Motherhood is Hard
Since Claire has all but given up her nap, right around dinner (6:30ish) she plummets into the worst sort of witching hour behavior.
To whit - today, she:
Then I calmed down, lectured her a bit, and we had dinner.
Our new substitute time-out spot is going to be strapped in the high chair, facing a blank wall. It was the crib for a long time, but then she figured out that jumping on the mattress was FUN! So we turned to the corner of the couch, which didn't work today. I'm also taking away the crayons.
I've been trying out the methods in the book 1-2-3 Magic, but I think she might be too young to get them.
I also put her to bed for the first time in a while. Dave took over the job a while back when it started to get more difficult for me to bend over the crib and put her down. That was nice, although shorter than she wanted it to be. I tried to get through this as early as possible, so she could be asleep earlier to make up for the non-napping of earlier in the day.
Ok - my questions are:
If you do any sort of discipline with your toddler - how do you manage? What do you do?
Second, how old was your kid when they gave up their nap? (If they gave it up.) How did you handle the shift in sleeping patterns? I might have to go back to giving her dinner solo. As it is, we eat dinner when we do because we wait for Dave to get finished with work.
I really hope this is a short-lived phase. I cannot begin to fathom dealing with her like this while simultaneously dealing with post-partum, super emotional me AND a newborn.
To whit - today, she:
- ran around the apartment, screaming.
- took a red crayon and scribbled on the walls, yes, that's a plural. 3 walls with big sweeping strokes that Jackson Pollock would have been proud of creating
- When put in the time-out spot, then proceeded to laugh at me, run around the room and grab a book to read.
Then I calmed down, lectured her a bit, and we had dinner.
Our new substitute time-out spot is going to be strapped in the high chair, facing a blank wall. It was the crib for a long time, but then she figured out that jumping on the mattress was FUN! So we turned to the corner of the couch, which didn't work today. I'm also taking away the crayons.
I've been trying out the methods in the book 1-2-3 Magic, but I think she might be too young to get them.
I also put her to bed for the first time in a while. Dave took over the job a while back when it started to get more difficult for me to bend over the crib and put her down. That was nice, although shorter than she wanted it to be. I tried to get through this as early as possible, so she could be asleep earlier to make up for the non-napping of earlier in the day.
Ok - my questions are:
If you do any sort of discipline with your toddler - how do you manage? What do you do?
Second, how old was your kid when they gave up their nap? (If they gave it up.) How did you handle the shift in sleeping patterns? I might have to go back to giving her dinner solo. As it is, we eat dinner when we do because we wait for Dave to get finished with work.
I really hope this is a short-lived phase. I cannot begin to fathom dealing with her like this while simultaneously dealing with post-partum, super emotional me AND a newborn.
Comments
With A we have time-outs and if the behaviour presists we take tihngs away - special things - bedtime stories, specific TV shows or movies, etc.
While we dont resort to if often A has gotten her share of swats on her bottom.
As for naps - A took at least 1 nap a day until she started preschool which was about 3yrs or so.
Dealing with the shift pattern was not too bad as she was not too early of a riser. However now a days she thinks beingup at 6 or 7 is FUN and is escorted back to her room until at least 8am!! She is in bed between 8-9 most nights - although if she is really tired she asks to go to bed by 7:30 LOL
Hang in there it only gets better!!!!! LOL
HUGS