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Behaviour/development

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Toddler behaviour

2 replies

mommyandmore · 11/11/2025 20:49

DD has just turned 3 years old. She is my only child so I have nothing to go by here. I’m wondering if her behaviour would be classed as typical for her age. She has always been a very sensitive child and needs lots of reassurance/prior warning before any change etc. however, the whinging is non-stop! It can be something very minor (IMO) and it just throws her off course completely. For example, we took her out for lunch at her favourite pizza restaurant and on the way there she started whinging which we never got to the bottom
of why. She then started when we got into the restaurant & it just continued throughout the meal. She loves all attention on her and will whinge if DH and I are speaking or if I hold her baby sister- it’s relentless. We’ve tried warnings, talking to her/reasoning, taking away treats like TV which seem to work for a while but then it reappears. She is very loved and we tell her daily. She gets a lot of our time and attention at home.
she has problems with emotional regulation and is extremely sensitive but I’m finding she can’t shake off the sadness once she feels it & she lets it takeover for a very long time. Any suggestions on how I can help her? I worry for her so much. The lows just seem to take over a lot. I don’t feel punishing them is good but I worry if she’s formed an attention habit from it also.

*nursery have picked up on some anxiety and they have to warn her about upcoming changes to support her.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Anxietybummer · 11/11/2025 20:53

Give her the reassurance she needs. She’s 3, she doesn’t have the tools to emotionally regulate yet, that’s what she needs you for. Punishments make it worse in my experience. My 3 year old whinges sometimes and it’s draining, I get it’s hard, but she’s communicating with you.

To answer your OP - yes, very typical behaviour.

Teenytinytempo · 11/11/2025 21:02

I swear it’s like a switch when they turn 3. We were on holiday and just everything was hard work. Trying to get her to do anything was met with LOUD resistance. Every kid is different but they all seem to go through this but in different ways. Everything is affected (sleep/eat/attitude). But then it passes. And I promise it really does pass. They are pushing boundaries. Boundaries that they so desperately need. I sometimes found it very difficult to stay calm and I would get to the end of my tether but if I kept calm and just rode the storm with her she would eventually come to me for a big hug. She has learnt to take deep breaths to calm down which works a lot of the time (not all). I realise this is different traits to your 3yr old but hope you feel better that they all go through ‘something’ at this age. You are not alone!

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