Parents Struggling With Toddler Behavior

“I'm sure this is a common topic, but my son is four(nearly five) years old and his tantrums are getting out of control. I'm yet to see another child screaming with his power and venom. What's more is that it'll come on for no reason; something like me asking him to change his filthy T-shirt before dinner. I've seen some parents beating their kids quite hard for bad behaviour but none of their kids scream quite as loudly or aggressively as my son if he's been asked to do s”

“My kids feel like they are in their most difficult phase yet. My 3 year old (4 in a few months) is constantly not listening, arguing, picking battles, whining, etc. His tantrums are intense and I can no longer contain him because he’s too big and strong (whereas before I could pick him up and remove him from the situation). He’s mean to me constantly, tells me to go away, he doesn’t like me, just wants daddy, etc. I’m at my breaking point with him and it feels like all I do is yell at him. I kee”

“I have a 5.5 yr old, an almost 4 yr old, and an almost 2 year old (all boys). My older two are constantly fighting and bickering over every little thing - even when they have identical toys, one beats the other one up more so the other one wants the more pristine one, wth - "IT SAYS YOUR NAME ON IT." Today they were fighting over practically nothing just while I was using the restroom and all of the sudden, runs in with blood running down his face, "brother gave me a bloody nose.&”

“I have a girl (3y 10m) and boy (2y 1m) and the last few weeks have been really challenging. They are constantly fighting. The 2 year old is aggressive, hitting, hair pulling, biting. Time outs/removing him doesn’t seem to do much. When they are not fighting they are whining. I can’t seem to get anything done. My house is constantly a disaster. I end up giving in to screen time or snacks just to stop the whining for a few minutes. Is this normal? I am so overwhelmed. submitted by /u/L”

“Did any one else’s LO turn into a little gremlin on the literal day they turned 18 months???? Constant fits, clingy af, SCREAM crying, fighting sleep and nap time… today she took off her diaper and pooped in her bed and danced in it. It’s funny but I’m also exhausted already lol is this normal?!?! submitted by /u/Fun_Positive_3505 [link] [comments]”

“Our 19 month old is so curious and smart. But these last few weeks he's become such a helion. From constantly pulling stuff off counters and tables to climbing on everything (Including us). Just wait til he decides to trust fall onto your face while your not expecting it! Right now he's having some chill out time in his crib while I eat. No TV and light off but he has his toys, and a pillow and bottle. It's more of a time out for me and im hoping it will help him calm down a little.”

“I have a 2 year old and 8 week old….seasoned parents, are these some of the hardest days of my life? Because if it gets harder, I have no clue why I became a parent. I can’t stand the constant toddler correction and exhaustion (also going on year 3 straight of breastfeeding)… submitted by /u/Wise-Law-9431 [link] [comments]”

“Today my nearly 3 y.o. daughter was bawling, because her little sister pinched her dress and then her dress was hurt... How is your day going? submitted by /u/Aurora_96 [link] [comments]”

“I have a 10 month old and his separation anxiety is AWFUL. He only wants me, and unfortunately than means I get 0 moments to myself at all and my mental health is taking a toll. He’s only happy if I’m holding him or sitting on the ground playing with him. I can’t even stand up and walk around my own home without him screaming bloody murder, desperately following me around, and tugging at my clothes. Before you come for my husband, he is an excellent father and very involved. Our son just wants n”

“Hello, I'm looking for advice or experiences with intense toddler bedtime fears. My youngest son is 2.5 years old and has always been a very big feelings, big personality kid. He is affectionate, funny, empathetic, energetic, and generally a very happy kid, but he feels EVERYTHING at full volume. He is full send on everything all the time no matter if it's a good emotion of a bad one. Around the beginning of May, he suddenly developed a fear of his bedroom at night. At first, it seemed l”

“I have a 2 year old and she doesn’t seem to play enough. We wake up at about 8 and she usually just wants to cuddle before getting up or play hide and seek with blanket before breakfast and daycare (just for fun activities and socializing). She spends a few hours there, comes home, free time for 1.5 hours then lunch and nap. She spends about 2 hours napping then free time until dinner and another 1.5 hours before bed. The thing is that free time gets eaten up a lot by errands, pool days, visits”

“I have a 2 year old (26 months) and lately his behaviour has become really alarming. He was such a sweet easy baby but over the past couple of weeks he is having wicked tantrums, hitting me, screaming, and just not following his normal routine. How do I handle this? I’m concerned because he smiles after he hits me sometimes and I tell him to stop. Is he just looking for a reaction? How do I handle this type of behaviour without causing damage? I don’t yell, but I am firm. I’ve also read that jus”

“First time dad here. I'm not sure if this is just the "terrible two's" kicking in of if it's the start of bad behavior. My 2.5 year old daughter will go straight to whining and fake crying whenever she wants something. It's not a full on tantrum or melt down, but it happens with everything from an empty juice cup to snacks to some show she wants to watch. I'll tell her firmly (not yelling but in my best "dad voice") to stop and use your words. Then ask her”

“First time dad here. I'm not sure if this is just the "terrible two's" kicking in of if it's the start of bad behavior. My 2.5 year old daughter will go straight to whining and fake crying whenever she wants something. It's not a full on tantrum or melt down. Everything from an empty juice cup to snacks to some show she wants to watch. I'll tell her firmly (not yelling but in my best "dad voice") to stop and use your words. Then ask her "what do you s”

“I feel like she's been like this since maybe 8 months. She's super smiley and giggly but she's also just so fussy all the fucking time. I'm a stay at home mom and her dad works from home, so we're always with her and playing and entertaining. And we have a village, but it's still so hard. It's getting harder to care about making her happy, as horrible as it sounds. I just don't anymore. I try so hard with everything and everything goes wrong anyway. I put so much”

“Hello! My son has been getting very angry and frustrated lately and has been screaming a lot over the smallest things. I work full time, so my children are watched by my mother, my husband, and then myself on my two off days. Usually this behavior gets worse after my husband watches them. My mom and me are very hands on and play with them all day with minimal screen time, whereas my husband has them watching tv all day from when I leave until I get home in the evening (roughly 8 hours) and doesn”

“Feeling really defeated and hoping for some advice. Little one just turned 2. He used to love bath time and go down to sleep easily. For the past 6ish weeks, his mood changes completely when we go upstairs to run the bath. He gets so upset, and screams if I try undress him. It takes forever. I’ve tried everything. Slow explanations, sitting with him til he’s calm, distracting him, just forcing it and bathing him at super speed, skipping bath time altogether, new bath toys, etc. He also takes for”

“Hello! First time posting here. My 3yo boy has been going through a phase lately where when he gets very mildly hurt (i.e. slightly stubbing his toe, tripping and landing on something soft) he becomes absolutely inconsolable and oblivious to any attempts for help. I usually offer a hug, for me to check on it for him, if he needs help etc, but the moment he hears me speak he just SCREAMS. I mean the type of scream that would make someone call the police if they heard. I don’t want to pick him up/”

“My son is 18 months old and in daycare. We pick him up around 4:30 and had been going to the library; but for the last week or two he’s been having meltdowns about 10-15 minutes after we get him, so we’ve been going straight home now. To add to this, he’s pushed his bed time back to around 8:30 instead of the usual 7:30. We’re struggling to fill the 4 hours with a high energy child (especially with the heat lately) so looking for ideas and your experiences. Once we get to 7:30, 8 we start playin”

“Hi parents! First time mom here. I have a 17 months old baby. And she has habits throwing things and food! No matter how many times we try to tell her (including high voice and hitting hands), she just doesn't care, and keeps doing it! It has been like this since she has control over her hands - so perhaps around 6 months old or so (yes, 11 months like this already!). And food too! Most food, she doesn't like it and throw them to floor - even we are chefs! She is VERY PICKY, and prefer t”

“My baby is 9.5 months and she just recently started throwing adorable mini tantrums when she sees food and it’s not immediately given to her. Even though these are sooo cute, I theoretically don’t want to encourage them. Counting down gets her to focus, calm down, and then I give her the food. It goes like this: She finishes a mouthful and sees more on the plate > starts going aaaaaaargh and slapping the table > I countdown (voice and fingers) “3, 2, 1, yum!” She’s usually calm by 2. It’s”

“Hi, I'm looking for advice, my 2 year old has drastically changed in the last two days. He's had back to back tantrums pretty much the whole day , only stopping occasionally to watch t.v, eat and sleep. His sleep and eating has been normal (other than the tantrums going to bed and nap times) he doesn't seem unwell or teething. He is usually really good at communicating with me so I'm at a loss when I ask what I can do? The only answer I get is "I want to cry". I know ta”

“Our daughter is 13 and a half months old now and I've been using a stern voice to say "no" for a few months now whenever she would do things that could harm her, such as touching outlets, fans, or playing near sharp objects like glass tables. I would then redirect her if she doesn't already move away on her own as she's learned to associate "no" with doing something bad or wrong. Am I wrong to raise my voice even slightly? I'm afraid I may be helping associate”

“My 13 month old has been having a terrible time the last two weeks, and it has only escalated since Friday. She’s having terrible tantrums and overall has basically cried nonstop since Friday. She’s teething which is stopping her from sleeping well and it’s so warm currently where we live so I know that’s most likely the main cause. My issue is that we are due to fly out for a family wedding at 4am tomorrow morning. And currently I’m not sure it’s a good idea for her to go. We’ve been out and ab”

“My LO who just turned 9 month old today took his first steps, for endless of times. He looked so proud of himself. I’m crying 😭. He was all smiling looking at me. He has been annoyingly fussy and extremely clingy to me lately that sometimes I just remain quiet from the tiredness and sleeplessness. He is also teething, another upper tooth is erupting. Sometimes I feel angry towards him but most of the time I told myself, he doesn’t know anything yet..be patient..he’s a baby!! Patient!! 😌 I love”

“Hey hey, my daughter is 3.5 and is genuinely sweet, loving, and adventurous. But there are moments when she completely melts down over not getting her way. About 50% of the time she can be talked off the ledge. The other 50%, she loses it entirely. The only thing that reliably works is her blankie. It regulates her and she calms down. Is she too old for a blankie during the day time? I'd love for it not to be the only tool she has to regulate. Question for the class: how did you help your ki”

“Please excuse poor grammar I’m exhausted We moved our 2 year old girl into her big girl bed/room tonight and it’s not been a success. It’s currently quarter past 3 and i’ve been up with her since half 12 (yet to go to sleep) and I’ve had to give in and put her back in her cot. We moved to this house when i was 36 weeks pregnant with our second so we decided she would sleep in what would be his room. We already had a toddler bed ready for her so set her room up ready for her to move into when she”

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“My son just turned 2 last week and to this point, he’s been great about regulating his emotions or we’ve been easily able to redirect him when he’s starting to lose it…until today. We went out for lunch and we sat upstairs at the restaurant because no one was there. After a little while, my wife decided she wanted to go sit outside because it was too hot upstairs, so we all went out to the patio. Our son lost his shit. He only wanted to be inside and refused to go outside. For the first time eve”

“Parents of toddlers: when your kid is having a massive meltdown and you don't know why, how do you usually figure out what to do? Are you reading books, watching TikToks, using apps, or just winging it? I feel like there's so much blog advice out there, I'm curious what actually works for you or if you've found any tools that actually explain the psychology behind it without taking an hour to read. submitted by /u/RedditRabbitgohop [link] [comments]”

“My daughter is 15 months. She understands a TON. Uses gestures like pointing, signing “more” and shaking her head no. She has 5-10 word-approximations (but duck and ball don’t really help lmao). She understands WAYYYY more than she can communicate right now. Her meltdowns are LOUD and intense and it’s driving me crazy. Fortunately, they’re super brief. They only last maybe a few seconds to a couple of minutes. But everything sets her off. She has zero frustration tolerance. A toy doesn’t work ho”

“My daughter turned 2 a few months ago. She is a super smart, loving little girl. She’s had a cold for about a week, but mainly just snottiness now and some tiredness. Whenever she’s over tired or doesn’t feel good, she can become very difficult. She’s does this thing where she suddenly gets worked up, almost like a tantrum or just a freak out, and needs to be on me, pushing her legs or arms into me, and screams into my face. She’s almost inconsolable during these tantrums. Food (even sugary food”

“Just need to rant for a quick second. My son is about to turn 3 in a month and after a week vacation our family took his biting has come back with a vengeance. When he turned 1 till about 2.5 he went through a bad bitting phase. We read the teeth are not for biting book every night, we’ve done the be calm give attention to the other kid and then address the no mouth or biting and we thought after 2.5 we were coming out of it. But within the last week my son has bit either his brother or another”

“I have a 16 month old daughter and I’m almost 36 weeks pregnant. I love love loveeee being a mom but the more pregnant I am and the closer it gets to bedtime, I find myself getting so irritable and impatient with my daughter. I hate it. My mom was like this and it always made us feel so bad and I do not want to do the same thing with my kids. Does anybody have tips or advice on how to be better with this? I just want my daughter to remember me as a patient and loving mom and it’s just SO hard wh”

“Hi Dads, I'm curious how some of you more experienced dads went with starting to correct behavior. My nearly 11 month old has started ripping his nappy off during meals and I'm not sure telling him no is even registering with the action. When do they start understanding, and what is the appropriate level of disciplining them that isn't just harmful when they are too young to get it. Just to be clear I'm not advocating yelling or hitting in case anyone thinks to suggest it, we&#39”

“He is my second. He’s 15 months old. When my eldest is sick, she just wants to cuddle and be loved. This one is different. He wants the cuddles but doesn’t want them. So he climbs on me and then pushes off me at the same time. He catches everything from his sister(4yo) naturally. But this kid becomes something I cannot even describe. As soon as he gets sick, the behaviour changes. He hits and throws shit at us and pulls hair and scratches and bites. It’s like living with an animal. Then it’s the”

“Now that our kid is 17m and a certified toddler tornado, marching around our house and grunting demands all day, I can barely remember what she was like a year ago, napping in a basinet, taking bottles, learning to roll and sit. I can't really remember what she smelled like or how the weight of her felt in my arms. I had to look back at our diary to remember how old she was when she really crawled. Thank goodness for all the videos I took. All this to say, it's been only a year, and I ca”

“Ever since my daughter is 6ish months old, she has occasionally woken up inconsolable in the middle of the night. Usually it happens once every couple of weeks, she starts crying louder and louder until she is fully screaming and there is nothing we can do to calm her down. This usually lasts about an hour, yesterday it was from 1:20am till 3am. We try everything: patting, holding, singing, change her, change her clothes, give her something to eat or drink, fully wake her up and start over, read”

“My sweet baby angel has seemingly turned into a nightmare since she turned 14 months old. I have little experience with kids besides what I'm currently going through with my daughter so any advice is much welcomed. We've noticed a huge increase in her language and emotions the past few weeks, as a consequence, she's having a lot of meltdowns. The things that seem to trigger these crying fits (tantrums?) is when she doesn't get exactly what she wants in that split moment. For exam”

“Hi, My toddler is 15 months old and his mood is almost always crappy. He's got molars coming out, and I guess also separation anxiety. When his tantrums are really bad and I get to the point that my head and ears just hurt from his screaming, my body's first reaction is extreme hunger. Like, ravenous hunger. I immediately have to eat, and almost always craving either sugar or carbs. It was the same when he was a baby, during his growing spurts when he'd cluster feed and cry a lot. Ne”

“Has anyone else struggled with the 1 year old blues? Thanks Dads! submitted by /u/True-State-4321 [link] [comments]”

“My 3.5 year old has recently been hitting and biting very often (mainly my husband, me and his little brother - I haven't heard of issues at school). If I hold his arms/hands and tell him, "I won't let you hit," he'll smirk and chomp his teeth together like, "okay well then I'll bite." I have tried giving him suggestions of other things he can do when he's mad. We have tried taking a break to calm his body down. It sounds like I've been inconsistent bu”

“I have a 3yo and 18mo and I’m 36 weeks pregnant. Both my toddlers are boys. It seems like every time they see me they urgently need a drink or a snack or a specific toy they can’t find. The whining commences within minutes. Is this going to just be the new thing? Like are kids just like this? My 18mo cries tears but my 3yo just whines so i can see the tone changing but it’s like they aren’t just happy to see me lol reminds me of breastfeeding just a new form of it… submitted by /u/Tr”

“She is my second and is constantly pulling hair, pushing, and biting. I thought the behavior was improving but this past week it has ramped up. Her older sister just avoids it or cries when it happens. So far hasn’t hurt her back. The 15 month old usually laughs when she’s doing it 🤦🏼‍♀️. Please please tell me the best ways to teach her to not do this. I’ve tried a couple strategies like giving the behavior little attention. Or strongly saying “NO”. We always remove her from the situation but”

“Hi everyone, I have a 3 year old daughter who was recently in an 8 week OT program. She “graduated” out of the program and has consistently regressed since then. My husband and I are at a total loss and I’m looking for any answers I can get. She’s extremely hyperactive and her meltdowns can be so volatile. When she is upset she hits, bites, kicks, scratches and throws things. Her sisters are also exhausted and always crying around her. Bedtimes have become increasingly more difficult she literal”

“Idk what’s wrong, idk if this is normal, it could be a hundred things or could be nothing other than baby learning and getting pissed. Second I thought we were on a good schedule sleep eat etc. things changed. And feels like a few weeks after 1 a switch was flipped. Maybe its the iron supplement and feeding, maybe more attached after being away for a day and a half, maybe its weaning from bf (6 down to 4x a day), maybe its the 4 teeth/molars coming in, maybe sleep has been off from a day trip an”

“Technically my son is still a baby but in the last 36 hours he has become a tiny terrorist. He has been throwing tantrum-like episodes, pinching and squeezing my skin, then I hold his hands and tell him to stop and he attempted to bite me. Smacking and hitting, alligator rolling in the car seat and scream crying. This all feels very sudden. I’m typing this as I hide in my bedroom while he screams like he’s being murdered in his crib because he doesn’t want to nap. I thought I had more time befor”

“Guys, I’m so lost. And drained, my 3 year old has done a complete 180 behavior wise since we removed him from daycare. Everything is a constant screaming match with him, if he doesn’t get to watch the show he wants, screaming. if he doesn’t get to take the toy someone is playing with, screaming. If we try to bathe him or brush his teeth it’s an absolute war. Genuinely we have not had one single good day where he hasn’t completely lashed out in about 2 months. I’m at my wits end. I am the type of”

“My 2yo (just recently 2) constantly hits her 6yo sister. She will walk up to her and just hit her or pull her hair. She also bites, especially when she’s frustrated. This has been occurring at childcare too. They have said they are encouraging gentle hands. I grew up with a physically violent little sister so I don’t actually deal with this well. At the moment, my husband and I tell her “no, we don’t do that” and try to keep them seperate while she is trying to hurt her sister. She also does thi”

“I have a 23m old son and a 3 week old daughter. I’m aware that there is a huge developmental leap around this age and obviously with big change comes regression. The first week, I expected everything to go wrong, all the big emotions to come out, but my son actually did pretty decently well considering a big change happened. However, after 3 weeks, every time he comes home from daycare, he throws tantrums and meltdowns over nothing. I’ve tried all the tactics to try to regulate, explain, don’t e”

“My daughter is 3 and has been potty trained for about a year but she still on almost a daily basis will pooh herself and won't tell anyone or even show signs that she needs a pooh. Is there anything we can do to help stop it aside from constantly wearing nappies and taking them on and off when she needs to wee. Thanks, a struggling dad. submitted by /u/archaiclots7 [link] [comments]”

“I have an almost 3 year old who is very slowly morphing into a threenager. Some mornings are fine and others are just hell. Today was hell. My toddler is slowly working her way back into our routine. We traveled for the holiday so (all of us) are out of whack. She hasn't been sleeping the best and her GI system is messed up from the poor diet she's had for the last week. So, understandably, she's not the best version of herself, and neither are we. This morning started out okay, but”

“The colicky babies, the feral toddlers, the sour patch kids... What do they grow up to be like? 2nd toddler is a lot. It hasn't been easy. I absolutely love and adore her, but sometimes I feel like I'm failing her, that I'm not what she needs even though I give my best. Yeah, something to unpack in therapy. But for now... I guess I'm just looking for ... Hope? What do the teen years look like? And adulthood? Teen years are probably hard haha Anyway. Anyone have experiences?”

“Today, our Daycare provider told us that my son, three years old, grabbed another kid by the face and screamed “I hate you“. We have no idea where he heard “I hate you“, he wouldn’t have heard it from us, probably TV? He’s been showing more aggressive tendencies, talking about his one year-old brother as a bad boy, wanting to hit him. I don’t think it’s actually sociopathy, I think it’s probably his age, but the worry never goes away, does it? submitted by /u/chief_kayak [link]”

“My 16 month old went like 3/4 months without any teething and she’s been such a nightmare to say the least these last 2 weeks tantrums all day waking up at night when she previously was sleeping through. She wouldn’t let me look in her mouth but I couldn’t feel any teeth so I assumed it was just a toddler phase. I got a look into her mouth this morning and to my shock and dismay she’s cutting through 3 of her first molars at once and one lateral incisors on the bottom. Another lateral incisor an”

“We did a few trial days where she was there for 1 hour with me, 1 hour without me, etc. her first half day went fine and today was to be her first full day. She cried when I passed her over, I left to drop off my older kid and when I walked by on my way out, she was still screaming crying 15 minutes later. I peaked in and she was sitting on the floor alone. It was a slot window so I couldn’t see where the teachers were. I sat in the hallway and debated about just going in and taking her home. It”

“My daughter is only 1.5yo and this age is so much harder than newborn-hood for me. She sleeps through the night now which is great, but everything during the daytime hours is So much harder. Tantrums, opinions, boredom, getting into Everything, testing boundaries, climbing Everything. I just feel like my whole day is just trying to keep her from accidently hurting herself or getting into something she shouldn’t. I’ve never felt like I need a solo staycation more in my life. submitted by &#”

“I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this and could give advice regarding whether I should be worried or not. Also, please let me know if there's a better subreddit for the topic. My 21 month old doesn't speak much. He finally hit the 10 spoken words at 18 months milestone a couple months ago. He currently has a little over 10 each of spoken words, ASL signs, and animal/onomatopoeia noises. I know the goal is 50 words by age 2. The thing is, he doesn't really repeat words.”

“The past few months have been absolutely crazy. From saying "dada" to starting to stand, to eating, copying mom by taking her play cups and play spoons and "mixing" like mom does when she's baking. She has picked up how to use real (kid) silverware, without any help or us teaching her. Our 12 month old is an absolute sponge and loves "cleaning" with paper towel/napkins (she giggles wiping her high chair table). submitted by /u/nharmsen [link] [”