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3yr old just won’t listen

8 replies

Zarara · 15/12/2019 17:36

Help! My 3 year old does not listen and will just ignore me when I’m giving him an instruction or just trying to keep him safe. Usually it’s to stop him running into a road, from spilling a drink or from hurting his sister etc What I struggle with is an instant punishment that will get the message through to him that he needs to listen especially when we’re out and about. At home I will put him on the naughty step but don’t have a strategy when out. Tbf even the naught step doesn’t tend to work well. Any tips or advice?

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PresidentBartlett · 15/12/2019 18:25

If you are out and he won't listen I'd put reigns on him as you need to keep him safe. Also, if you are off to do something fun i.e. the park if he won't listen you give a warning that if he doesn't listen you will head home and if he still doesn't listen then follow through and go home. Then explain at home why you came home early.

Couple this with praise for all the things he does well so he is getting your attention for positive things not just negative. How old is his sister?

Stayawayfromitsmouth · 15/12/2019 18:30

My 3you is the same. The school run is particularly fun but he has to hold my hand. He has no sense of danger yet and thinks it's hilarious to run at the road.
Distraction and keeping them engaged with something else is key. Try to make things like getting dressed into a game. Eg where does these trousers go dc? On my head? Or allow him choices between 2 things. Red socks or blue socks.
Bribery works too.
It's exhausting.

marmitemayonnaise · 15/12/2019 18:34

Can you stop with a naughty step and use natural consequences instead, something linked to his actions? He may understand more.

So the first time he tries to run away from you when out he gets strapped in the pram or reins put on.

If he hits his sister, he gets moved away from her and the toys he's playing with.

If he purposely spills his drink, take it away and replace with a baby cup. I'd always explain what you're doing too. "Big boys can drink nicely, if you pour your drink on purpose then you have to use a baby cup like a baby".

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Zarara · 15/12/2019 19:11

Thanks for the tips his sister is only a few weeks old so that may be contributing but I really don’t want him to be getting away with too much.

It’s tough with the taking away because sometimes it’s not convenient if we’re out Just to leave somewhere.

Today he poured half of his cereal on the table after I told him to stop messing around with his food when I was on the kitchen, I told him off but it didn’t feel like there was enough consequence for his behaviour as essentially I needed him to eat breakfast so put him on the naughty step then he just went back to his breakfast still messing around. I feel like I’m constantly telling him off.

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Teachermaths · 15/12/2019 19:14

Do you have my child OP?!

The breakfast story sounds exactly like mine. He barely eats anyway so I'm always desperate to get food into him because he has the most epic hangry meltdowns.

BertieBotts · 15/12/2019 19:52

You need to change your expectations I reckon - expecting him to essentially be responsible for his own safety/behaviour (even with instruction) is too much at his age. Their impulse control isn't well developed and they don't have a good understanding of long term consequences, nor a developed sense of how to generalise (ie, you will have to be telling them and reinforcing every single time especially if something has changed e.g. you're in a new place)

Giving them the room to break the rules and experience the consequences of doing that is relevant but mostly appropriate later, when he's older. At his age there are a few things where you could allow him to do this, but mainly you need to be controlling his environment so that he can't physically do the things you don't want him to do, rather than letting him break the rules and then looking to punishment - this is not effective yet.

So I will try to explain what this looks like in reality as I understand it sounds a bit vague. These are the examples from your post.

  • Running into roads
The failsafe against this is to have a rule that he must hold hands, otherwise (and perhaps as well) you need to use some kind of method to keep him safe near roads which would be a buggy or set of reins, possibly one of those backpacks with the parent safety strap. If you have a double buggy you can use this, if you only have a single it might be worth keeping a sling with you for the baby in case you need to put the 3yo in the buggy. (Not sure how practical this would be in reality if 3yo is tantruming or trying to run away). It doesn't have to be a threat or a humiliating thing to have the reins on or be in the buggy. You just need to tell him that he needs to be safe by roads and he can do that by walking nicely or by sitting in the pushchair, let him choose if you like, but if he can't/won't walk nicely while holding hands on the side of you furthest from the road, then you override his preference and choose the one that gives you more control.
  • Spilling drinks
I would give him a non spill cup if he is spilling drinks regularly. If he's doing it on purpose, he can only have drinks when he is supervised. If he's doing it accidentally, a type of cup which is harder to accidentally spill would be better. I'd also stick to just water for his drinks unless you're supervising closely, as just water tends to be less of a problem if/when it does get spilled. Then you can just say oops a daisy, that was clumsy and get him to help you wipe it up.
  • Hurting the baby
Obviously this one is non negotiable. Supervision is key - don't leave them alone together ever. Try showing him some positive/gentle/appropriate ways he can interact with her - sometimes toddlers are trying to play but too enthusiastically. Always praise him when you see him doing something kind or gentle, even if it goes wrong - it's much easier to redirect if you say "Yes! How kind of you to share your toys with baby. She can't use this one yet. Can you bring her the .......?" rather than "No! She can't have that! Stop bringing her dangerous things."

If it's more out of jealousy or frustration, try to prioritise some one on one time with him regularly. Not in direct response to the behaviour, but having recognised that he is telling you (in a very immature way because he is only little) that he misses your time and attention and is anxious that you might love the baby more. There are some much more detailed sibling friction tips in the books The Second Child Book by Sarah Ockwell-Smith and Siblings Without Rivalry by Faber & Mazlish, which I'd recommend for sure.

If you're not quick enough to prevent an incident then many people do use naughty step for this and if you find it useful then fair enough. I definitely agree it's important to take him at least arms' length away if this happens and to point out to him that he has hurt her, but I don't know if the punishment is necessary on top. It has to be right for your family, so stick with anything that is working.

  • Messing around with food
Again comes back to supervision, unfortunately! But I would also limit the amount of food he has access to, rather than giving him the whole amount for the meal, depending on what it is. This can also help for children who feel overwhelmed by seeing too much food on their plate. That might mean spoon feeding for something like porridge. Which although he is really too old to need it, might speed things up and increase cooperation in the morning. Or you could just make the porridge in a large bowl and put a small amount in a small bowl for him at a time. If he's having a "drier" breakfast like a banana and yoghurt, give pieces of banana one at a time and the yoghurt at the end - maybe even think about a different format such as frubes. If he's deliberately making mess rather than eating just take the food away and say something like "I think you're telling me you've had enough. Have you had enough?" If he protests, get verbal agreement that he will eat properly rather than making a mess before you give it back, explain this is his last chance and stick to that. Praise him if he eats neatly.
  • Not eating breakfast
This one, I'd take a totally different approach to. Children often use eating as a control thing especially if they feel that other areas of their life are out of control. So the way to avoid food battles is (counter-intuitively) - stop expecting to have control over how much he eats and don't try and influence this at all. Respect the fact that it is his decision whether he eats or not and that he will be able to feel the effects of being hungry for himself if he doesn't eat. Offer reasonable food about once every 4-5 hours for meals and small amounts of the same kinds of food (fruit, veg, meat, eggs, cheese, bread, crackers, cereal, rice/pasta, yoghurt) for snacks about halfway between each meal time. This way even if he doesn't eat anything at one mealtime, he will have another opportunity to eat again soon. Avoid junk foods like crisps, sweets and so on or just have them as a totally separate thing to food that you eat to fuel your body or for nutrition. At 3 you can also talk about what food is for and why we eat different kinds of food (I would recommend not doing this at mealtimes as it can come across as pressure.) Even if you feel anxious, try not to put this across - he must think that you are totally unconcerned about whether he eats or not, which means not praising for eating lots, as much as not getting cross or pleading when he eats little or nothing. A healthy child without dietary restrictions or severe sensory issues is not going to starve themselves or even become particularly hungry before they start to eat again. Just keep offering a variety of foods and model eating yourself and he will get there.

Good luck and hope this is helpful :)

MrBobLobLaw · 15/12/2019 21:53

That was so helpful for my defiant 2yo thank you @bertiebotts Smile

Zarara · 17/12/2019 11:38

Wow @BertieBotts thanks for taking the time to set that all out, I will definitely try out the suggestions.

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