Dealing with 3 year old tantrums every day is exhausting. Learn what’s normal for children, as well as what to do if tantrums start getting worse. Apparently, it was "opposite day" for my 3 year old. When we went outside, he wanted to go inside (only to change his mind once I obliged). He wanted to go for a walk, but complained that he was tired, leaving me to carry him the rest of the way home. And when we were finally indoors for good, he threw a fit because he wanted to leave the door open... never mind that all the while, I was trying to take his shoes and jacket off. For many … [Read more...]
How to Discipline a 1 Year Old (Especially When Yours Ignores You)
I wasn't exactly sure how to discipline a 1 year old. As a first-time mom, I didn't know what stage he was at developmentally, or how much "reasoning" he'd understand. For instance, he'd bang on the sliding glass doors, despite me telling him "no" sternly, face and all. In fact, he seemed to want to see my reaction, repeating the banging—and even think it funny when I once again reminded him that we don't bang on the doors. He was starting to get into a lot of things he shouldn't, despite constant reminders. I tried telling or showing him what he couldn't do, but I couldn't seem to find … [Read more...]
When Your 3 Year Old’s Behavior Is Out of Control
Struggling with your child hitting or not listening? Learn how to discipline when your 3 year old’s behavior is out of control. Many of us were warned about the "Terrible Twos," but they don't always tell you about what happens after. The days when your 3 year old talks back, is aggressive and mean (of course, only toward you), or won't listen to anything you say. When no amount of timeouts or taking privileges away does anything. Or when he totally ignores what you say, or yells "I don't care!" Maybe he bites, hits, and scratches when he doesn't get what he wants, or cries and whines … [Read more...]
How to Stop Kids from Fighting Every Day
Tired of your children fighting, from arguments to hitting each other? Apply these effective solutions on how to stop kids from fighting once and for all. Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission—at no extra cost to you—if you make a purchase. Hands down, hearing my kids fight is one of my biggest triggers. You know, the kind that makes you snap, yell something along the lines of "Just stop it already!" or hide in your room. And it's always for the weirdest reasons, too. For instance, here are some of the things my kids fought about … [Read more...]
Toddler Not Listening? 7 Things You Need to Do
If you're struggling with a toddler not listening and behaving, you're not alone. Discover 7 things you need to do to get kids to listen without yelling. My then-toddler sat flipping through a book when I called, "Breakfast time!" He ran to the dining room, with the book in hand. "You can put the book on the couch," I suggested. We typically don't allow other items at the dining table when we're eating meals, even books. "Then, you can have it after you're done eating," I continued. "No!" he shouted, adamant about bringing the book to the table. This went back and forth, with him … [Read more...]
How to Discipline a 4 Year Old When Nothing Seems to Work
Wondering how to discipline a 4 year old who hits, doesn't listen, or is outright defiant? Learn out-of-the-box parenting tips to solve behavior problems. "Please tell me this all goes away when kids turn four," I had told a few friends. When you're in the middle of the Terrible Twos or the Threenager stage, it's easy to assume that all defiant behavior issues magically disappear once said stages are done. Unfortunately, it doesn't exactly work that way. Sure, behavior typically takes a huge upswing as they get older, especially as kids learn to communicate and function more … [Read more...]
Top 7 Ways to Make Parenting Toddlers Easier
Overwhelmed with the challenges of parenting toddlers? Discover the best tips to better communicate with your child and avoid another tantrum. To this day, my husband and I haven't returned to our local car museum. Seven years ago (seven!) we decided to take our then-toddler to see the car exhibits. We had just made it to the main lobby when he decided to throw a fit about being there. Trying to convince him to visit the exhibits or play with the hands-on toys and activities was useless. My husband and I looked at each other, in a What are we going to do? sort of way. We had just paid … [Read more...]
How to Discipline a Child with Autism
Struggling with your child's erratic behavior, especially when typical advice simply doesn't apply? Learn how to discipline a child with autism and keep your home peaceful. By: Kori Tomelden Parents of autistic children like myself deal with common challenges (we're no different from other parents, after all). But learning how to discipline a child with autism became one of our biggest ones. Why? We had to differentiate between age-related and autism-related behavior. My daughter was young, after all, and temper tantrums were bound to happen as they do to all kids. Thankfully, we found … [Read more...]