The Dreaded Terrible Twos

How to Deal With the Terrible Twos

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By Kristal Blanford

When a child reaches around 2 years old they will feel like they need to become independent. This means that they will test you to see how far they can get with you, and they will also try to start making their own choices and doing things on their own. Two year olds are also very curious and will tend to get into things they are not supposed to just so they can cure their curiosity. Try to understand as a parent that this is perfectly normal behaviour for a two year old.


Step 1

When dealing toddler terrible twos, have a regular routine. Breakfast, Playtime, Lunch, Naptime, etc. and try to stick as close to the same times everyday.

Step 2

Offer your toddler choices. For example ask them, “Do you want milk or juice?” and do not ask them “What do you want to drink.” If you give them a choice it makes them feel like they are being independent and they are less likely to change their mind.

Step 3

For discipline measures, start using time outs for your terrible two toddler. If they throw a tantrum give them a hug and tell them “That’s enough.” If they throw an even bigger fit then you should give them a time out. Pick them up and sit them in a chair and tell them “Stop crying and you can get up.” If you think your toddler may not understand time outs, you can sit them on the couch and ignore their crying. Make it a point to wonder off and do something else. Do not give them attention for bad behavior when dealing with toddler terrible twos.

Step 4

Make sure your child has a safe enviroment that is childproof to play and explore in. If your child gets into things she isn’t supposed to but she doesn’t know any better yet, tell her not to do it and put those items away where she cannot reach them. Remember, it is normal for your child to be very curious at this age.

Step 5

Be very direct and understandable with your words. A two year old will not understand “The oven is on and it will burn you really bad if you touch it.” Especially a child in their terrible twos. But they will understand, “No no, oven hot, you’ll get a boo boo.” Keep your answers and requests as simple and easy as you can.

Step 6

Make sure your toddler is getting enough sleep. Some toddlers still need naps at the age of 2, although naptime can be a difficult task, it is important for your child to get enough sleep during the toddler terrible twos.

Step 7

Do not show any emotional responses when dealing with your toddler. If you cry in front of them, get super angry, scream, or throw something, your toddler will do the same thing even more and that is the behavior that you are trying to end.

Step 8

If you are in a public place, remove the child and take them into the restroom or a quiet room and have them calm down and understand what is expected of them before returning to the previous area. If you need to discipline your child, always do it in a private area.

Step 9

If your child continues to fuss and misbehave, you must ignore the fussing and discipline the bad behaviour. Be consistent when dealing with toddler terrible twos. In the end, always tell your child you love them and give them a hug, even if they are still in a screaming fit. Stay calm.

Step 10

Keep your stress under control by talking to friends or family, venting in your diary, or stepping outside for a breath of fresh air while someone else takes over so you can take a break.



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Crying Babies, How Do You Know What is Normal?

Crying Babies, what's normal, what's too much

Colic?

It's been said fully 1/3 of all newborns. I'm of the (non doctor) opinion that breast feeding cuts down on this reason for your baby crying "too much". All my kids were breast fed so I'm biased, I base my "opinion" on experience of seeing babies that were not breast fed be "colic-y".

My daughter found these baby bottles that (almost) eliminate air getting into the baby bottle, and I have to report that it seemed to work like a charm. I put them into the category of "I wish they had these back when I was a young father".

I found these videos on the topic of "babies crying" on Ehow.com The videos are from someone named Alicia from "Expert Village", I learned a little from them and thought I'd pass them on.

Babies can cry because they are "over stimulated", that's one I'd not thought of.

Here's a line I thought was useful: "No baby has ever cried themselves to death"

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Parenting Tips for a Crying Baby -- powered by eHow.com

I found this article on Fussy Babies on Ezine.

Fussy Baby Won't Stop Crying
By Maureen Brownell

When an infant cries or screams often and for extended periods without any apparent reason, the cause may be colic. Baby colic affects around one third of all newborns so it a fairly common problem. The baby suffers sharp intermittent abdominal pains and can't seem to be easily soothed. Often the baby will extend its legs, arch its back, its face will become very red, fist will be clenched, gas will be passed but the baby will have a hard time passing stools.

Baby colic appears without warning causing your baby to cry out in pain and just as quickly it will disappear. Characteristics of baby colic also known as infant colic is repeated excessive crying episodes, in a baby between three weeks and three months, for no apparent reason. About 20% of all babies are affected by colic.

Since doctors don't know the cause of colic in infants, defining the actually syndrome makes it difficult. As you may have guessed however, there are a lot of theories floating around out there.

One such theory believes baby colic may have to do with the digestive system. The digestive system for some reason does not allow the release of gas. This build-up of gas would cause the baby severe stomach pain.

Other theories believe that baby colic is due to several factors such as adverse environmental condition, inherent sensitivity and possibly the baby's premature nervous system. It is believed that these factors make for uncontrollable crying babies.

Other studies show that half the babies suffering from colic had some form of gastro-esophageal reflux and lactose intolerance. Baby colic is greatly influenced by gut flora which simply put is bacteria that live in our digestive tract that perform many useful functions such as helping in the digestion of our food. Some researchers refer to gut flora as the forgotten organ. Lack of gut flora in a baby causes problems with the digestive system and the result is a fussy baby.

Although colic in newborns happens worldwide it is not considered a serious disorder since it will eventually disappear without any particular treatment. It seems to be at its worst between the ages of six to eight weeks.

Mothers who are breastfeeding should avoid foods that cause gas as this can be passed on to the baby. Also it should be noted that probiotics (which are helpful with digestion) occur naturally in breast milk so therefore the gut flora of a breast fed baby is quite different than a formula fed baby. Mothers who are breastfeeding and who change their diets have found their babies to be less colicky.

There are studies being done now to see if pre-natal stress, birth mother smoking during pregnancy and trauma at the actual birth can be contributing factors to colic.

As I said earlier there are many theories floating around about colic in newborns so thank goodness it is something that infants seem to grow out of.

Our infants and newborns need many things in their new lives. They need us to feed and clothe them. In this modern new world of technology we can now even shop online for just about anything we can buy.

At http://www.mybabysbest.com you will find this new technology at your disposable.

Dampa? Dampa? She can't say Granpa

I hear my name dozens of times a day...

Dampa? Dampa?

Daammpa!

My precious little 17 month old granddaughter is a joy to spend a day with.

And I get to spend EVERY day with her.

I'm her live-in full time baby sitter and I'm lovin life right now. My Dad, when he was still alive, was known to my kids as Grandpa, so at first I wanted to be called "Grand Daddy" by my second tier off spring. That caused a problem of jealousy with my son in law, my grandbaby could be heard calling ME daddy. The fact that I spend more time with her than any other human being, including her parents made this natural... but depending on your perspective not understandable.

Extended Family

I never had extended family, when I was in my 20's I had to figure stuff out for myself and pay any consequences for my learning curve, fully aware of the fact that my family had to pay for any mistakes I made, not me.

I solved this conundrum by having my grandbaby call me GranPA. Which at this juncture comes out as Dampa, and I'm fine with that.

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I found this interesting article about children and nutrition on Hubpages:

f your child seems to be bored, angry, irritable, hostile and/or sad they may need psychological help but they may also benefit enormously from some biochemical help. It is this latter route we will consider here. The child who is well nourished will not only have an improved mood but they will also have the energy to cope with the ups and downs of life.

A British scientist, Bernard Gesch, from Oxford, has clearly demonstrated the link between diet and behavior. In a ground-breaking study which involved 231 male prisoners in one of the UK's maximum security prisons, half were given a daily multi-vitamin pill and the other half a placebo. The results which are published in the British Journal of Psychiatry show an amazing 35 % decrease in acts of aggression from the prisoners eating the multi-vitamin. There was no change in the behavior of the prisoners on the placebo. Once the study was over and the vitamins stopped the violent and aggressive behavior increased again.

The common imbalances that children can suffer from which will affect behavior and mood include the following:

Blood sugar imbalances
Deficiencies of nutrients
Allergies and sensitivities
Deficiencies of tryptophan and tyrosine which are precursors of neurotransmitters (but more on those later).
Blood sugar imbalances are an easy thing for a parent to control. This is what my son suffers from and once he has something to eat he is a different child. The best way of avoiding these imbalances is by ensuring your child has a proper breakfast of unprocessed food and doesn't go too long without food. Sugary cereals may not be the best breakfast food.
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