Help! 23mth old ds never stops even after being told NO a million times!!!!!

[Queenee]

Help! Just spent a nightmare few days with my in laws. Usually great fun but this time ds was awful. Felt I was putting him on the naughty step or telling him off all the time. By day two he had switched off the aga at the mains (rendering the house freezing and the dinner raw), pulled the cats tail (several times) broken grandpas £300 specs and generally rampaged around the place causing mayhem. Beginning to realise that I have not a clue what I am doing and am lying awake at night imagining how much I am screwing him up by not being able to discipline him. I'd really appreciate any advice on this kind of behaviour and dealing with it.

i too went through this and found naughty spot was great remember do not ne embarrassed as we alla s babis done some things but now he is at an age to understand that was wrong i do 2 warnings no do not do whatever it is then tell him again i kneel in front of him so i know he can understand me and say if you do it again you will go in naughty corner but always go through with it i have never threatened it and not done it and if does it again naughty corner tell him why you put him there then dont speak to him if he gets up keep putting him back

go back and ask for a kiss to say sorry and again tell him why he is there all i ahve to say now is do you want to go in naughty corner and he'll shake his head and do as i ask it does work but just dont shout and its normal to play about and dont be embarrassed accidents with other peoples things will happen its not your fault

but make sure you only naughty corner bad behaviour they do cause mayhem at this age its normal if you feel stressed put him in quiet time so you can calm down i felt i had no control didn't want to get uop in the mornings now i have control keep a tone that is for bad behaviour and if you see him about to do something distract him maybe his getting bored i got play do abnd crreate time together as he wasn't being stimulated enough he was being naughty to get my attention now he doesn't need to

sorry trying to type quick lots of spelling mistakes lol hope you can understand what i'm trying to say lol

bubblagirl, lol, fast typing alright! I think I got most of it though, thanks! How do you get him to stay in naughty corner/step etc. Do you leave him there and walk away or stay with him? Sorry this may be basic but I need to watch more SUPERNANNY I guess . My SIL has kid the same age but hers is a bloody angel of course. Stayed at in laws the week before us so good behaviour fresh in their minds I reckon.

lol i hate that but maybe there to afraid to have fun at same time lol

you put them there and walk away then if they come back you say nothing you take them right back as you would of already said why they were there
and they'll be trying to get your attention so nothing then when time is done i minute for each yr of there age as my son still isn't talking much i say to say sorry and he'll kiss and cuddle me and if he refuses you tell them they will stay there until they say sorry then you go back and ask until they say it
they pretty much say it all the time after that then you up your tone and say right lets go play a game then and all finished with they ahte being away from you in that time but dont feel guilty doing it it actually makes them happy to have structure but dont threaten it and then not do it as they wont change there behaviour as they'll think your not serious anyway

They get to an age where they revel in being told 'no', don't they? And 'no' is their favourite word too. Just guessing, but it was possibly more stressful for you because you wanted to show your in-laws what a lovely grandchild they have and so felt more conscious of the not-completely-adorable behaviour.

I used to try to remove them from the grandparents' house for a short while - quick trip to the park or round the block looking for sticks etc so I could try to calm annoying 2 year old down a bit and so I could calm myself down.

(as in, remove them from gps too)

Thanks guys. Not had an opportunity to test out as ds has been perfect angel since we got home! Wish I had done this before spending £40 on Amazon on "yes you are a crap parent but buy our book and you won't be" type literature!

I have a 2yo who is similar. I somethimes think getting me to say "no" is an amusing game for him. The best solution for me (though I still do say "no" a lot, I can't help it!) is to try to replace "no" with the positive action you want, eg if he pulls the cat's tail, I say "Please be gentle with the cat DS, poor pusscat, let's stroke her nicely like this". Or if he is going to break something (I have had my sunglasses broken several times, luckily I only buy cheap ones) I say "Time to give those back to mummy now, good boy, let's find you a nice toy to play with". It is exhausting but you get into the habit of doing it at least some of the time. It helps because what you are saying invites him to take part in something or do something new - it is much harder for toddlers to just not do something! Good luck, and you're not a crap parent - you just have a 2-year-old boy!

Oh and FWIW I'm not sure naughty step/naughty corner works for all children, especially hyper little boys who just can't help being into everything, and yours sounds a bit young to understand it properly. You might find positive instructions/distractions works better with him. The other thing is, if he's constantly getting told off and sent to the "naughty corner" then he might get the message that he is basically, naughty. It's better to give him the message that he is a good boy, a clever boy and can do what he's told if he really tries, IYSWIM.