Are all 3 year olds like this?
My 3 year old is horrible to be around at the moment. Everything that comes out of her mouth is a whine. Just doing some colouring this morning - she asks me to write her name and its too big, then its too small, then its not the right colour and we have a meltdown. But its ALL DAY. Then even though she's fully toilet trained and goes to the toilet perfectly in public, at home she will go to the toilet where ever she pleases. Multiple times a day I'm cleaning up wee and poo from carpets and furniture. Shes constantly ignoring me, crying, shouting demands. Its just endless. We take toys away from her, put her in time out, etc. nothing seems to work, but she ls an angel at nursery. I love her but I dread the days she isnt at nursery. It feels unbearable. How long does this go on for? I'm tied to a 2 month old all day and night and my husband is working 12 hour days (from home so he hears it all) and we're just miserable. Sorry for the rant, just looking for any kind of support at this point.
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Some of what you're describing (constant whining, meltdowns, testing boundaries) is very common at this age. Just try to remain patient with her.
Toileting around the house after being trained and the intensity of it all suggest she's probably struggling with the huge adjustment of a new sibling too.
Are you able to lean more on relatives for support.
When my toddler is whinning, what I find helps is getting her outdoors, in the park playing with other kids or a bike ride. When she is in front of the TV there is often a chance in behaviour for me.
You’re not alone! Our 3 year can be like this too & the overstimulation. We also have an almost 9 month old so Id say she’ll also be adjusting to sibling life. They say around 3 months old the sibling realises that the baby is staying & not going anywhere. Im still BF my little boy so it’s really hard to give the toddler my attention all the time.
Have you got family around you that can come & help? I find when my mum comes & either takes my toddler out for a few hours or stays with me it’s so much better because he’s getting attention!
You’ve got this! X
We have a 3.5 year old and a 8 week old and I can sympathise a lot ❤️granted It seems like you have it way more intense than I do.
My 3 year old is a saint for his dad but as soon as it's me and the baby he is constantly testing boundaries. The time out step isn't cutting it anymore 😅
It must be super common when you bring a new baby into the fold and they aren't sure what to do with that emotion.
I've been using loop ear buds to drown out some of the constant winging when he doesn't get what he wants and that helps a bit when I'm overstimulated.
You are not alone! My boy who is 3 sounds exactly the same. It's the constant whining moaning tantrums not having it his way. It can be mentally and emotionally draining. But just remember it won't last forever but I feel the same as you x
You’re definitely not alone and you have my complete sympathy. My 3 year old is the same. The tantrums the whinging and completely ignoring us when we try to tell her not to do something. I do have a 7 month old too and I will say I found the first 3/4 months of having the two of them incredibly hard! But it has gotten easier. Just hang in there and take each day as it comes. You can only do your best and don’t worry about relying on the tv for days you need to just survive!
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