how do i get my 21mnth DD to listen to me?

[BellasYummyMummy]

My patience is running thin. Actually, scrap that, i have none left. My DD never seems to listen to what I say. For example, I was trying to do the ironing and i dont know how many times i asked her not to come near the ironing board/ironing while i was doing it. Or playing with the doors, or just acting up in general when i am at the supermarket.
I have been in tears today, granted I am 2 days overdue with DC2 but she is just driving me potty. I know she understands me, as sometimes if i ask her to pick her toys up she will.

I try very very hard to keep my cool but I am seriously losing that battle. I have tried telling her what to do, I have tried asking her nicely. I have warned her that if she doesnt do what i say i will take so and so away. Nothing seems to work. If i pull her away from the situation she thinks its hilarious.
HELP!!!!

She is only very young, I think you probably will be at this for years. I would just keep nagging and keep doing what you are doing. Try to distract her away from things and if you can do the ironing when shes in bed. I think thats just what children are like, don't try to make everything perfect because you will never win.

My 18month old loves it when I tell her off, I still tell her off though, hopefully one day she'll get it.

Good luck

IMHO your DD is too young to fully understand why you are asking certain things of her. She may well understand your asking her not to come near the ironing board but she has no idea why she can't. One of the first words our DS said was HOT because we always said that when he went near hot taps/radiators etc.. but he still wouldn't fully know not to touch an iron if I told him it was hot. He touches candles/fires in picture books and says hot and blows his finger but I still wouldn't expect him to grasp the fact that he'd burn himself if I let him touch a hot iron.

I never iron when he's awake (he's 23 months old) unless my DH is around to distract him away. It's just not worth the risk. I only have to turn away for a second or take my hand away and he could pull the iron down on top of him while he attempts to mountaineer up the the ironing board! I know it's a pain but try not to iron when your DD is around, it takes away the stress for you.

With doors etc... when our DS plays around like that I constantly say "careful" and if he traps his fingers I say lots of "you need to be careful" type things in amongst the sympathy so he gets that being careful might lead him not to hurt himself unnecessarily. I've always said that to him and he's generally quite cautious. He too laughs if I try and get serious and tell him off .. I put that purely down to age than anything else.

ps. I fully understand you must be getting driven up the wall - I've got 5 weeks to go and am already fed up so I can't imagine how I'll feel so much further down the line