Hi i have a very highly strung 30mth old. for the past few weeks he has been taking tantrums almost daily, throws things screams wants it all his way etc. He does things he knows are naughty like when eating he mushes it all up and put through hair etc he has started climbing anything he can ( found him in bathroom sink!)

Things that have changed or are changin are :

I am due for baby no 2 in 9 weeks and i am pointing towards this for his recent behaviour.

Toilet training is "wee" trained, wnt do no 2's but im not pushing that.

Changed him from bed to cot.

Am i expecting too much from him, he is a clever boy but i just dont know what to do anymore i try the talking, comforting and plain old ignoring but this phase is just seems to be lasting too long.

Any ideas or tips for how i can try ease things would be much appreciated

Hi becnkani,
my daughter is around the same age and displaying the same kinds of naughty behaviours, so I sympathise with you 100%! I do think that parents sometimes have a tendency to find reasons for their kids bad behaviour, which can sometimes turn into excuses. I'm not saying we shouldn't give them any leeway, I'm just saying that I don't think we should let them get away with unacceptable behaviour just because there's a baby on the way/ just moved house/started daycare/ had houseguests etc. For example, my daughter doesn't have a new sibling on the way and hasn't just changed her sleeping arrangements like your child has, but she is still displaying naughty behaviour. What I'm getting at is that maybe the only reason your son is behaving this way is because kids his age test boundries etc and it's not unusual for them to act this way, whether there are disturbances in their lives or not. I'm still sticking with ignoring minor naughtiness and timeout for continued or more severe bad behaviour like food throwing and tantrums. I'm trying to set reasonable boundaries and desperatly trying to prevent bad habits forming by niping bad behaviour in the bud. Meanwhile, I'm keenly waiting for this self centered boundry testing tantrum and foos throwing phase to ease up! I wonder what phase will come next??? Good luck with it all and especially with the arrival of your next little bundle of joy!

i think you need to start being really firm with him let him know you mean it i have a3 yr old lthough hes never really been to much trouble when i had baby girl 4 mths ago he went off the rails so not like him hes wonderful again now thankgod it was a really trying time.but one day i had had a gutful so i just told him how it is not yelling like i was but with a most stern voice showed him i was boss and i also started putting him in the room door closed for a few mins then get an apology almost wkd overnite.do you watch the supernanny.you really need to be tough as i feel they dont listen to their mums like they do their dads mind you i have short patience and wont take any of his c**p.also forgot to mention when we were going thru this horror time i started a star chart as he was starting to get out of his bed all of a sudden hes always been great at going to bed b ut the chart wkd like magic.and even now if he starts any bad behaviour i use the star chart.my wee boy was only just turning 3 when this all ahppened.you need to sort it out now before baby comes.also when i put him in ther room i wld have to hold the door he wld scream but he wld get the message may sound tough but it wkd now if i do it he stops screamin and sits down and reads bks .hope this helps.

Thanks for the help, i think i know all the things i need to do it's just getting them done!! and as you said doing tough love i guess... reminding them that we are the parent god even at 2 how bad smile