My 2 1/2 year old son throw the worst screaming fits. How do I get him to stop?

Question

I've been told by a few people that he may have ADHD, but I really don't know.

Answer 1

ADHD is the cause of everything these days.  He's 2, throwing fits is what he does.  I put my daughters in time out.  Make him sit somewhere where there is no TV, toys, or anyone who will play or talk to him.  Not for long, maybe 5 minutes.  Do not plead with him or give in to him.

Answer 2

No. its not some disorder that has been made up as an excuse for misbehaving children!

He is a kid. all kids go threw this stage.

It deppends on what he is screaming for. Because he's not getting what he wants? Is it getting him attention? There are many reasons that kids throw tantrums. deppending on the reason you thik he is throwing them, act. if he throws a tantrum to get attention you tell the kid This isnt how your going to get what you want. you sit them in their crib or room or somewhere solitary. and ignore them.  if its because he's not getting what he wants. thats that is an even bigger reasons to NOT give it to him. if you give in to it that just teachs them that screaming will eventually get them what they want. try and think of when he starts it. and figure out the reason. You just need to discourage it in any way you can. good luck!

Answer 3

Normal behavior for a two year old. Just ignore his tantrums and he will stop.

Answer 4

I think people are too quick to diagnosis ADHD.  Little boys are naturally a little more high strung.  I suggest you ignore his tantrums and if he's doing it in public then just drop everything and leave.  But be consistent.  Maybe set a side a Mommy Son date time where just the two of you do something together.  He may be acting out to get more attention.

Answer 5

pop that butt!!!

Answer 6

he is being a normal 2 year old. just do not let him see that he gets a rise out of you and he will stop doing it. ignore the bad and reward the good

Answer 7

I would not ignore the bad!  Ignoring it does not make it go away with toddlers!  I punish my son for throwing fits...he stands in the corner.  I do the super nanny method.  It took 3 hours to keep him in the corner the first time, but now it rarely takes more than a few times back in.  After one time in the corner for 2 minutes and 50 seconds, he does better the rest of the day.  This next year is the hardest, and if YOU don't get them out of this stage, they will never get out of it.  Little boys have a TON of energy and it's hard to focus them...they are only 2.

Answer 8

He's 2 and thinks he can get everything he wants  . . . (which you have probably given him)   . . . at some point you have to use discipline to change his behavior or he will be a little monster.  I like B's advice . . . yell at him at the top of your lungs and scare the snot out of him . . . you have to let him know his behavior is unacceptable . . . spank him . . . my first response was to put soap in his mouth . . . but I would save that for bad language . . . you need to use some tough love . . . it might upset you to do it, but if you don't it will only get worse.

Answer 9

its terribles 2's. not adhd

Answer 10

could be ADHD

Or possible torretts syndrom

or he is just 2 and is going through a phase

or he can be poorly mannered

Answer 11

spankings or soap on his tongue... and then let him sit in his room until he can behave properly...

Answer 12

oh please don;t give a two year old adhd. it is not a real diagnosis...

   i would scream right back at him...it will scare the c**p out of him, but HE WILL THINK ABOUT IF HE IS REALLY THAT DESPERATE.

Answer 13

When my nephew now 13 would throw fits I ignored him and let him have his fit.  It's about attention and control.  I don't much about ADHD and I won't pretend that I do.  But, I have a 3 year old and she had her screaming fits.  Just walk away if he follows you he is looking for attention.

Good luck, I hope he grows out of it soon.

Answer 14

laughing   sooo much right now  

im sorry

wait tell he is a teenager

good luck

a friend of mine once told me 2 yr olds and teenagers one in the same

good luck

Answer 15

ADHD? Have these other people ever heard of the terrible two's? You have nothing to worry about with ADHD, a diagnosis, especially this early, should come only from a doctor. Any way, when my 2 1/2 year old little girl starts throwing a fit, I tell her to stop crying and to talk to me, "Talk to mama" I say, and with in seconds she stops crying and flipping out, and tells me what is wrong. It took a long time for her to figure out that I wasnt going to try to help her if she was screaming, but after about a week, we got into that habit.

Answer 16

I have to agree with the others on the ADHD thing. They call it something and drug the kid. At 2 there is no way to say he is ADHD. Be strong and do not give into what he wants. If you do he will know how to work you. I caught my daughters attention when she was throwing a fit by splashing water at her off my figures. She stopped, looked at me shocked and started laughing. She was also about 2.

You have to be strong and walk away if your are at a place you can do that.

Good luck

Answer 17

When I taught, every darn parent came to me before school started to tell me they thought their child had ADHD.   Dear Lord.......

My daughter had a legendary temper at this age, and my special ed training was put to the test.

Kids do what works.  He has gotten what he wanted from these tantrums whether it be a change in plans, more of your time, or a cuddle.

You need to replace the screaming with words.  Teach him how to think.  Make him repeat things like

"I am so sad that I can't play outside, but I can go out later after lunch, so its OK"

Mimic calm behavior by not responding with aggression to his tantrums.  Give him a tantrum chair or corner and CALMLY place him there, not as punishment, but as a tool to calm down.  The second he is calm have him repeat the correct response like above.  

Lastly, avoid tantrum situations.  Tell him what to expect when you are going through your day.  Let him make some choices about what you do.  Make things positive instead of negative.  I see parents with kids screaming as they leave the playground all the time.  Instead of fussing about the screaming, why not start a conversation and say how much fun you had and talk about how excited you are to visit again soon?  

You can outwit a 2.5 year old.  It just takes patience and effort.  

Good luck!

Answer 18

He doesn't have ADHD.  There are too many people nowadays wanting to put a label on things and to medicate so their lives are quiet and they don't have to deal with their children.  There wasn't very many children when I was a kid that were "hyper", only a few, now 75% of children are ADHD.  Makes me wonder why, although some of the ingredients in immunizations they say are leading to ADHD.  

He is 2.  Tantrums are normal.  They are looking for attention, even if it is negative attention.  Spend as much time as you can with him.  If he throws a tantrum, so long as he isn't going to hurt himself, let him know that you will not pay attention to him until he acts right and walk away.  Ignore it.  As hard as it is to do that, when he realizes he isn't getting the negative attention, he will stop.

Answer 19

Temper trantrums IS NOT "normal" behavior for a two year oldl.  It's only "normal" if you allow it.  There is no such thing as the so called " terrible twos".  Two is an age when children become more independent and if the discipline has been lax until this point, the child gets really bad becasue they begin to rebel against what mom and dad have to say a bit more.

Don't be tempted to use this as a cop out for disciplining your child and excuse his bad behavior.  He CAN be taught to control himself...if you teach him.

Whether or not he has ADHD (and at this young age it's highly questionable) isn't the point.  Allowing him to kick, scream, throw himself down and cry when he is angry is not good for him.  Your son needs to be taught that he is expected to control his behavior even if he is angry and upset.  Start spanking his bottom seriously every time he starts a fit. He will stop soon if he knows you are serious and  that you WILL NOT accept it.  It's up to you to teach your son that just because we get mad, we cannot act out.  Sure, he's two, but that doesn't mean you allow him to have a fit.  It's past time when he should have been stopped.

Good for you for wanting to fix the problem.  Crack down and give him a spanking everytime he does it.  Don't get angry at him (and if you are angry, DON'T spank him!), or irritated.  Just make it a matter of fact: "If you throw a fit you get a spanking~  end of discussion."  

Don't let him do it sometimes and not others.  You have to STOP it EVERYTIME.  It will be tough teaching him something new, but in the long run, it will be worth it.  Remember...  be consistent!