Can 14 mth olds throw tantrums?

[Johanna82]

My DS is 14 months old, and we are noticing some definite changes in him. He used to be such a calm, happy baby. Now he has become really sooky and whingy. He's not teething or sick I don't think, and it has been lasting around a month now... If I sit and play with him or take him outside he is fine, but he won't play on his own anymore and he doesn't understand that I need to sometimes cook or do a bit of cleaning!

Sometimes it's just a bit of a sook or a whinge, but other times it seems like it's a full blown tantrum (if I take something away from him for instance that he's not allowed to play with or bring him inside if he's been in the sun too long). I can't take him out of the house often, he won't sit in his pram or in a shopping trolley without sooking or screaming unless he is eating, however he won't walk next to me while holding my hand. So outings are getting more and more rare, or a shopping trip consists of one of us doing the shopping, while the other runs after DS.

Is this normal behaviour for a 14 month old? Is he really old enough for tantrums? DH says we need to discipline him more and put him in his room for a minute if he's throwing a tantrum, however I think he might be too young.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Johanna :)

[PeppaH]

I dont know what otehrs will say but I tell ya, they can bloody throw tanties for sure!! My son does! He is such a little toddler now :laughing:
Just a small view of whats to come hahaha

[dreamtobeamummy]

Yes they can throw tantrums at that age.. Ive witnessed it with all my nieces lol...

as for putting him in his room for 1 minute, I think he is a bit too young for that, he probably wouldn't understand why he is being put there, that's just my opinion though. :)

[sandy cheeks]

yeah they sure can dd is a tantie queen at 1

[MothersMilk]

sounds just my DD who is 13 months :yes:

[Johanna82]

thanks everyone, it's good to know I'm not the only one in this situation! I think nappy changes are probably the worst... I'll smell a poo and now dread the changing process. He kicks and screams no matter what I do! (have tried singing to him, giving him something to play with etc). I would just hold him down while changing him, but he is surprisingly really strong and I literally can't hold his legs to change him while he is kicking and trying to turn around! Any tips on tantrums while changing?

[MothersMilk]

I hear you on the nappy changes - it feels like a military operation getting it done. DD will not stay still and is so strong i really struggle :(
I keep some small toys that give her while i change to hopefully distract her enough to get it done - if she loses interest i change the toy - but i see you have tried that.
Otherwise if DH is home i get him to help by standing at the head end and talking to her.
I desperate situations i put her on the floor and place my feet on her underarms (just gently) to stop her running off and try to change as fast as i can. I also have mastered changing while she stands - which can come in very handy :thumbsup:

[Johanna82]

:laughing: Mothers Milk, it does feel like a military operation! :)

I haven't tried the standing up changing yet but I think it might be worth a shot! Thanks for the idea! DH also helps when he is at home, but unfortunately it's not often enough!

Looking forward to our toddlers being toilet trained! (which seems a bit too far away at this point! :laughing:)

[lovingbeingamum]

The Wiggles and Distraction. They work, somehow for my daughter. I now change her in the loungeroom on her fold out couch and position her so she can see the tv, and I put the wiggles on. If I need to cook or have a shower and it's not her sleep time (or she won't sleep), I put The Wiggles on, and get what I need to do done. Just do whatever works. Distraction definately helps. Another thing is handing her something to hold for mummy while I change her - a book, or even a clean nappy, and say "Who's that?" while showing her the picture on the nappy. I sometimes also teach her things like counting - we count her socks, her feet, her buttons etc and at the ripe old age of 19 and a half months she can now say "Soo, Four, Sis" while I count the odd numbers for her. Tantrums still happen, but they have a short memory, so distract, distract, distract...

[kylie87]

my ds is 13months and he sounds just like your ds! cant sit still in the pram or trolley and if i remove something from him he spits it! he has started throwing himself on the floor and screaming. I couldnt believe he would do this so young. I just try and be calm about it.
And I hear you on the nappy changing thing! I dread even changing his clothes now coz it takes so long. cant wait for the "terrible twos" :rolleyes:

[codswallop]

god yes!!!
tanties start as early as 12 months!
its all to do with frustration there little bodies just cant do what they want!
at this age its best to just distract them pick them up and pop them on the other side of the room( if its blocks that are getting to him put him in front of the balls etc)
good luck because the games have begun!

[2girls&1boy]

My DS has just turned 1 and he can throw a tanty with the best of them :yes:

If I have taken something away he shouldn't have or the girls take a toy he wants well hold on he throws himself down, bangs his head on the floor, kicks & cries.

Perfectly normal I'd say ;)

[jaface]

My 12 month old was starting to do this recently also, he was also waking up 1 1/2 hours earlier in the morning and crying instead of talking when he first wakes up, he was getting sooky and clingy.

From the age of 6 weeks he slept 7-7 and we are always getting comments where ever we go on how happy he was. Up until two weeks ago anyway then he turned.

I tried everything then discovered that he was eating 1 Country Cheese biscuit every 2nd day, these biscuits contain the 102 Tatrazine colouring in it which is banned in America and is being phased out in the UK. We stopped him from eating them and within 2 days he was back to himself. Our happy little, good sleeping, happy to play on his own when needed little boy has returned. Check out www.fedup.com.au (http://www.fedup.com.au/) for more details, you may be suprised how many products have these bad additives in them.

[Amara]

My son is almost 15 months & no tantrums here yet so I can't give you advice on that but I can about the nappy changing.

I've had trouble for a while with nappy changes as he just always crawled off. Now he walks off. I've found changing him while standing works wonders. The nappy pants that you can get make it even easier.

[Johanna82]

Jaface, that is so interesting about the country cheese biscuits! I was actually starting to think that his sooky behaviour might have something to do with his food cause when he just has fruit, for example, he is happy and calm for hours afterwards. And Tyler LOVES country cheese biscuits! Those are probably the only snacks he eats that I would consider junk... I try to buy his snacks either from the health food section or buy the heinz 1-3 snack range...

But he does also eats cheds sometimes... and a couple of jatz here and there. But I will definitely look into it as it sounds our toddlers are going through a bit of the same thing. Tyler always used to sleep well, and now some mornings he wakes up crying for no reason or goes around sooking for no apparent reason...

Thanks for the advice!
Johanna :)

[Johanna82]

I have checked out that website... www.fedup.com.au (http://www.fedup.com.au/) and am quite astonished at how many things are considered to be bad additives even when they appear as 'natural' on the packaging. I think the biggest shock was that the butter we use contains both a preservative and an antioxidant that appears on this website's 'nasty additives to avoid' list. Such a simple thing like butter, which I thought was fine in small doses, can cause behavioural problems. Same with vegemite which Tyler loves unfortunately!:no:

If anything I am a little annoyed that I wasn't aware of this before. I thought I was doing the right thing by buying things that are labelled 'natural' and I guess the packaging can lie sometimes!

Not sure if we'll have any success but I'm going to change his diet and try to avoid the additives listed on that site as much as possible.

Thanks again Jaface I'll be telling my other mummy friends about it for sure! :)

[Hollywood]

:laughing: Mothers Milk, it does feel like a military operation! :)

I haven't tried the standing up changing yet but I think it might be worth a shot! Thanks for the idea! DH also helps when he is at home, but unfortunately it's not often enough!

Looking forward to our toddlers being toilet trained! (which seems a bit too far away at this point! :laughing:)

Ugh, my DS HATED nappy changes at that age! I learnt to do it all one handed whilst my left hand held him down.

Thankfully, that phase did pass eventually, when he realised that nappy changes were NOT NEGOTIABLE :laughing:. I toilet trained him at 25 months, not a moment too soon!

[Mrs Nietzsche]

MY DS is 13.5 months and has been pretty whingy for a few weeks, however I finally noticed his molars at the side had come through, and then as that happened he got a cold. So I think it must have been sore for weeks.

There is also no chance of him being happy at home all day, he has to go out somewhere every single day or it's just grizelling at home etc. He went into daycare twice a week for 3 hours each time at 1 - felt so bad at first but now I find it a blessing.

In general though I find he is only whingy if he is hungry or tired - and becomes kind of bratty when bored.