Not really sure how to deal with this behaviour

[DeathMetalMum]

Dd1 is 2.5 and 90% of the time is a breeze and lovely. However we have been having difficulties recently around dinner and bedtime, she gets into a really silly mood refusing to do anything that I ask ie helping to tidy, pj's time. When I bring her over to pj's or tidying she will run off as if we are plaing catch, climbing all over the furniture jumping on sofas - accident waiting to happen. She has also when doing teeth, stories and other things upstairs ran off and climbed on beds started bouncing basically I am having to hold onto her to stop her running off (teeth). With the climbing I remove her silently but she continues. All of this whilst I am trying to serve dinner also get dd2 (3months) into pj's, putting dd2 down so we can read story.

I'm just not sure how to deal with this type of behaviour. I understand that a lot of it is viying for attention but dinner needs to be served. Dd aslo can't be climbing and jumping all over the furniture but I'm not sure what to do about it. It's not that she hasn't had an active day as the majority of the days she has had a quiet afternoon of stories or something as she is exhausted after not napping.

Ok shut the door on the bedroom and walk away. Give it two minutes. Console. Give it five minutes. Console.

Continue for as long as it takes. You will be walking around holding your head in your hands but trust me it works. May take a week or two if your nerves can stand it.

Your answer is at the end - she's not napped so is switching into hyper mode. I would stick the tv on while you're sorting dinner out. For bedtime why not get her to help you with your baby?

Thanks.

Thats what I did tonight ruby I put her in the cot and went downstairs to finish what I needed to do, few toys away and then upstairs. She was much calmer afterwards (even though she got quite upset). Because of the upset I wondered if it was the right strategy. Also earlier I strapped her into the booster seat at the tables whilst I served dinner to stop her climbing up the furniture. She can open all the internal doors so it has to be in the cot or strapped somewhere.

I thought she was switching into hyper mode but how do I deal with it. Tv keeps her for a bit but not continiously - also bfing dd2 though I do feed down on the floor whilst enjoying a 'picnic' with dd1. She does help out with the baby dressing brimging nappies etc. I put baby down so we can do stories and I can brush her teeth properly but she is 'escaping' all the time.

With ds I brought forward dinner and had easy meals which were quick to prepare. I usually did all the cooking in the morning so just had to reheat it.

I also kept up naps - he did resist them around the age of dd arriving (2.4 onwards) but now at 3.8 he still has them every other day as needs them.

I also ignored the escaping as he would come back to find me eventually!

Thanks. Naps havn't gone completly its every other day or couple of days with no nap couple of days with it just depends. Days she does have a nap she falls asleep v late close to 9pm. She was resisting baps a while before dc2 arrived.

All meals are easy to prepare or pre made pretty much. It's during the serving part that she was getting up to mischief. Mostly I leave her but if she is doing something potentially dangerous I feel I have to move her.

I will have to see about bringing dinner forward a little did think of that a few weeks ago for another reason. Did you do dinner at the same time weather your ds napped or not?

No about half an hour earlier if no nap. Ds was also still in a Highchair so could stick him in that and chuck something his way eg a bit of food or something to play with (or tv).

Is she very verbal? Mine's a similar age and a great talker and loves new words. So when she starts the 'ignoring your requests' behaviour I either (a) ignore it completely and do other stuff, knowing that she'll come eventually (80% of the time); (b) give her a time out warning (10% of the time, only works sometimes); or (c) say, "DD do you remember our new word? OBEDIENT? Will you be OBEDIENT today and do what mummy asks?

Weirdly enough option (c) actually works! She rolls the new word around in her mouth for a bit and then says "I'm going to be OBEDIENT!". Funny little trick.

Option (c) also works with similar effect with the words BRAVE, ADVENTUROUS, HELPFUL and KIND

I also go apeshit with praise when she is obedient and call her my wonderful obedient lovely girl. She glows.