Help! they are now seriously toddlers!

My twins are now 22 months, fast approaching two. They now have opinions, are are often stubborn. One throws tantrums WHENEVER she does not get her way. Sometimes I feel like I give in too much, but i hate the tantrums. They used to play for long periods of times, (i think), but now it's like when ever they see me, they won't play alone, but need my attention, or want to be held (this is really one twin, the other wouldn't complain if not for her sister..) Also, they are into everything, when i have things on the table, they climb on chairs to grab it, they constantly keep me on my feet and it gets tiring..
i thought as they get older, they are supposed to entertain themselves for longer periods of times, but now it's like they want/need my attention more than ever, and constantly get cranky especially when we are in the house.

i don't want to sound like i'm complaining because i love having twins, it is the most amazing thing, but am just looking for advice from others who can relate or who have been there. thanks!!!

 

:hug: You are not complaining...this is sounds like my twins on some days!
I absolutely loathe tantrums! I used to (and still do) ignore tantrums. I make sure they are in a safe spot and let them have it out. I did find that the less attention I paid to the tantrums (believe me it's rough!) and the better they were able to communicate, the less incidence of tantrums we have around here.
Mine are still into everything though they are better at listening and staying away from stuff or getting out of it quickly.
My two do play well together but I feel like I have to referee more because they might have two of the same thing and they'll still manage to fight over it and then one will tell on the other :wacko:
Not sure if that helps but I have been there and some days I am still there!

 

Thanks for the reply. After naps is hard, they are both super cranky and throw tantrums just for being up. I try and calm them down but sometimes, especially for one of them, it isn't possible unless I am standing holding her. Do you think I should still ignore her until it wears off or just hold her?
Another thing is they do not listen to me when I say no! They totally ignore me, and I know that they understand the word, because they use it themselves ALL the time! Plus when a non family member says it, they freeze..

 

I just want so say that I'm in the same boat! I love my guys to death, but they seriously drive me nuts sometimes! The worst is the "witching hour" when DH and I get home. We literally can't get anything done because they are so clingy and fussy; we sometimes resort to a Baby Signing Time video just so we can get dinner on the table! :blush:

One lovely thing Nate likes to do is fake falling on the ground, then fake crying so he can get attention. <_< They also think "no" is funny, so I'm wracking my brains coming up with creative ways to discourage bad behavior. I think your LOs (and mine) don't take it seriously when we say "no" because they hear it from us all the time. When it comes from a family member, it means more because they probably rarely say it to your LOs. That's why I'm trying to use redirection, and positive feedback instead of saying "no" 7000 time per day.

I do try to ignore angry tantrums; it's tough but they do get over it quickly when they don't have an audience, and if you make sure they're in a safe place, at least you can walk away to collect yourself! One thing I've discovered about Jack is that when he's cranky after naps, sometimes he just needs a few minutes to sit quietly in my lap until he's ready to get down and play or eat a snack. If I try to put him down before he's ready, it's 20 minutes of crying/clinginess; sometimes just 5-10 minutes of cuddling will give him a whole new attitude.

I think this is a super fun age most of the time, but many days I feel like I'm herding cats! :lol: Good luck!

 

I'm dealing with a screamer right now. When he does not get his way, he screams at the top of his lungs. At home I ignore it, but it's when we are out and get the stink eye from people that I'm having a very hard time with.

I swear my boys have monkey arms. I'm amazed at what they can reach. I'm constantly having to move things from counters. Just yesterday they were able to reach the buttons on the side of the tv in the kitchen.

And for me it's the constant fighting that drives me nuts. They have a million toys and the one will always want what the other one has. He's playing nicely and then all of a sudden his brother takes it out of his hand and all hell breaks loose.

There is biting, hitting, shoving...you name it and I feel like I'm always yelling at them.

 

into everything? oh yeah, that's our house! every week I feel like I'm locking one more thing... the dishwasher, freezer, I even tied a chair's leg to the table leg so they couldn't keep moving it to the bar to get things on top of the bar. UGH! yes, they drag their little chairs into the kitchen and then get into all sorts of things. this week it was apples! they keep getting one and taking a cute little bite then they go and get another! oh boy!!

I know sometimes when ours are cranky they really are just hungry... I wish they'd tell me they want to eat, instead of me asking!!

they other thing I was going to mention was that I strive to do this, but it really hard and I end up up saying "no" to often too. But one article I read somewhere suggested that you not use "no"... and use a word or phrase that explains what you want them to do. Like 'don't touch', or 'its hot'. its really hard to not say no! oh and an example of what to say when they are standing on the table... tell them to put their feet on the floor. not "no"...

good luck!

 

LOL! I love the notion of "don't touch", I say that all the time and so in reply my feisty twin will go around the house yelling
"touch! touch! touch!", especially aiming for the oven knobs which I specifically tell her not to ever touch!
Sheesh. I'm a big fan of "NO!" and "You're not in charge-Mama is in charge!".