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Behaviour/development

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

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Original poster

HELP!!! My toddler is mean

6 replies

StrongMama · 13/04/2013 19:57

I'm a single mom to a 1 year old and it has been very hard but since she turned one in January it has been getting so much harder. She seems to be mean to me all the time! She bites me and scratches me. She fights me every time it's nap time or bedtime. She also fights me when it's time to eat. Most of her food is thrown on the floor. She also seems to be grumpy and whining and crying all day. Pretty much tantrums. I have said no and no biting to her. I have also tried timeout an patting her hand and butt real softly but nothing seems to work. It makes her really upset then she does it again. I'm desperate any advice?

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NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 13/04/2013 20:09

1 is actually a baby...not a toddler. How many months is she?

Original poster

StrongMama · 13/04/2013 20:27

15 months. I consider toddler when there walking and talking.

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javabean · 13/04/2013 20:32

1 year is a tough age as they're just on the verge of being able to walk, understand, and talk, but at the moment she's frustrated that she can't! Teething can also be a cause of grumpiness if you haven't already ruled it out.

There are loads of threads around about throwing food on the floor - the consensus seems to be just to ignore it! Don't fuss or try and make her eat, but give her meals as usual and clear up the mess after. You could introduce cutlery about now too (if you haven't) and see whether she likes using it.

For biting/scratching, I think she's too young for time out, but at that age I tried to show my DD how to be gentle. Every time she scratched i'd say "no scratching DD, be gentle", then take her hand and stroke it on my arm. If she persisted, I said no again and put her down on the floor next to me. It took a while, and a lot of repetition, but she eventually got it.

lightsandshapes · 13/04/2013 20:33

Following

Original poster

StrongMama · 13/04/2013 21:57

Thank you javabean for the advice

OP posts:

ZuleikaD · 14/04/2013 16:35

She's not mean, she's just 1. All that behaviour is perfectly normal. She's old enough to understand NO BITING/scratching etc but not to have timeouts. If she scratches you, say NO SCRATCHING firmly, show her how to touch gently, and if she scratches again put her down and walk away. She'll get the hang of it.

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