Is it normal for 2-3 year old boys to be a bit 'OCD'?

[suwoo]

DS1 is 3 at Christmas and is being very difficult at the moment. He had been fine after DS2's birth 10 weeks ago but I'm sure that must be a factor.
He only just starting sleeping through a couple of months ago but is now up 3 times or so in the night. This ties in with a bad dream he had recently about a rabbit getting in his bed .

He won't eat any meals I make for him. This morning he wouldn't eat his toast because his sister had looked at it , so I did him another.

He tantrums a lot of the day but I am managing them (just about) although the lack of sleep is not helping my patience levels.

Are all these things that 'will pass'?

God, its draining.

My boy is 3 and a bit and he's terribly particular about things. I think it might be their way of trying to get control over their lives. Or they're just being little terrors...

I think little terrors .

I can't keep making hime new food because someone glanced in its general direction FFS.

My DS definitely did this but has grown out of it now. I think a lot of it was tiredness and I'm sure the new arrival has had an impact as you said. I wouldn't try and agree to unreasonable demands e.g. toast incident because they're clever little terrors and come up with more ingenious/awkward ideas. I'd try and stay firm but diffuse with a cuddle or show complete disinterest until he uses a 'normal voice' (you can model this) or starts behaving more appropriately! Good luck, your angel will return!

My ds1 will be 3 at New Year. He's also become very particular. The other day he had a meltdown because I had given his brother banana whole instead of mashed. His brother wasnt bothered. FGS !!

DS1 was VERY much like this at that age. He wouldn't eat a broken biscuit, for example, even if all the pieces were present.

He is still slightly OCD about his room though - Lego has to be postioned 'just so' and he will get up during a bedtime story to adjust a model by half a centimetre. He's like one of those old dears who knows she's been burgled as soon as she sets foot in the house as her Doulton figurine is a fraction out of place.

This is A Good Thing though, imo as his room is immaculate.So, yes, it will pass.

I've just laughed out loud at all your posts because my daughter who is 3 does/did all these things too!! I think it must just be a strange toddler thing and will pass! I loved the toast incident bit (sorry I do know how frustrating it is!)...but trying to be serious for a moment, as a pp said, I wouldn't entertain the idea of making him another piece - in my house, it would be a case of eat that one or go without, I'm afraid. It is draining and exhausting, but they do improve once they've got some boundaries and know that they're not ruling the roost entirely. (smugmumofboys - the lego thing also made me nearly cry with laughter - my dd would get up in the middle of a story to move something by a milimetre too!!)

Oh goodness yes, IME! My DS1 was obsessed with having his socks pulled up and his tops tucked into his trousers (including PJs ) and will spend ages parking his to cars exactly parallel to each other. He won't eat toast if the topping doesn't have complete and even coverage or if one side/edge is more done than the other, or if different foodstuffs are touching each other on his plate (has started to grow out of this one now thank goodness!) DS2 is a too impatient and lazy to be bothered too much, but yes, it's normal and it shall pass.

DS2 is a bit like this... good to know that other 3 year olds are too, as I was starting to worry about how 'particular' he is about certain things. He also has a handwashing obsession, although perhaps not such a bad thing in a little boy?

Sleep deprivation changes everything. Perhaps wait until at least one of you is sleeping better (so you can be consistent, etc, etc) then draw the line at the "looking at my food" thing. Maybe make it seem like that piece is the last one so his options are (a) eat it or (b) not eat it.

By the way - broken food - "Ooh! It's like a jigsaw!" - worked on my DS2 at that fussy stage (we are still working our way out of it).

I'm sure it is to do with feeling out of control and wanting to find some aspect of your life that you can control, however random that seems to adults.

Oh - other thing that works a treat on DS2 is offering him two choices - doesn't matter how limited the choice is - suddenly he feels like he's got that little bit of control and focusses on exercising his choice.