Oh dear lord i need help!

[kelpie169]

My 22 month old is driving me absolutely insane! He's misbehaving, he's biting himself, he's throwing himself down and screaming for seemingly no reason-for hours! No matter what I do he won't stop screaming. I've tried every kind I discipline I can think of and now I'm just at the end of my rope. I also have a 3 year old and a 7 week old so I can't spend 100% of my time with himi just need some help! Advice?

[cdeweese]

My son is doing the same thing right now. He has 3 canines coming in and I'm sure that's doing wonders for his mood I remove my son from the room if I can, either to his room (in the crib) or behind the baby gate in the kitchen. I don't speak to him until he's finished then I ask him what he wants and he'll usually try his best (including grunts and points) to let me know. Of course, this is only if the fit is from getting frustrated or angry and he isn't calming down when I ask what's wrong. I find the more I interact with him during his fits, the more angry/frustrated he gets. His fits last about half as long when we use this approach. Hope that helps!

[jen_batten]

Is this a long term thing or just a bad day? Is he teething?

[kelpie169]

Originally Posted by jen_batten Is this a long term thing or just a bad day? Is he teething?

He's got a few teeth coming in but he NEVER did this with any other teeth. And it's becoming a more regular thig. It seems my oldest grew out of "the phase" and he just popped into it. And I'm SO over it. With my oldest, removing and confining worked and he calmed quickly. With the little, he screams. And screams and screams and screams. Until I go get him. Sigh.

[MsGiggles]

Could you try confining him by a baby gate or something (just so he's not climbing onto you) then playing nearby with the other kids and shouting occasionally "This is so much fun! So-and-So can join us when he stops screaming and we can all have fun." Get back into the games/activities then repeat a zillion times every minute or two.

[RainandRedemption]

Maybe he's getting his molars. DD had a pretty rough time going through that

[thoennes6]

My dd was banging her head on the floor when she was having a tantrum. I asked our ped about it because non of my other 3 kids ever did it. He said try ignoring it. He thought she was doing it for attention. I started ignoring it and she stopped doing it almost immediately. Don't get me wrong she still has fits but she no longer bangs her head on the floor. When she has a fit I usually ignore it and she will stop pretty quickly.

[EmilytheStrange]

honestly? It sounds more like a bit of sibling rivalry.

It's most common in the oldest child, but that doesn't mean that middle children can't feel it too. Especially if the 7month old is starting to get interested in his toys, etc.

He might simply be testing to see if you love him as much as the baby. In which case, I would put a bit of a stopper on the discipline and try to react in other ways. If he's screaming, ask him if you can read a book with him or something. It's not rewarding the behavior, it's just working on filling his 'attention cup' back up. He probably is feeling very anxious (very very normal for kids approaching 24months - they get a lot of anxiety) and just some calming activity with him might help more than discipline.

Try to find a little time for just him or maybe mostly him each day.

I suspect it's more about anxiety, a need for attention and jealousy than it is about anything else. He wants attention and he's getting it the only way he knows how.

[gigismomma]

I think it is jealousy issues and he adjusting to the new baby. He may be learning that negative attention is better than no attention. Try spending some time JUST with him (not holding the baby) and see if that helps?

[mrspopo]

My almost 19 month old used to just be so sweet and easygoing. But recently she's been way more frustrated and gets very upset when she doesn't get her way. Your son may be dealing with teething or sibling rivalry, but he may also just be going through a new stage where he's got strong opinions. DD wanted to bring 3 things in the shower with us yesterday - a sippy cup of milk, a fabric based baby doll, and a piece of toast. I said no and I could tell she was getting really worked up. So I snuck the toast out of sight and let her bring the other 2 in. Little things like that make her really happy, but it's hard for her to communicate what she wants. I chalk it up to her starting to have strong (albeit random) opinions, and limited vocabulary to express it.