Is this normal?

My two will be one in few weeks, so I thought I would post this here to get some veteran advice...

My one DS has all of a sudden developed a HUGE temper. Everything seems to p*ss him off. He can go from happy/laughing to beet red/crying/whining in about 2 seconds. He has also started biting things when he gets mad/frustrated, including his brother. He has always been my easy going guy so this is a huge switch. Is this just typical one year old behavior? My other DS has started to do some of the same stuff (not to the extent of his brother), but I think it's more imitation. Should I ignore his little tantrums? Say anything else other than no when he bites? I usually remove him from the biting situation.

TIA!!! Jessica

 

Pretty typical, within reason. I mean, if it seems like your sweet mellow child has disappeared completely, I'd ask the ped and look for deeper causes. But if your sweet mellow child has just started to have episodes where he turns into the Tasmanian Devil, that's normal.

FWIW, Amy had a round of this right around 12-14 months (Sarah never really did), but it got a lot better when she learned to communicate a little more. Not even really talk, because she only had a few words at 15 months, but somehow she just started to understand that there were better ways to get what she wanted than screaming. The fact that I completely ignored the screaming probably helped too.

So, for the screaming, as long as he's not hurting anyone or breaking anything, I would ignore. But do try to figure out what p*sses him off and deal with it before the screaming starts, if you can. For instance, if it always happens when he's hungry and you're making dinner, try giving him some crackers while you cook.

For biting, removing from the situation is the best thing you can do right now. "No" doesn't help that much. It's never to early to start saying "Biting hurts! Your brother is sad because you bit him!", but that message won't even start to get through for several more months. Sarah and Amy have both gone through biting phases, but after awhile you start to recognize that look in the eye that means they're about to bite, and you can swoop in.

 

I'm guessing also that it must be "normal" for this age. My DS has quite the short fuse, especially if he's tired. WHen he gets mad or frustrated, he throws a fit and/or bangs his head on anything... I tend try and ignore it and it seems to have helped the situation. Instead of running and picking him up when he's in a fit, I either ignore it, or smile and say something like " why are you hurting your head", or "you're fine" but I say it in a upbeat voice, not a mean/frustrated one.

 

They get really frustrated when they don't have the language to tell you what they want to tell you so they act out. If you feel it is REALLY out of the ordinary and super dramatic, it's always worth talking to the pedi about. :hug99:

 

This is "normal" for our house. Lauren was my calmer child until she hit about 13 or so months and figured out that communication works. And then she figured out she doesn't know how to FULLY communicate. That's when the anger started to surface. It's easing up a little bit now since we're making progress in the language area.

 

Totally "normal" in our house too! Mine are fine one minute and then screaming and throwing themselves on the floor the next. Somedays I join in

ETA: I thinks its a communication thing too. They just dont have the ability to do so, so this is what they do instead.

 

I kinda laughed when i read your post. you described my Garrett to a T. he is our little one and always gets picked on my his other brothers to say the least. not only is he the little one but he has a VERY laid back personality i think because his other brothers Gavin and Grant have very STRONG personalities.

something happend a little after he turned one (around then) -he would get P*ssed off very easily. we say he is FED up and ready to stick up for himself. i usually ignore it but sometimes it is because another brother took something from him.

i think it is normal. i would kinda laught it off in your head (ofcourse). I have actually snapped a few pictures of his face during his tantrums -those are funny.

 

Thank you for the replies...I'll just chalk it up to age and frustration. DH was kind enough to point out that Will (tantrum thrower) seems to have inherited MY personality. THANKS BUDDY! I think I'll take the pps advice and just lay in the floor and cry too.