16 mo behaviour issues

[Mexicantortilla]

My DS is described as a happy smiley laid back baby, and generally he is. However if I stop him from doing anything he nips me scratches me or pulls my hair, the temper on his face is awful. I don't know what to do, I just think it's going to get worse as he gets older and I'm dreading it. Any experiences anyone can share and what to do would be appreciated.

[EsmeraldaEllaBella]

My DD is exactly the same. It's a completely normal phase. Personally I put her down on the floor immediately without saying anything (or sometimes calmly saying, "we don't bite" ) and I ignnore her for a min or so. She can get upset but I'm hoping she'll see that she gets no reaction from me at all when she does this. Sarah ockwell smith has a good book called gentle toddler something, helped me to feel better about it. Interested to read others ideas!

[EsmeraldaEllaBella]

Oh and distraction, if DD is doing something I dont want her to I distract her or give her something similar that is appropriate, eg biting wires = I give her a teething toy. I don't think children this age can process the disappointment of being stopped doing something so distraction is better and more positive

[BertieBotts]

I think at this age it's just pure frustration and not understanding.

What kinds of things are you wanting to stop him doing? Redirecting them to a more appropriate but similar activity can help. Also I found that using a few different words instead of just "No" was helpful as they are starting to understand language at that age.

So I used ouch/hot if something was likely to cause pain or injury, and he knew what "hot" meant because of experiences with food, touching (not scorching) radiators, etc. Of course you use ouch in sympathy when they fall over etc too.

Then something like Daddy's to mean that this thing doesn't belong to you. I'd give him his own version and state his name (e.g. "Jack's")

And then dirty/yucky for something that's dirty or that I didn't want him to put in his mouth.

Control the environment as much as possible so that they can explore some things safely and put them somewhere they can't get to things if it's necessary to avert your attention for a short time.

Anything like pulling DVDs down etc, I just moved the really precious ones out of the way and got him to help me put them back when he was done. That is a phase and they grow out of it.

[MyBreadIsEggy]

My Dd is exactly the same at 15 months.
She seems to have so much anger inside her little body and she doesn't know what to do with it!! Even the slightest "no", or if she doesn't get what she wants immediately she starts screaming, throwing herself backwards to the floor, kicking her legs until she is almost purple in the face. And this happens multiple times per day.
Seems like we are hitting the terrible twos a bit early

[jellymum1704]

Sounds similar to 15 month old DS. He flings himself on the floor when we refuse something or pull him away when he attempts a dangerous stunt. He also bites when he gets very upset. He's however easily distracted by a change of place or a new activity. Sign of things to come looks like