it's a new record. He's been up an hour and my sanity is already feeling the strain.

[QueenofDreams]

He'll be 3 in September. He started the stropping the moment I went to get him out of bed and hasn't bloody stopped. He's currently screaming his head off. It's really driving me mad. Tips for how to cope please? I've been coping ok since it started but this morning has been absolutely relentless and I want the day to be over so I can just put him to bed and have a break already.

should read, I've been coping ok since this phase started. Bloody terrible twos

God I really feel for you. It's so hard.

I know this sounds obvious and maybe you have tried it but as he's nearly three, can you say to him very clearly that if he doesn't stop whingeing/ grizzling/ shouting /whatever it is- but be very specific, pick on one thing- he will have to go to his room. And then do it, even if he was being so loud that he couldn't hear the threat. Leave him there for a good five minutes and if he doesn't stop go in and tell him he has to stay until he stops. If he runs out you may have to stand outside his room to keep him in there. If he will stay in, go downstairs make a coffee sit down, play some music/ put TV on/ do breathing exercises/ anything to make you feel you've had a small break or to cover up the noise. If you have to stand outside his room to keep him in there put an ipod in if you have one, try to zone out. If you repeat this (tiresome as it is but it's tiresome having to put up with it too) he may get the message in the end.

Rereading my paragraph I think I've made it sound too straightforward. I know it isn't but a bit of hard effort now might pay off in the end.

I have done that on occasion, and maybe I ought to do it more consistently. DP unfortunately took to putting him in his cot when he threw a strop, which I don't think was the best idea. He's finally stopped now - got to the point of screaming meltdown on the floor then suddenly decided to stop.

Oh I lie, he's just started again.

My DD is like this. She's now 3.2 and is getting better. I've found if she is starting to get wound up, if I stop, get eye level and get her to focus on me rather than the anger she calms down pretty quickly. You do have to be quick though - once they've got so far, you trying to control them makes it a heck of a lot worse.

It is tough, but I promise he will get better. Whats his speech like, does he communicate well?

His speech isn't that developed yet - he is starting to get there, but he's not anywhere near 'fluent' yet. Only recently started trying to make sentences

That could well be part of the problem - he'll be frustrated as he can't tell you what he wants. We were lucky with my DS, though he had the speech of an 18 month old at 3, we mostly knew what he was trying to say. He only lost it when talking to my mum as she never made any attempt to understand him. And just so you know, he talks brilliantly now, you'd never know there was a problem! Try encouraging your DS to use his words instead of shrieking, or simply "I can't understand you when you're making so much noise, I'm happy to listen to you when you're ready to use words" it worked for us

Do you get out much? Meet other people?
I always find life is easier when we are out and about.
Have you registered him for a pre school yet?
The funding kicks in the term after they turn three. So possibly september for you, as you say he is nearly three.

slimjim that's pretty much what we do: 'use your words' 'I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong' etc, sometimes that gets through to him and he'll actually say what the problem is (not ina fully articulated way necessarily but enough for me to get the gist)

molly I do try and get out and about most of the time, but the last week we've not managed as much as usual what with having a cold then really rainy weather. we were both out yesterday though.

he's not regestered with a nursery yet, I need to get my butt into gear and organise that soon - his funding kicks in from January because his birthday is mid-September