A Godzilla Toddler Invaded My House
I have always been blessed with an easy-going and happy baby until this past week when Godzilla Toddler appeared in the body of my sweet 20 month old daughter. Last week Annabelle got the 24-hour stomach bug that was going around. We cuddled and held her for 2 days caring for her every need. Then when her health returned she emerged into a brave new world where parents don’t hold toddlers in their laps while they eat and booster seats are hot molten rocks not to be sat upon.
My theory is that she got used to the attention and being held a lot and then when she got better she expected the same attention. We have always had trouble keeping her seated in a high chair at restaurants, but now we have a problem at home.
She screams and convulses when we sit her in her booster seat, so we let her sit or kneel in a regular chair at the breakfast table. She has the freedom to climb in or out of it as she pleases. But now even that chair is like molten lava when we first sit her in it. If we sit down, then she wants to be in our laps. She sometimes tries to take the food or cup from the table and we don’t let her. Sitting in her booster seat has never been a problem before.
She tests us while she cries and screams wanting to be picked up or held while she eats. We have adhered to the “cry it out” method that is explained for sleeping problems in the book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” On the worst day her crying lasted for an hour before she ate. Each day the crying decreases and she eventually climbs into a chair and eats her banana. This morning it was only about 10 minutes. Standing firm has been difficult, but I think she is learning that food can only be consumed at the table and we aren’t going to hold her all day long.
How do you handle tantrums? Do you have a similar rule that food can only be eaten at a table? What do you do when your toddler wants to be held a lot? And most importantly, am I crazy?
Share the fun: Email + Del.icio.us + Digg + Technorati
Ugh, tantrums and eating. We definitely have rules regarding where it’s OK to eat and drink. For us, we feel like it’s not safe to be running around with food and drinks. Kaylee is really good about only drinking in the kitchen and honestly she doesn’t care about food. So she doesn’t mind leaving it behind even if it’s not there when she gets back. (She takes after her father that way…nothing on this earth could get me to miss a meal!) She does have tantrums when it comes to other things though. Like when she wants to be picked up and we can’t. We try to reasonably accommodate Kaylee when she wants to be held a lot. If she’s being unreasonable, I try to calmly explain why I can’t pick her up and then suggest that she grabs a book or other favorite toy. Most of the time the distraction works. Sometimes at dinner she wants to get down, but we’re still eating. The only issue is once she’s down she wants to be held. So we’ve started this new thing where we turn on the stove timer for 10 minutes and tell her that when the timer goes off we’ll pick her up (giving us time to finish up). It’s worked the two times we’ve done it, but who knows it could have been a fluke. Only time will tell.
Your definitely not crazy. The tantrum thing is hard because toddlers are their own person, so sometimes there just isn’t much you can do (so I’ve read anyway).
lol about the chair being molten lava! I can relate… I’m crossing my fingers for you that it will pass quickly!
Danelle Ice (Homemaker Barbi)
It sounds like you are doing the right thing. We always stayed consistent even in the screaming face of a temper tantrum. We just never gave in. We have set rules and the kids were expected to follow them (and yes, one of those is eating at the table). Luckily we haven’t had to deal with too many temper tantrums!
Katie – Thanks for sharing in my grief!
I think she is learning, but my daughter totally does the “I want in your lap” thing when we are still eating. Maybe the timer might work.. I told my husband about it this morning. We might just try it!
Danelle – Thanks for luck you are sending my way! This morning was certainly less of a battle.
Rhonda – Thanks for the encouragement to stay consistent! It always great to hear from other parents who have been there, done that!