My son is becoming a brat. What do I do?

Question

He is just 16 mo.s old and has been so well behaved so far. But now when he doesnt get his way he will sream at you and make this serious face like he is trying to intimidate you. I know this is normal, but how do I handle it? He does it all the time! I am a stay at home mom, do I just need to get him out more? More stimulation? When he throws fits I just ingnore him till he is done, I understand kids get frustrated easily. We taught him sign language, but he refuses to use it to communicate. He is rarely around kids his age, but sort of bullies them when he is, like tells them no and stuff, usually only at home. How do I handle that? We do not spank. I welcome all others ideas.

Answer 1

Totally agree with Brandon..it does say exactly that in the Bible and that's exactly what it means people like to get it messed up but it's the truth. There is nothing wrong with spanking. Now, I wouldn't ever hit my child hard enough to hurt them or anything but you gotta show your kids some discipline

Answer 2

Well if you don't spank. Try putting him into timeout. It does sound like he needs to be around more kids that are his age. Whenever he's around them though don't take his c**p and put his little butt into timeout.

Answer 3

Hes getting close to the age that is well known as the terrible 2s. Its called that for a reason. your gonna have to learn to spank them cuz time out doesn't work. your child is gonna laugh at you when hes 15 and you tell him to sit in the corner. the only way to stop that is bust his a$$. Oh and if you have any religious background if you read the bible it says spare the rod, spoil the child. And it doesn't mean don't whip them, spoil them. It means if you don't smack them around once in a while then they are gonna get spoiled.  

Answer 4

Toddlers that throw fits usually do so because they want to be independent in that "do it myself" stage and they are frustrated because their skills and vocabulary don't allow them to express or do things the way they want to every time.

My son can sometimes throw fits over things, but thankfully, it doesn't happen very often.  When he does I usually find it's best to just remove him from the frustrating situation he's in and let him calm down and then find a way to help him out if possible so he can learn a way to handle it better and do things he wants to do in a more appropriate way.  One example was he screamed a fit because he couldn't reach the cup that he had. Someone had put it out of his reach. He could see but not get it.  He had a tantrum over it out of frustration. After he calmed down I handed it to him after he was able to ask nicely, no screaming.  He pointed and said "Mama, that" with his crooked little grin that he does. He learned when he does that nicely he gets help with what he wants, otherwise, we ignore it.  

My son is 16 months old as well.  He goes to playgroups and things, but toddlers at his age parallel play more than interact play with others. Remember, to the toddler they are the center of the world and don't know any better. They do grow out of it and start to interact with other kids in play when they get to be closer to preschool age, around 3 usually.

If you have a playdate remove coveted toys that you know are his prized possessions and put them up. Put toys out that you know both kids can play with and that he won't mind sharing as much with someone.  If he still tries to be the boss to his pals remove him to the side and tell him "no bossing" or "no hitting" or whatever it is he is doing that is not acceptable.

If you have warm days, I find a sprinkler is a great thing to play with several kids because they can all share the fun and they all love it.  A sandbox is also fun or playing with a ball.  Blocks are a big hit too.  It helps if you can find a playgroup with other SAHM's in your area. It gets you both out of the house and let's your little guy make some new pals.

If it is completely out of control though where he's pitching a fit when you tell him no about something or won't let him do something dangerous try time out. When kids do things we try and stop them from doing to keep them safe (like climbing up on high pieces of furniture and jumping on the dog for example) they need to be pulled back and put within the boundaries we have.  Time out at his age should not be more than 2 minutes because he won't comprehend long lengths of time. If he gets up during it though, put him back and start over. Be sure you tell him why he's getting a time out and make sure he apologizes at the end- for his age a hug is about as good of an apology as you'll get from a 16 month old.  I do this with my son, thankfully not often, and it's what he does to say sorry is hold his arms out and gives a hug.