Thursday, 15 September 2016

Are the Terrible Two's Starting? Already?


Lily will be 2 years old in just over 2 months time. She is normally so well behaved and does as she is told a lot of time time. Even to the point of putting a toy back on the shelf when I tell her she cant have it in the shops.

I generally find ways to deal with behaviour problems and make them not much of a problem and find ways around causing tantrums in stores. For example she wanted a teddy in a shop, but I told her she couldn't because the teddy needed to stay with all its teddy friends on the shelf. That worked perfectly and Lily put the toy back. Im also quite lucky that usually if she doesn't want to leave somewhere, I just say okay Bye bye Lily and start to walk away and she follows straight away as she is really clingy and doesn't like to not be by my side.

But yesterday I had my worst challenging behaviour from Lily. Simply over putting on her socks and shoes.

We were heading out, to the park. Which she loves to go to. I thought that would be enough to get her to want to put on her socks and shoes but apparently not. Every time I tried she kicked and wriggled and rolled over and would run away. She thought this was hilarious. She was kicking quite hard as well.

I kept a straight face the entire time and told her to stop and that we needed to put her socks on. But she wasn't having any of it. I firstly kept trying to sit her on the chair, where I would easily put her socks on. I thought if I repeated this then she eventually get bored and sit still but I tried and tried and tried and she still wouldn't. 


I tried walking to my front door saying I would go to the park on my own and she ran after me with a little cry but as soon as she saw I wasn't really leaving she ran away again laughing.

So then I tried placing her on the floor in a certain spot (naughty spot as they call it) and of corse she got up again and again and again. I must of tried it at least 10 times and she just found it SO funny. It was definetly a game to her.

I must admit that on a day where I wasn't so eager to get out I would of just left her and not given her the attention. But my home at the moment is like a sauna and by this point I just wanted to get out.

So my last resort was placing her in her cot and letting her cry for two minutes. After 2 min I went back in and she let me pick her up, sit her on my knee and put her socks and shoes on. She then gave me a cuddle and I got her to say sorry. So that worked. BUT I don't really want to use her bed to discipline her. I always think that she will see the bed as where she goes when she is naughty and I would prefer her to see going to bed as a time to rest and sleep and not a punishment.

I think I need to find a way to make putting her shoes and socks on NOT a game. So I think the days we aren't going anywhere, I will put her shoes and socks on but when she runs away and laughs I'm going to completely ignore her. Showing her that its not a game and hope that in the future she doesn't bother making it into a game.

I would love to know if any other parents have had problems like this? How did you solve it? 


When did your child's terrible two's start? 




4 comments:

  1. Unfortunately no easy way to deal with this
    Repetition is the only fool proof way I've ended up leaving the room for 5 mins 5he going back and repeating my instructions
    It's worth it in the end
    My friend has now got major issues with her school age child as she always gave in
    Something to hang onto when it's tough and your pulling your hair out x

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  2. Had my nephew this weekend
    He's a few months older than lily and I had to keep ignoring him as he 2anted to play games
    He never actually gave up trying
    He's back home now so it will be same next time he comes
    Perseverence x

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  3. Oh my gosh I feel your pain my little girl turned 2 last month and she was a character before then but now she is something else, I am having to be stern with her in the street and shops just to avoid her hurting herself, she ran out in the road twice the other day, she was straight in the buggy and had a tantrum up the road, lots of people looking but end of the day all we do is in their best interest.

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  4. Just been looking at another blog and it was suggested to video their behaviour and play back when less fraught to see if you can spot any thing new to resolve issues
    Hope this helps

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