3 year old lockdown behaviour

[FlabbyFlatfish]

My 3yo is usually pretty easy going and chilled. She has her moments, but generally wants to please and no real bother.

She stopped going to nursery immediately when they brought in the social distancing guidelines as I'm 7 months pregnant, and we have just been out for a walk each day since then. At first I was surprised how well she adaped, but the last week or so her behaviour has really deteriorated. It feels like she is constantly pushing boundaries/doing the opposite of what I ask. The last two days have just been constant tantrums about everything, and just demanding lots of different things.

I'm not really looking for answers as there is little option but to just see it through, but just wandering if other people are experiencing this to? I feel guilty my patience is wearing thin, but it's really tough when very pregnant, worried about giving birth without my husband, worried about both our jobs and then managing the tantrums on top.

Yes I think it's just energy not getting used up, brains not getting their usual workout and just a general awareness that something is different.
My three are hard to get to sleep at the minute but I said to my partner if we are struggling to sleep it's hardly surprising they are.
Like you say it's just a ride it out kind of thing. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get them running around a bit more. I hope lol

My 6 year old has been terrible and pushing all my buttons. I think he's just as fed up as we are. I speak to his school teacher once a week and she is going to send some work and activities to do at home.

Would maybe a nursery routine at home work?

Same here op. We have 3y old twins and they've become awful! It isn't surprising given the situation, not being able to see grandparents, go to park, nursery. It's all change and we know all know how toddlers detest change! We thought we had done a nice little egg hunt in the garden today, little did we know it would become the start of another world war 3

My dd's nursery sent an email to us all to say if our dc are struggling it's probably partly to do with not having routine and clear boundaries. They recommended making a visual routine to stick up and following the same nursery rules - kind, safe, sharing etc.

I suspect that your daughter is also picking up on some of your anxieties and possibly the concept of your having another baby. Three is a difficult age and I agree about the lack of routine causing issues.

When anxious, regression and tantrums are quite normal. I know how much they can test your patience, but she needs reassurance and comfort. If you look online there are some yoga and mindfulness aimed at toddlers which you could do together and might help her as well.

Also have a 3 year old here!

What’s helped (so far) is having a loose routine, though not as structured as nursery as I think we’d be over reaching ourselves!!. So we do:

• Breakfast as a family, followed by Joe Wicks exercise with whichever parent isn’t working.
• Some kind of craft activity.
• Down time (TV/ free play) whilst lunch is prepared- he helps if he wants to.
• Cooked meal as a family (he has a cooked meal at lunchtime at nursery, so we have carried that on).
• Duplo building challenge (tell him to build a spaceship, boat, dinosaur, etc).
• Bike ride/ walk.
• Free play in the garden.
• Light tea.
• TV/ down time.
• Bath and bed.

He’s got used to it now and asks to do exercise after breakfast, asks at lunchtime what his duplo challenge is, etc. He’s more settled now he knows what to expect.

Thanks everyone. I think the routine is definitely part of it as it's escalated a lot over the long weekend - we naturally fall into more of a routine during the week as we both have to fit WFH in as well.

Weirdly enough despite the fact she must be getting loads less physical and mental stimulation she seems really tired. She's had a nap in the afternoon for the last 3 days for the first time in about 6 months and still slept the normal amount over night. Normally if she even drifts off in the car in the daytime for 10 mins she's awake until 9.30pm, so not sure what's causing that!