Hey Moms,
My 22month old daughter will be2soon & we all know what that means. Tantrums, crying,whining & a whole lot of frustration. She is my 3rd child so I know what to expect however, she is my only daughter & now I work full time. With my boys I was a SAHM so the challenge is different. I am just looking for advice or ideas on how to navigate through this time. She is starting to hit others & tries to communicate & she ends up frustrated since we cant understand her. I know this might be normal behavior for her age but I want to be able to help her. Lately she cries a lot which is not like her at all. Any suggestion on how to help her? I am starting to fee like a horrible mom. I should know what to do but I find myself overwhelmed & very little patience. Help
hug her & tell her "I love you. How can I help you?"....& that should help communication begin. & it will remind you to be patient.
As for the crying....is she tired? Has she been over-stimulated by the holidays? Try to find time to snuggle/cuddle, & hopefully she'll bounce back. Good Luck!
1) Don't forget about 2yo molars. Tylenol is a godsend. We thought we had terrible 2s kicking off (had lovebug 2s, and terrible 3s instead)... But after about a MONTH (groan) one of the four erupted, and Tylenol "fixed" the "terrible 2s". Lol. At least, we got a uear's reprieve.
2) You've been here & done this. Trust your gut. My 2 standbys for emotional/cognitive leaps at any age are
- never get emotionally invested in an argument with a child
- swift & immediate justice
- never reward bad behavior (oy!)
Remember it often helps to physically get down to her level to communicate. Repeat her message to make sure you are understanding her. I found that because my daughter wants to communicate, she is willing to take instruction on it even when having a meltdown. So I take advantage of that a lot and when she is being mean, I say things like, "Instead of screaming, we say please," and then she will calm down and say please (or whatever phrase I just instructed her to say).
Baby sign language, her brain has the words but her mouth won't cooperate. Maybe signs will help bridge the gap till her mouth catchs up.
as a working mom the key for our survival was always having good support. talk to her care provider/s. get on the same page with them. even, ask how they handle it. they are your partners and allies in this. don't feel like a horrible mom. you're doing the same job you've done twice before, in a smaller time frame. that's pretty dang awesome actually.
(i also don't believe in the terrible 2's - ours were a dream. it was the 3's we had to watch out for.)
