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Behaviour/development

18 month old major rages

4 replies

Fifi2406 · 30/03/2013 18:03

My son just turned 18 months he has started to get so angry even over a minor thing like if he picks up a book and I say oh have you got a book and try and read with him or say what a picture is on the page or if he gets a toy and I join in he will throw himself backwards landing on his head and scream, not cry scream until he has made himself choke and be sick, he has bruises on his forehead from where he smashes it into the floor over and over scratches his eyes slaps himself pulls his hair to the point where great big clumps have come out! He refuses to eat! He doesn't sleep all very well he wakes at about 3am and is screaming in anger and throwing himself into the cot bars if I pick him up when he's like his he head butts kicks scratches punches slaps flips himself backwards...I've tried to distract him take him outside or get his favourite toy even tried food everything I do makes him more and more angry! If I leave him to it he injures himself and these rages can last constantly for well over an hour and he can be sick a number of times!

I can't help crying i cant take anymore and I have no one who could help out in the situation or advise!

Anyone got any advise and is this really normal tantrums!

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TiddlyChocolateBunny · 30/03/2013 23:52

I'm sorry I don't have any advise, but DS is similar - he throws himself back in his tantrums, whacks his head, deliberately headbutts everything in sight... It's exhausting. He also pinches, hits, and bites me.

Sleep is an issue for us - he's started to drop his morning nap, but still needs it later. He won't settle in the afternoons, so is overtired.
He's sleeping well at night mainly, but like your DS, throws himself around the cot of he wakes - he sometimes has night terrors too.

Honestly, I don't think it's 'normal' tantrums, but it's what our DSs do and we have to learn how to cope with it. Confused Mainly by hoping they grow out if it tbh, as I haven't found a method that helps yet!

Sympathies in the meantime.

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TiddlyChocolateBunny · 30/03/2013 23:53

Ps he's 22mo, been doing this for ages.

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Emsmaman · 31/03/2013 09:20

Did got crazy at 18mo on the dot, headbanging, two hour tantrums the lot. No approach seemed to work - couldn't completely ignore as she was in such a state she would have injured herself, just had to make sure she was safe and let it play out. Eventually I made the link between tiredness, hunger and the meltdowns. Instigating a strong routine was key; ie she must eat lunch before nap otherwise she would wake up starving and commence a self defeating tantrum which would delay lunch by an hour. bedtime would be horrendous if I got distracted and started routine too late, definitely need to catch them before they get overtired. Dd still has tantrums but relatively short lived, and head banging has virtually stopped (except for the times I get complacent and let routine slip...)

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candr · 31/03/2013 20:15

MY DS has tantrums too and is 18m, I think it is linked to growth spurt as he will eat for England and rarely seems full. Have started giving bigger breakfast, snack twice during morning, bigger lunch then nap at 1pm for no more than 1.5hours, snack twice in afternoon and dinner at 5 plus 8oz milk at bed 7pm.
Have been making sure I take him out in morning and afternoon to burn calories and tire out so he sleeps but he is waking at 5 and screaming in temper, banging cot bars for hour and a half. Am at a loss here other than to give him another bottle as he seems to want to get up and have breakfast which I am not going to do. Have resisted 5am bottle so far but if I have more mornings like that may have to try it till he starts sleeping longer again and I can knock it on head.
You can try having a pillow/bean bag area that you put them in so they can't hurt themselves during tantrum or attatch a duvet to sides of cot so they can't pull it in but it stops injury. Fingers crossed it is a (horrible) phase that ends soon.

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