Terrible twos at 16 months?

[londoncitymum]

Can terrible twos start early? My usually very cheery and placid 16MO DS has spent the last couple of weeks having tantrums when he doesn't get his own way - when I say no, if I don't understand his babbles etc. Getting me down a bit, so would be interested in others' experiences...:)

Yes - started that time with us too.

Mainly frustration tantrums and they are no better (now 23 months)

Distraction is the key. Why don't you play with this jigsaw / wow Ds, can you see the big plane in the sky etc

Also try sign language for basic things like food, milk, sleep etc.

Try and make sure he doesn't get over tired either. I always make sure dd has plenty of naps. Same with food too - if she's hungry she's a nightmare just like me

It's a hard thing to deal with. I love being a parent and I love dd to bits but I have found the period from 13-20 months the hardest so far. Newborns were a peace of piss

She tantrums now but it is getting easier to communicate with her as he language is good for her age. I've started asking her what's wrong as she seems to default to tantrum mode even though she can tell me what she wants!

Have a you might need them

Yes! Terrible twos start in the second year of life rather than around age two

My 18 mo DD is a dream to deal with compared to her first year - even with the tantrums, she's been so much easier to handle now she can sign and speak a bit. But that's fortunate as I don't think we could have survived another year

Oh yes! Started at 14 months here. My easy peasy baby was not easy peasy anymore. She's now 3 and the MN 'threenager' label fits perfectly. The difference is that in the early tantrummy days I was all a fluster but now I'm a world expert at dealing with them, sometimes even cutting them off at the start . This is where the real parenting begins!! Just remember that this is all normal and all children act in this way. Have a few more !

Yes DS does it too he's 17mo I just don't stand for it tell him it's not nice and tell mummy or show mummy what he wants, i'm trying to teach him to call me when he needs something which is working well apart from the endless shouting of 'mum mum mum' but it's better than frustrated crying and shouting

13 months here!

I'm hoping that she's getting all her strops out now and will be a perfect, non hormonal, placid teenager.

Do NOT burst my bubble here people. Clinging to this hope is all that gets me through the day sometims!

Oh yes, 16m was a killer here. It passed in a few weeks when her language caught up and she became a bit more capable of indicating what she wanted. Of course, now we're stuck in the hell of not understanding why "please" doesn't automatically get you want what you want. But tantrums definitely start a lot earlier than 2.

We're struggling with lots of tantrums and anger due to frustration here. DD2 is 15 months and has really changed over the past few weeks. I have no advice but just want to say we're at that stage too, it definitely seems to have come around lot quicker than it did with DD1.

18 months here. I found the happiest toddler on the block by Harvey Karp good. Lots of new strategies. I have completely changed what I was doing and have seriously reduced number of tantrums. It still feels odd but showing you really are listening seems to work e.g. wanting biscuit before meal you say something like you want want want biscuit biscuit biscuit in a kind voice that mimics their mood but in a calmer way Luke you would to an upset friend. Only when they see they have understood do you put your point across. Biscuit after lunch for instance.
Also more time in (opposite of time out) full in play for a few mins before you get on with your jobs. You can 'buy' 10-15 mins peace!
He has lots more tips and explains lots better than me but basic theory is that toddlers are mini neanderthals and you need to be there ambassadors.
Good luck!

Luke? I mean like!