18 Month Old Ignores Me When I Call Him

I just never let my little out of the cart. He is expressing himself in this way too and I dontvtrust him, so I don't let go of him when the danger is high(like parking lots etc) and I use the safe times as a chance to train him. Before we go into a place where have I will not be holding his hand I tell him what he needs to do, use do sentences not don't sentences. Kids can't don't something but they can do things. Good luck. The other thing you can do is playbgrocery store in you house.

Train him to come (kind of like a dog :)). At home call him when you are in the same room to come over. If he does, give him a big hug and tell him good job. Then do it from a different room, if he does it, do the same thing. If not, go get him and take him all the way to where you were. Tell him to come when you call. Try it again and again and again until he gets it. Reinforce any way that works for him (and you). After a while tell him in the car before you get out that he has to stay with Mom and hold your hand. It is not a game and he has to do it. Then when he does it reinforce again :). Of course MAKE him do it and don't test him when there is danger. Even train him in the store. Put him down in a safe spot (womens clothes or something) take 2 steps away, tell him to come. Etc...

At 18 months it is normal but it is easier to train now for this then when they are older and it will save you grey hair :). God bless.

He is discovering autonomy. He found out that he is not attached to you and that he can leave you and come back to you at will. Congrats for teaching him that you will always be there! I don't think it's abnormal. Being *defiant* at his age is too abstract...his life is all about being fun and making himself happy. One thing that I did often was give one verbal call for my boys to come to me, and then I physically went to get them and bring them to where I was, reinforcing that when mommy says 'come', you have to come to mommy.

He'll get it. But he probably will run from you for a while longer. Just keep him secure when there is danger.

My son did the same thing sometimes at that age. We even took him to get his hearing checked to make sure he wasn't having a problem. The place where we took him also evauluated him for a learning disability and it turned out he was just hyper-focused. He is much better at listening now, but he still has his moments.

"Calmly" continue to explain to him that you want him to come to you, but you will undoubtedly have to go and physically get him...again calmly (like he is not upsetting you). It is just a control game that is extremely normal for his age. My 20 month old runs like crazy when she hears me say she needs her diaper changed or I want to put something in her hair. And if I dared to put her down in a store, she would never come to me when i called her...freedom is too sweet :)
At this age, it is crazy to put a child down in a store (18 mos. to 2.5/3) and expect you will get cooperation when you want them to come back....and you can NEVER take your eyes off them! You will have to go get them. This is just a phase, and while you should continue to explain you need him to come back toward you, the more frustration/reaction he sees from you, the more fun his game of resistance becomes.
I just never let my youngest out of the cart. I keep a steady stream of snacks/toys coming from the diaper bag and often let her pick a treat right off the shelf (if in grocery store) and let her eat right out of the box. That usually sustains her for a good 10 minutes :) Just keep him strapped in and move QUICKLY through your errands. Don't worry, this will pass.

Have his hearing checked and contact Early On for a developmental screening to make sure he's meeting all of his milestones. Early On is free.

M. -

Even though I agree with other moms in regards to having your son's hearing checked, just to be on the safe side, from personal experience I found that my kid was just kind of starting to ignore me. He's just about to turn two now, but it started around your son's age. We had him checked out through Early On (it's free) and he was fine. Sometimes it just seems like if he's really interested in something or just plain old doesn't want to be bothered he may ignore us for a brief period.

Hope this helps!

Welcome, M., to the wonderful world of the toddler! Checking his hearing might be a good idea, to be sure that there isn't an underlying medical reason. My mom still tells stories about my sister and how the doc told my mom to set the baby down in one room - go into the next room and whisper "Does Linda want candy?" She came right into the room and said "Yes, I want candy!"

I wish I could tell you that you'll never worry about dangerous situations or your child getting hurt. It does come with the territory. You love your child, want to be the best parent you can be for him and want to protect him from anything and everything that could harm him in any way. It is a tall order. It is an awesome responsibility. Keep at it, Mom! You're doing great!

I can tell you if you find yourself calling your child from a dangerous situation that they will know your voice sounds different - that urgent tone - and they do listen.

Good luck with your son! Remember that he won't ever be as small as he is today - not even tomorrow. They are growing and changing every day.

D.

Hi M.,

Just a thought,,,
Have you had his ears and hearing checked? And did he just start doing this? My son was around three and he wasn't talking like he should have. I took him to an ENT doctor. The doc took one look and said he had fluid behind both ear drums. My son had tubes put in and walked screaming for a week because he was so happy he could hear himself.

M.,
Have you had his hearing tested? Also watch to see if he ignores others. Does he tend to like to be alone? I had my daughters hearing tested around that age. Thankfully she hears fine. Also Autism tends to show in children around that age. Have him checked out.