Help me with my 16 month old?

Question

I have three kids, two girls and now a boy, 16 months old. The girls were great as babies. My youngest daughter had colic and we dealt with that, but over all she was good. My son, is truly a handful and I need help. From the time he was 6 months old, he screams, cries, yells, hits, bites, throws things, pulls on the dogs and cats. I've tried teaching him empathy, telling him no, teaching him boundaries. I love him, but he is miserable to be around. I was a preschool teacher for years and I never once experienced a child like him. I'm exhausted at the end of the day and I feel like I've failed him as a mom. The doctors says "boys are different then girls, all boys hit and bite and scream, he'll out grow it" He's also been late doing things, just learned to walk 1 month ago, says ma, dad, juice, bye and that's it. Has anyone experienced a child like this and if so what did you do?

Answer 1

If your child has not physical or medical condition then it is bahavioural.  He is testing his boundaries and each time he does something unacceptable then put him in the naughty corner for 2 minutes.  You have to have some energy for this and do it everytime.  You may need to do this 14 times in the hour.  Also spend time with him alone reading a book.  Just a short book and do this often.  Is he hungry?,  Is he tired?  Look at his routine.  Are you trying to fit him into your routine and maybe this is not working for him?  Contact a qualified nanny to help you here.  Your feelings are normal so do not feel guilty.  My son did not start talking until he was 2.

Answer 2

keep him on a schedule from the time he wakes up till he goes to bed.it wont give him a chance to get bored.he could be a child who needs more stimulation you cant be lazy with him like girls.make sure he isnt tired.two  half hour naps a day.

Answer 3

Not every boy does those things. My son is very shy and sweet. He will not fight. You need to look into some things, have your girls been taking his toys or being mean to him at all? Do you spank, use a time out chair, or any type of punishment for his actions? Personally if my son pulled or tried to hurt a cat, I would lightly smack his hand and tell him no no, if that didnt work he would be in his time out chair for a while. Also, if he is that behind on speech and such, maybe call a different pediatrician. See if your state offers a program called first steps. They help with delays in motor, speech and development. Sometimes that can cause problems. It could be a number of things. Look at the way you are diciplining or lacking of, and also look into different pediatricians and having him evaluated for developmental delays.

Answer 4

He sounds a bit young to learn empathy. He's not late, just not early...which is normal for a sibling who has sisters speaking and doing things for him. When my daughter learned to walk, for the first few months that was all she wanted to do was walk. So I walked her like crazy until she dropped. (I live in an apartment and had to take her to the park) Does he have enough space to walk? What activities does he enjoy? Is he allowed tv? TV worked wonders with my little screamapillar.

Answer 5

Some kids are worse than others. I know you have probably tried everything to get him to behave so maybe it's time to take him to be tested for autism and things of that sort. If your current doctor won't do anything then go to a new one. Also you might want to hire someone to help you teach him to behave like a temp. babysitter or nanny. Maybe having someone else there will show you what things you might not be doing right or  being consistent at. Good luck

If all else fails...put him in daycare for a while. Maybe they can teach him to behave and he will be easier to handle at home because he has been training all day.