my whole approach to dealing with a difficult 2 y.o!
Good luck