Finding early toddler phase intense

[wiredandtired]

So when my son turned one it seems like a switch flipped and he went from being a fairly laid back baby to an angry little fussball.

He wants to climb on everything, I pull him down, he screams. I change his nappy, he screams. Wipe his face, he screams. Get him out of the bath, screams. Offer him a lovely home cooked meal, screams.

He's strong and wriggly and a big baby (12kg!) and my back is killing me.

I'm just finding it so intense and overstimulating.

Does anyone have any tips for getting through this stage? I know it is pretty normal, but I'm finding it really hard. I am quite introverted by nature and I like my own space, of which there is just none right now. I look at my friends' babies of the same age and they don't seem to be as full on as this, at least they tolerate having their hands and face wiped.

So part of me wonders, IS it normal?! Please tell me it gets better 😥

That does sound pretty intense. I can remember quite clearly finding 1 year olds quite difficult. They have a leap in understanding but their language hasn’t usually developed enough for th to be able to express themselves and they can become quite frustrated.

One thing we did was to teach them some basic signs so that they could communicate more easily.

It might be worth doing this simple progress checker just to see if he’s on track with his talking

Omg I just posted about the constant screaming. Mine has been doing it since 5 months but it’s intensified since he turned 1. He’s 15 months now. I also look at my friends babies and they seem so much easier

@ExplodingSmittens Thanks! Yes I think some of it is frustration with not being able to communicate for sure. I'm not worried about his communication though (I have professional knowledge/ experience in that area and he's definitely doing fine). We do sign with him, the only one he uses so far is "eat" but it is helpful for sure!

@Foreverblessed7 Yess the whining and screaming is constant and it's just so much 😫I'm 99.9% certain it's all totally normal but it's just so bloody wearing! Did you get any helpful advice on your post?

Yes you do not need to worry as this can get better by changing a few techniques. You could use some alternate ways for cleaning such as if they get annoyed by getting their faced washed with water so you could try patting their face with a wet cloth, you can get their hands clean with a cloth or use a spray gun containing water to clean them. His anger in general should be managed at an earlier age so it does not increase with age. You could give him reasoning when doing anything with him so he knows and understands. You might distract him with counting or poems as this also help to manage their tantrums.