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Best way to deal with 2 year old fighting EVERYTHING?

14 replies

Tulip89 · 13/06/2024 09:10

I thought tantrums started around 18 months but I feel like we’ve just entered a new fresh hell 😂

He’s never liked having his nappy changed, getting dressed etc. but normally once we get going, he’s ok. But now he hides, runs away, writhes around, screams. He writhes out of his pram. He doesn’t want to sit in his high chair but won’t sit still for more 30 seconds on a big chair. He’s having meltdowns left right and centre about “tiny” things (I know not tiny from his perspective) - if you put something in the wrong place, play a game wrong. He has good understanding but he’s deliberately not listening to me or will do the opposite. He’s testing every boundary. I know a lot of this is normal and age appropriate but I don’t know if I’m dealing with it in the best way or not?

I’m trying to give him autonomy where I can - asking what bowl he wants for breakfast, what top out of 2 choices he wants to wear, whether he wants to put coat or shoes on first etc. In the middle of meltdowns, I say something along the lines of “I know you don’t want to put your shoes on. It’s ok to be frustrated. The problem is, we need to put shoes on so that we don’t get wet feet outside” (it falls on deaf ears and he continues to scream) and then I try to redirect to something else or get him to help me with something. Sometimes this works but more regularly, I’m then having to pick him up and force his shoes on him whilst he screams. Is this right? It feels like I’m spending all day having to physical wrestle him into doing things. This feels counterintuitive to him likely wanting more independence. But when giving him the opportunity to be independent, he doesn’t listen.

Is there anything else I can do or do I just need to ride this out?

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QualityDog · 13/06/2024 09:17

I'd look at all the usual stuff first. Is he hungry is he tired.

Then I'd slow everything down. If it takes you twenty minutes to get out the door, add fifteen minutes on top so he can do some of the things independently and you don't feel so pressured. If he doesn't want to be in a pram, leave extra time for walking. I had a really lightweight buggy at this age that my dd could just clamber in to if she got tired.

I think the eating thing is sort of another issue. Are you eating with him?

QualityDog · 13/06/2024 09:18

Maybe get him crocs for the summer if he doesn't want to wear shoes. Or Velcro sandals.

GreenShootsOfHope · 13/06/2024 09:21

My child is the same. I have to assume it will be a fight for any task we have to do. When it’s not a fight, I see it as a bonus. I limit choices to when we have more time, i.e. the weekend. On weekday mornings I just put my armour on and go at it. Sometimes distraction works. If it’s really bad, I bribe. It took giving a little chocolate to get out the other morning but that was better than me being late for work.
Two year olds cannot be reasoned with.

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LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 13/06/2024 09:25

Sometimes my dgs2 who is two and a half will be like this for much of the day. He's obviously having a bad day or is growing or just being a toddler. If he doesn't want his shoes on, I have resorted to saying ok. I'll bring your shoes/jacket/jumper in case you get cold. Often if I stick him in his car seat, I'll put his shoes on then. I do give plenty of time if I need to go out, like someone else suggested. I'll tell him where we're going, ask if he's bringing his bear, give him a biscuit on the way out of nothing else works. 😂 It's constant, isn't it? Divert, give limited choices, laugh and bribe is usually my way. This, too, will pass.

Oldbiddy24 · 13/06/2024 09:33

It all sounds normal behaviour, I echo PP by ensuring more time to help not being in a rush. Remember the toddler approach of "whatever gets attention will be repeated", whether that is great behaviour, sitting playing nicely or a tantrum.
Try to make things light hearted "who will be first to get dressed DS or Daddy/Mummy, talk confidently as if you are sure he will be good and that you will be so proud seeing him sit nicely etc. Distract if possible and if that does not work, ignore, walk away, only words "when you are feeling happy/speak with nice words, Mummy will help get your shoes on"
Remember you are in charge, he is only 2, so is looking to you to contain him. Children who have good understanding and speech, can appear more mature than their years. There is no point in trying to reason with him, it is beyond his development ability at this point. When he is tantruming, don't give him choices, only when he is happy, give him choices, but only 2, of things acceptable to you.
During a tantrum just say, when you are calm I will help you and walk away or distracted by having some toys/snacks . As PP mentioned ensure enough sleep and food, plus ensure life is not too busy and he gets enough down time.
Whenever you try a new parenting approach, their behaviour gets worse as they are surprised they are not getting the usual response and want to test you mean it. Good luck it will be fine

BertieBotts · 13/06/2024 09:34

2 year olds don't respond very well to verbal instruction. That doesn't mean don't give it, but don't expect it to be effective, it's all really for practice. Basically you want to back up every single word you say with a physical action, like carrying him somewhere, blocking access to things, presenting (shoes etc) to him, leading him to something. Don't give him a choice unless it's a real choice (so the choices you suggest are good, but don't say things like "Right shall we get our shoes on now?" if you don't intend it as an option.)

Control the environment (ie, babyproof) rather than relying on telling him not to do things, I also find it helps to separate stuff out so e.g. do nappy and getting dressed first thing on waking, rather than trying to do that at the point of leaving the house. And predictability helps too e.g. if you always get dressed first thing, that's much more predictable for them than if you sometimes let them watch TV first, sometimes want to get ready immediately, sometimes do a bit of a slower start etc.

Pre-warning CAN help (but might be confusing). Remember they don't really understand time very well yet, so 5 min warnings are less helpful than giving something like "After this Peppa Pig, it's time to get our shoes on" or "We have to go home soon, you have time for three more slides or a go on the swing, which would you like?" (And then count down the three together). Try narrating stuff with now and next like "Now we're going to eat breakfast and you can watch 2 Peppa Pig, then we will get dressed and then we'll go to the shops".

And YY their physical needs feed in hugely to their mood - so lots of small, regular snacks and drinks can help and trying to ensure he gets enough sleep and some fresh air/exercise every day. They are a bit like dogs in that sense.

"The problem is" is great (it's from How To Talk, isn't it?) but I think it's a bit wordy for a 2yo, and might be frustrating him further.

I also think it's useful to conceptualise that it's not your job to convince him to agree or be happy about everything that has to be done, it's just your job to make sure it gets done. So sometimes you'll be able to give him a choice of shoes vs wellies and this will work brilliantly, sometimes you'll be the shoe-putting-on-robot which will be his favourite game ever, and sometimes you'll strap him into the buggy and shove the shoes into the basket to put on when he's stopped flailing madly.

2 is also a very strong age for "I do it myself!" but they tend to be a bit shit at doing things at first so a lot of people take over (especially if the child gets easily frustrated). It can actually be quite helpful to encourage them to try themselves, give them space to work through frustration, encourage them with phrases like "ooh that's so tough, you're doing so well" help them only with the "tricky bit" rather than totally taking over, allowing a bit more time for them to try things themselves and not being perfectionist over whether or not they get it right, as long as it essentially works. They will get better at this kind of thing over time and then they are more able to be independent at 3 or 4.

If you have a very grumpy easily upset child, it can help to keep a kind of mental note of whether it's better/worse at certain times of day, and adjust expectations based on that (e.g. try to centre the times when you're asking more of them on their "best time" of day and have fewer expectations of them during their more volatile times).

SonicTheHodgeheg · 13/06/2024 09:39

I remember the battle over the shoes. One day I said fuck it and let my 2yo go out barefoot in winter. As soon as she felt the wet, cold pavement, she asked for socks and shoes and she never complained about shoes again. The path outside my house is gravelly and would be uncomfortable if barefoot - any chance yours is too so he can learn that message ?

With coats etc, bring it with you so that he can learn that he’ll be cold without one.

Tulip89 · 13/06/2024 14:58

@QualityDog I always eat breakfast and dinner with him and lunch 50% of the time as he often eats earlier than me so sometimes I’ll have a snack with him or I’ll at least sit with him and chat, sing or read books to keep him company.

I do let him walk beside the pram when I have time. He likes to hold the pram but I get nervous not holding his hand as well in case he runs into the road so it can awkward to hold his hand whilst we’re both also holding the pram. He screams at any attempt to get him to wear reigns. At what age can you trust they won’t become an escape artist? 😂

@BertieBotts Thank you, lots of great tips. I’ll definitely have a think if there’s more I can do in terms of baby proofing to prevent needing to say “don’t do that” too. Sometimes not possible when it’s m throwing toys for the sake of throwing toys. I say “toys are for playing, not throwing” and then if he does it again, I put whatever it is away - is this the best approach?

I do wish I could let him do things independently more. When I ask if he wants to have a go himself at putting shoes on, he says no and runs away. It’s like he wants to be independent but also doesn’t want to do it. His motor skills are definitely not there yet in terms of being able to put his own shoes on either so it ultimately ends in a fight. I do feel like there’s something underlying at the moment as he’s definitely more volatile than normal, I just can’t work out what it may be.

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BertieBotts · 13/06/2024 21:04

Yes that's fine - I would just redirect/change the activity if he's got onto throwing toys. If he wants to play a throwing game, then soft toys, balloons, a soft ball or small beanbags or something like hoopla are good outlets for that. If he's doing it out of frustration or just as a sort of provocative thing, then creating a whole scene around it is just giving him what he wants - just remove the toy (with a short explanation as you said) or remove him and change the scene and go through the sort of checklist - you know, like when a baby is crying and you're not sure why, you'll go OK check nappy, milk, burp, cuddle/play, try something that usually helps them sleep and one of them usually solves it.

With toddlers the narky behaviour is similar to that unidentified crying - and you can go through a checklist with them too. Offer a snack, a drink, check nappy/offer potty, think through whether they might need a nap, have they been outside today/had enougn one-to-one-attention, have they had some physical exercise, have they had some "brain exercise", do they need a change of scenery, have they been a bit overstimulated and they just need a bit of a rest/break?

By overstimulated you could try - lowering light levels, turning off anything that's making sound (TV/music/etc) and generally just lowering the pace a bit.

With being independent I would follow his lead, I just mean try to hold back from taking over (when you can!) not to force him to be more independent than he wants to be.

I think it's good to let them walk but at this age I would tend to only let them out in a contained/safe area - if I need to go in a specific direction or there are hazards, then I'd want them in the buggy or to be carried.

How is his speech? There can be a huge variation at two (and how many months?) I do think slower speech development can be hugely frustrating for some twos.

Also they do call it the "terrible twos" for a reason - the 18mo tantrums aren't anything on 2-3 years Grin they do grow out of it.

NorthDevonBeachLover · 13/06/2024 22:51

My little boy has just turned 2 and it's like a switch has been flicked, he has been throwing some epic tantrums over the smallest of things.
He definitely has a delay in speech and a lot of other 2 year olds I know are way ahead of him developmentally. He's not able to convey easily what he wants or needs which does make things tricky and don't get me started on his eating!
On the plus side he decided after 18 months of night-time hell that he would sleep through which has been a game changer for me!

jarenap · 13/06/2024 23:43

DD2 turned 2 a couple of months ago and has definitely become more defiant. She is my 3rd so I'm probably more relaxed about things, but I often just let her get on with things as she likes. Sometimes it's the way she needs to learn! She's been out walking the streets barefoot, usually doesn't sit in a high chair any more, I'll take her out without wearing a coat if she refuses to put it on. Luckily she's quite happy to wear reins, though often I prefer her to be in the buggy as it takes ages to get anywhere when she walks. I've found that food bribery and chatting about where we're going helps to get her motivated to leave the house. I take her to places where she can roam freely - big park, zoo, museum, and let her choose where to go.

Tulip89 · 14/06/2024 07:05

@BertieBotts His speech is pretty good, knows loads of words and is stringing 3-4 words together now. Generally finds a way to communicate what he wants but obviously can’t explain frustration or other emotions yet. He’s only just 2 at 24 months. And thank you, lots more great tips ☺️ really appreciate it.

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BertieBotts · 14/06/2024 08:27

Oh he sounds quite ahead then in speech! If you've got the How To Talk book, you'll probably find a lot of the tips in there start to become more useful over the next few months. If you don't have it, that's where the "the problem is..." wording comes from. If you like books, I also really like the book When Your Kids Push Your Buttons - not so well known but really helpful for me.

One little known tip is that there is an app called How To Talk by Mythic Owl, that acts as a sort of shorthand/sheet of notes for the book which I find really helpful when I'm getting stressed out in the moment. It has a small one off cost, I think it's worth it personally. Years ago there was a "How to talk cheat sheet" that went around MN and people printed it and stuck it on the fridge Grin it's sort of a digital version of that.

Tulip89 · 14/06/2024 13:40

@BertieBotts No I haven’t read that book. I just heard someone say “the problem is” before and thought it was good. I’ll check out the book and I’ve just downloaded the app, it looks really useful!

We went out this morning and I allowed more time to get there so that he could walk and it was much smoother and less fighting. He held my hand really well. By the time we made our way home, I think he was tired enough to want to sit in the pram 👍🏻

@NorthDevonBeachLover Eating isn’t great over here either! He’s been very picky since around 14 months old. It’s slowly improving but still not great and depends on the day! Some days seems to survive on thin air 😂

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