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Charlie is the exact same way. Sometimes we use tricks, sometimes we just have to force him. Usually Mr. Bee and I pretend like whatever we want Charlie to do is SOOOOO much fun and Charlie can't participate. That works most of the time. When he doesn't want to leave we'll go stand outside our front door and leave him in the apartment. But every day is different! A new day, new tricks.

Is your LO around 2yo? Sounds exactly like my eldest at that age. She was reluctant with every day transitions, just as you described. Totally normal, yet totally frustrating for parents it made very little task take so much longer.

Well Mrs.Bee and Andrea already gave great tricks/tips!! The only other thing I'd mention is that I had to keep telling her what was going to happen next so transitions between activities weren't so sudden to her. She needed a lot of time to soak it in that we were leaving the park in 5 mins, then 3 mins, then 1 minute... Etc. I also did this for playtime that turned into bathtime next. Just a lot of warnings and updates in what's next on the agenda.... That seemed to lessen the reluctancy a bit.

You're definitely not alone! It's a stage (a long one though). My toddler is 3 and while it's a bit better now, it's taken this long for some improvement. This is why I now think newborns are easy peasy!

The book "magic 123" has some amazing tips in it! I've started using it on Charlie, and it's literally life changing. Will post more when Charlie isn't crawling all over me!

123 Magic is fantastic. It worked wonders on my younger sister (at the time, diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, Mood Disorder NOS, ADHD, Anxiety, etc) and now has been diagnosed with Asperger's & Bipolar instead of the RAD and MD-NOS.

I'm working toward my Master's in Couple & Family Therapy (May, woohoo!) and recommend 123 Magic to anyone who will listen! There's even a DVD

@tina: Yah they recommend counting to 3 to control bad behaviors. They also talk about how to use routine to encourage good behaviors, and also how to strengthen your relationship with your kid.

Re: routines to get Charlie to prepare to transition to things he doesn't want to do, I've had a lot of initial success telling Charlie what's coming up in a few minutes. Along those lines, kitchen timers are really useful. You can tell your child: "Ok, now we're going to read a book for ten minutes, and then we'll start the water for the bath. Then when the timer rings, you start the water for the bath and say, "Ok, we'll start the bath in five minutes" (and set the timer again). That way, there's no bargaining or cajoling, and Charlie has time to prepare emotionally.

The other thing that has revolutionized things is that I always change Charlie in the same place (on top of his dresser, where his changing pad is). Previously I had been changing him anywhere, and he did not like that (to put it mildly). The Magic 123 book emphasizes routine, routine, routine when you want your kids to start doing something. That part was really eye-opening for me!

@tina: try, "that's one!" "that's two!'' and on three, the time out/whatever other method you see fit (taking toy, picking up and moving, walking away, etc) and stick to that like glue. Eventually it works It can take awhile but its so worth it!