Terrible Twos? it Doesn't Have to Be

Did you go to sleep to a sweet little 2yr old girl & wake up to a 2yr old monster?? She won't lay down for naps or bedtime, she bites, she won't let you dress her or brush her hair & she screams runs away when you try to wipe her face after meals. What happened? How do you get your sweet little baby girl back?

Try to remember even if this is called "The Terrible Twos " it doesn't mean she should get away with acting like this.

Two years old is a hard age. She is not a baby anymore & has a lot to learn about freedom. She wants to do everything herself because she is now a big girl. She is out of a crib & to her that is even more freedom.

Put yourself in her shoes. How would you feel is someone picked you up and tried to start to brush your hair? Most likely you wouldn't like and just may feel offended. You don't want your hair brushed right now plus you can do it by yourself. So ofcourse you will kick, scream and fight back. Right? Keep that in mind & talk to her like a person with respect

When it is time to brush her hair make it a fun event. Tell her something like "Come on let's go get ready for the day. I need your help because mommy has a lot to do. Can you help me?" Take her into the bathroom & if you have one give her a little stool to stand on so she can see herself in the mirror. Then have fun. Get out some fun hair brushes, hair bow s & start brushing your hair. Ask her to join you & encourage her to brush her own hair too. My girls get tangles in their hair so we had a spray to help get tangles out. Just make it fun & let her do it herself first then you can help. Ask her & say "Can you help mommy & brush my hair? Then I'll help you & brush yours."

Remember age 2 is time to learn and be independent.

As for biting - that is hard to deal with. My son use to bite but only when he was playing & being silly. Simply saying no and removing him from the situation worked but some kids bite out of anger or frustration.

Teach her to express her anger. When she goes to bite you clap your hands loud to startle her. This will make her stop right away and look at you. Tell her "NO. No biting." then ask in a calm voice "Are you mad? You look mad. Can you say that? Can you say 'I am MAD' ? Then stomp your feet and make fists saying "I am mad!" ask to her to do it too. Show her how to jump up and down and say she is mad. Take her to her room and show her how to hit her pillow. That worked well with my son. He is now 9 and still gets mad but he sends himself to his room and hits his bed if needed. Teach her to express her anger with words. Remind her it is ok to be mad but we do not hurt others with our anger.

Hope this helps bring some peace to your home & remember that just because a child is 2 that isn't a license for her to go wild.