Hellobee Boards

A lot of it is riding it out, but some things I did to help the process was just trying to anticipate triggers. So for DS, a lot of times he would start really fitting and whining from about 4pm to bedtime and anything could set him off. I made sure to have varying things to eat for his afternoon snack to keep him happy, we started using a learning tower at this age to help him stay interested in something when I was prepping dinner. I did most of our meal prep at night after he was in bed so I just had to zap and throw on the table. I just kept little Tupperwares of pasta, steamed veggies, and fruit in the fridge so his meal could be on the table in seconds and reheated something for DH and I. After dinner we did something he would enjoy, whether it was running around our backyard or getting to watch a little TV, with a little treat like yogurt melts or a few marshmallows or some raisins. DS loves baths so we majorly extended bathtime and got lots of bath toys in there. With the teething, we tried to time his Advil doses so they were the most advantageous to us. So we'd dose him with Advil first thing in the morning to get him through most of the day, then give him Tylenol before his nap, and then dose him with Advil right at bedtime so it would get him most of the way through the night. We kept syringes of Tylenol and Advil premeasured in a little cup in the hallway with a thermos of ice water for any MOTN wakeups. In the car we gave him dry easily dissolved snacks, like puffs or Mum Mums and a straw cup of water to keep him from having overly huge fits. He also seemed to have far less of a fit if we played him some music with a good beat. We also kept a bag of soft toys in the car to huck at him if he was being fussy.

In the midst of whining, I would try to get down at his eye level a lot and talk to him in a calm voice, just to let him know I was with him in the chaos he was dealing with. I would ask him if he wanted a hug or if he wanted some water or ANYTHING really to see if I could get him to snap out of it. We spent a lot of time sitting on the recliner together with a soft blanket wrapped around him reading books or watching a TV show. If he was just inconsolably screaming or something, I would just try to put him somewhere safe where he couldn't hurt himself with some toys and books (i.e. his room or crib) and let him just have it out. When he calmed down a bit, I would go back and ask him if he needed a hug or if he was ready to be a good boy. If he had a fit was during a meal time, we'd just push the high chair away from the table and continue talking to each other above his howling to get across that we're ignoring him and then after a few minutes we'd ask him if he was ready to join the table and be a good boy.

At that age, I would give them something special to play with (ie a new toy that I had been saving away, pots & pans, wooden spoons, tupperware with lids, my wallet or diaper bag to empty out) and sneak away and sit, still in sight of them, while I sip tea/coffee, stare into space, take deep breaths and relax! Or put them in the high chair with cherios or crackers. A few moments of quiet alone time can do wonders for my mood when my toddlers were whiny and clingy.

I remember my DD being like that at that age too! It was really hard. I would try to distract her with type and stuff to look at and I could just sit b next to her for a few minutes instead of holding her. It also helped to have company around because I'd have something to distract me!