Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

My ds is 13 months and he is an absolute terror. I don't know if it's his age or the fact that he is a boy but i feel like i can't control him anymore. Temper tantrums are the big thing in my house right now....along with refusing to stay still during diaper changes, refusing to eat, refusing to sit still anywhere...he never wants to be in his stroller...toys only occupy him for a few minutes and then he begins destroying the house...he doesn't understand the word "no". Shopping trips are a nightmare. I am so depressed right now...he has been like this for the past month. He was an ANGEL before this. Is this the "terrible twos" already? Please tell me i am not alone!

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

DS is 13 months as well, and I have flashes of that, mainly when he doen't seem to get what he wants.

I am sure it is just a phase

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

Posted by KateDevine

I am sure it is just a phase

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

How is he sleeping? Is he getting molars? I find DS to be his "worst" when he is overtired at the end of the day, he whines, cranks, fake cries, whole nine.

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

Welcome to my World

Except for the stroller part, my son is 100% like you described and he was 1 yesterday.

he will stay in the stroller as long as I keep it MOVING.

I am just counting the days till Pre school....JOKING.

It seems liek a phase , so I am just going with the flow so I dont lose my mind and reading as many tips on here as possible and venting as much as possible.

Hang in there!

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

Its not just a boy thing - my DD is doing the same exact thing. Hates to eat, get changed, drink her bottle, sit in the car seat, stoller. If she does not get her way she will throw herself on the floor kick scream and cry

My son who is now 3 1/2 was never like this.

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

It is a phase, yes, but also it gets worse in some ways too.

DS is 20 months old and has gotten better with some things, worse with others, and it goes back and forth like that a LOT.

He went through a no-napping phase about 14 months, now naps great again.. Same with nightime sleeping. Woke up multiple times a night, now sleeps through the nights.

The eating has gotten horrid for us. Same with going too many places and when in NEW places he is really bad and throws out and out tantrums if he doesn't want to be somwhere..

I think it's due to a lot of things starting around 12-14 months and going forward until 2...

they are really learning to communicate but are still somewhat in that 'in between' stage where they know what they want but can't quite express it yet in a LOT of words just yet.

They are more 'mobile' at this age and just don't want to sit still at ALL once they start walking/running and realize how much more fun that is than sitting and playing nicely or sitting in the carseat/stroller

AND yes the teething gets out of control with the molars and such.. my DS is teething his 2 yr molars and it is becoming NIGHTMARE

So while I don't have much encouragement for you it IS common and I think we all go through it.. boy or girls alike

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

My son is 2, but I know what you are going through. I find that Ryan goes through phases, like for a few months he will be an absolute joy, then has a few weeks of HELL. It will pass, but it is VERY hard and really tries your patients.

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

Thanks for all of your responses...it's so hard because he cries all day long! I can't take it...i feel like i am a bad mom....

When i say "no" when he is does something bad, he laughs at me and does it even more...his favorite thing to do is to pull plugs out of outlets and then he tries to replug them...i say no, he laughs and then has this "I'll show her" attitude and destroys whatever is closest to him....It's so frustrating....

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

Same here at 14 months. The changing table is a nightmare. He starts screaming when we're heading to his room and is kicking and rolling by the time I put him down.

He also is throwing lots of tantrums and banging his head on the floor when he does them. I'm finding he does them most when he's tired and when he's hungry. I'm using these cues now and responding to them and he's doing much better. Ex: as soon as he starts getting cranky mid day I give him a cup and he's a peach after that.

The last month is actually been his best for sleeping. He's actually been going down to sleep and naps with a smile on his face instead of the usual couple minutes of crying.

Re: Moms of 12-14 month old boys...i need help!

You are SO not alone!!!!!



I've been wanting to post about the tantrums too. I'm glad you did! Thomas is 13 1/2 months and the tantrums are really hard to deal with. Whenever he doesn't get what he wants, he cries and screams and waves his arms, etc. The doctor said the terrible twos can start much earlier. She said to just put him on the floor and walk away (if you are at home). I tried this, but he just screams and rolls around on the floor until I come back and pick him up and then he just screams some more. My husband usually tries to distract him when he's having a tantrum - like take him outside and show him a ball or something he likes. I don't know which method is better... He usually eats great - but if something sets him off - he'll push the spoon away and start throwing everything off his tray and screaming. I'm really struggling with how much to give him what he wants to avoid a tantrum and the line where you are at risk for creating a brat. A guess it's a normal phase for this age, but it is very hard and makes me question my parenting skills!