Hello, I'm seeking advice about my daughter. She's crying much more lately than ever before. She doesn't have fits out in public but she has them at home. Example.....Today she was on the potty, got off and came into the room to see that the DVR taped curious george was off the tv. Well she started crying like a drop of the hat. I tried to explain that the show was over but she wouldn't listen (of course shes two and wouldn't get it anyway) She will be three in july. My husband and I don't react to the crying fits. Typically we do two minute time outs and then she tells us why she was on the time out etc. Since she has a new baby brother I have had to have her go upstairs cry, collect herself and then come back down when she's ready. (It wakes her little brother etc).
on a side note...she has done the fits prior to the baby coming so I think it has something to do with it......but I'm thinking maybe more of her age? How does everyone handle this in your home?
Typically she's a sweet laid back kid. We are all going through a ton of change with the new baby. any advice on how to deal with the crying fits?
Thank you!
I feel your pain, M.! I'm in the exact same boat with the 2 year old, the new baby and the fits, etc. This must be normal.
Good luck and if you find anything that really helps, please share. =)
A new baby is a big change and probably the source of her lower tolerance for disappointments. "Siblings without Rivalry" is full of ideas and tips for how to help your daughter adjust and also the upcoming tiffs that the two will have as baby becomes more interactive.
Give her lots of hug and reassurances, remind her of how special she was as a baby and allow her to be a part of her brother's care as much as she wants to.
When they are that age, they have huge emotions for such a little body and limited language skills to express them. I differentiate between crying and temper tantrums. Temper tantrums I ignore, you know the rolling on the floor screaming stuff. The ones where she is crying for what appears to be a little reason, I try to give her a voice for the emotions, saying things like 'I know you are sad Curious George is over...' I try to recognize this as times when my daughter is tired and having a hard time dealing with her emotions. I give her some cuddle time and try to find a way to have special time with her.
These will gradually become less frequent as she gets older!
This is pretty typical for that age. My daughter who's 3 1/2 does this. We don't put her in timeout for it. We try to distract her with something else, if that doesn't work we just leave the room for a few minutes or have her go to her room until she's done crying.
It's just a phase. My daughter (3.5) didn't start the crying at the drop of a hat until just over a month ago (her brother did it when he was about 2.5). I solved her brother's fits by telling him to go to his room and when he's done crying, he may come out. 1/2 the time, he'd pass out, other times, he'll walk (or I'll have to carry him in), and within a minute or two, he'll come out and say he's done.
With my daughter, she sucks her thumb and is only allowed to do so while she napping so she doesn't mind going to her room to calm down.
But, you may want to try sending her to her room (the sooner she starts crying, the better).
