Dealing with toddler tantrums whilst pregnant

[Yo_Yo]

Argh! It's been a tough day.
My 2 year old has tipped one of those fragrance oil things with sticks all over the shoes and ruined a few pairs, used felt tip on the wooden floors, tipped the cat food all over the kitchen (she decided not to eat it again, so not all bad I suppose) and pulled the petals off the roses in the garden!

I literally turn my back for a minute and she's doing something she shouldn't. I'm so tired!

Anyone else finding their little ones hard work? Any tips? I'm going crazy!

 

[ParisJeTadore]

Some days are rough, that I know!

Lately, I just try to diffuse situations before they happen by being 10 steps ahead of my little guy. If I know he's going to freak out because there are crackers on the counter that he wants before lunch I hide them, I keep all of his crayons up high so he has to ask me for them (then I don't take an eye off him while he is using them), I took half of his bath toys out of our bathroom and hide them so we wouldn't fuss when I didn't put 50 bath toys into the tub...stuff like that

Today my LO was fussy all morning because he didn't get enough sleep so I know to watch for over napping today and try to push back bedtime. Kids can often get really cranky/fussy if they are hungry or tired so keep an eye out for cues. This too shall pass

 

[Holly82]

I thought it was just me who had to deal with these things. I know your pain lol. Unfortunately I've no advice on this one, just a case of keeping them distracted with other things, toys etc. but I know it's hard when your tried and aching xxx

 

[EmzyJA]

I feel your pain. I have been so tired this week, had a crazy one and just haven't stopped! I find when I tired she seems to play up more, it's probably because I'm a bit grumpy and less tolerant of her behaviour. When I feel like this and I get ignored when I ask her to do something or not to do something I find it hard not to lose it. I find that if I try to make things more 'playful' and exciting I get a much better response from her so mostly it's my fault for not putting the effort in. Distraction is a good one when they're doing something they shouldn't be and when trying to get them to do something try to turn it into a game of some sort. Easier said than done at times but we 're only human and can't always be perfect. I have to remind myself that when I've shouted at her or something. I always apologise if I've been out of line and snapped at her. Just can't help it sometimes when I'm so tired and moody.

 

[apple_20]

My lo is hitting the 'terrible twos' just as I'm hitting the 'it hurts to run around after you/pick you up alot'

I don't have any advise apart from don't be too hard on yourself. Sometimes I have to ignore him because I can't keep picking him up/carrying him around. Worse is when he throws thimself on the floor in public, just want to scoop him up and get home but it's not going to be that simple soon!

I think if terrible twos had started before I git pregnant I might have reconsidered. It explains the small gaps or bigger gap trend I've noticed.

 

[Rickles]

DD is right there (a couple of months early)... I had a total meltdown at the weekend and OH had to take her for a walk to let me calm down... She seems to spend the whole day saying "Mummy,Mummy,Mummy" which I love but she doesn't understand I can't sit where I am told to, follow her everywhere AND get her meals ready Cue hysterics...

Luckily she is in nursery 3 days a week so I get a break of sorts but even they have commented on how she is "testing boundaries"...

Didn't help my mood when a couple of other mums told me 3 is worse...

 

[Lau88]

I feel your pain, lo had an hour long melt down worse than I'd ever seen today. I said she couldn't have any m&m's. "Please mummy please mummy. I NEEEEEEED them, I'll help you up please."

 

[Yo_Yo]

I can't stay cross at her-just been to check on her in bed and she looks like a little angel!

It's reassuring to know in not alone in this, and I hope all your los get easier

 

[kimmy04]

Haha my son is driving me crazy some days!! He is almost 3 and he is too smart for his own good. Half the time I wonder why I'm arguing with a 3 year old. It's been the past few weeks he's really started acting out .: it makes me wonder how I will handle 2!

 

[immie]

My 2 year old is exactly the bloody same!! About 3 weeks ago he covered himself, the sofa and the carpet in sudocrem, then about an hour later he poured a pint of sticky squash into my only designer handbag that my mum bought me for christmas! I just sat there and cried and thought 'how can he hate me so much?!' It's soooo hard when they have days like this, I swear they just wake up and think 'right, how can I be the biggest brat possible and wear my mum right into the ground' although of course this is not what they think. I think the simple answer is - TERRIBLE TWOS! it's a nightmare but I keep telling myself it won't last forever. Here is the pic of the sudocrem didaster....

 

[Yo_Yo]

Immie! Oh my word!!! Look at your little guy! Did it come out? Your poor bag. I can imagine the look of horror you must have had. I don't know how they seem to know what will cause maximum freak out for us.

Now that's a classic photo to embarrass him with when he brings his mates over as a teen, so you can have your revenge one day

 

[immie]

Immie! Oh my word!!! Look at your little guy! Did it come out?

Now that's a classic photo to embarrass him with when he brings his mates over are a teen

Hahaha I can just about laugh at that photo now the situation isn't so raw! Well it came out of everything except the carpet, there's still a pale patch there now bloody kids, we keep on having them though don't we hahaha

 

[Gnomer]

Oh Jesus! Reading these (and especially the Sudacrem/bag incident) makes me so, so glad I have a bribe!
My sons 2 and a half, and for the most part and absolute angel. There's just moments recently where I'm a bit too tired to entertain him (cheers kidney infection). Mickey Mouse to the rescue! I tell him Mickey is on in his bedroom, and up he goes and will stay for a good hour. 2 if I am extra knackered and need a nap haha.
The best bit is, although his cot was turned into a bed last week, he still waits for permission before he gets out, so I don't have a bedroom to tidy afterwards.
I do feel terrible about sending him to his room, but I know he's safe up there if I do nod off/don't pay enough attention. And he LOVES it.

 

[dairymomma]

Oh can I EVER relate! My kids (especially my 2.5 year old DD) are suddenly whiny, clingy, and doing every little thing they can to push my buttons of late. I think they can sense that baby is coming soon and Mommy is super tired, super sore, and super ready to be done being pregnant. Sigh. Nothing (and I mean NOTHING) keeps them out of the fridge or the pantry if they are hungry (which is 100% of the time), they fight like cats and dogs at the store to see who gets to sit where in the cart, laundry baskets are meant to be dumped out, muddy boots are meant to be worn across my clean living room floor, clean clothes are meant to be taken off and 'washed' in that tempting mud/muck puddle on the driveway, the toybox is meant to be emptied, and Mommy's plants are just begging to be uprooted for the umpteenth time. And that's not even the worst of it. It's so tiring and never-ending isn't it...

What makes me even more annoyed is when DH comes home (albeit from a very long day at work but still) and hears what the kids did, he just says, "Sounds like they are being kids." Well, duhh! But I could use some sympathy here. I deal with this day in and day out, and all I get from him is "Kids will be kids"? Oy. And it also makes me frustrated when he takes off for appts and errand running without even offering to take the kids, yet when I ask HIM to watch one or both while I run the same errands, he can't. Even though he sometimes can take at least one with him, even to work. It's not like I'm asking him to babysit for a whole day. A few hours at most and he can't even do that. Grrr...(Can you tell who had to haul both kids with her to the chiropractor's office today and listen to them whine the entire trip there and back??? It's a 6 hour round trip and I'm seeing this chiro twice a week so it's not feasible to get a babysitter that often.)

 

[CaptainMummy]

My 3yr old is really testing these days. Not so much her behaviour, but her attitude and cheek is ridiculous. Sometimes I just want to strangle her!!

 

[RcdM]

LOL immie that picture is hilarious! Not so much that your carpet is stained and purse, but still funny, caught in the act! My mom has a picture of my sister when she was about 2 or 3 (I think) and she had gotten into my mom's mascara in the bathroom. It was ALL over her face (she obviously tried to put it on her eyes like mom does), the counter, the floor, her legs and arms, hair, mirror... I mean it was everywhere. At those moments all you can really do is laugh. You really have to stay 10 steps ahead!

I swear my daughter finds things I didn't even know we had! I found her drawing on a card with a permanent marker the other day, and I have NO clue where she found that marker! We keep things like that high on a shelf in our hall closet and I haven't used a permanent marker in like 6 months so where the heck she found it I'll never know. Luckily she was drawing right on the card and not on the floor or herself!

Another time she had gotten into the pantry while I was in the bathroom and somehow got the box of Cheerios off the shelf, had dumped the ENTIRE bag onto the floor and was sitting there super content just eating them from the floor. And when I found her, she looked at me like she was so proud and thought I would be proud too. Lol... they test us... you are SO not alone. It's not easy. But it's only a phase... in a few years we'll be passed this part at least!

Of all the pregnancy things we deal with, hormones, morning sickness, cravings, constipation, weight gain, kicks and punches on your bladder... chasing around a 2 year old while pregnant is the absolute hardest! Especially during the late part of the first tri where I was SO exhausted all the time. It never crossed my mind with TTC that this would be the hardest thing to deal with. When pregnant with my daughter, when I was tired, I slept, hungry, I ate, I took naps as soon as I got home from work, I mean my time was MY time. Now, my time is HER time. She doesn't slow down because I'm pregnant, and it's so hard!

I guess all I'm trying to say is, you're not alone!

 

[kittylady]

Its nice to feel I'm not alone, picked up some strawberries today - cue 22 month old screaming 'strawberry' for the entire shopping trip while periodically throwing herself on the floor. Tonight it took me over an hour to settle her and I did shout at her which made things much worse I'm getting soooo tired and I'm fed up of her pulling the cats tail and kicking and hitting the cat, she also hits other kids and ourselves and no clue where she gets it from, no one has ever hit her.

 

[Kiamaria83]

I feel for you . My little fella is 2.5 and he can be soooooo difficult. I find myself trying to be extra nice to him to stop a tantrum . I tend to let him scream it out for 10 mins and then I try and talk to him give him a cuddle and offer him something he likes. It has been working so far. I've also resorted to bribing him with chocolate which I don't really like to do but I'm sometimes so tired I don't have the energy to fight. Apparently they get easier when they're 3.