Originally Posted by
BellaSoleil
My two questions:
(Non-Disney Related) Can any mommy's give me advice / encouragement on how to handle the 'twos'? Belle is starting to say no to everything, fall out on the floor in public and hide behind the couch (where we cannot get to her) when she doesn't want to leave the house, go in time out, change her diaper, ect.
(Disney Related) How late can I add travel insurance to our trip?
When you find an answer to part number 1 could you please let me know! My ds2 & 3 are driving me insane! I've been trying to stick with the choices/consequences program but it can be hard. The other night I actually removed DS3 from a nice restraunt and sat in the car with him while e1 else finished their meal. I had the worst headache because he screamed the entire time. No surprise I'm not planning alot of table service for our trip!

I'm afraid I would end up on one of those "woud you believe this" threads!
One of the things that I did when d didn't want to leave on time, etc. (disclaimer - she was a pretty easy-going kid in general) was to use a timer. "When the bell rings (or Mommy's watch goes off, or whatever) we have to go (or it's Timmy's turn or whatever)." Somehow she didn't argue as hard when it was something other than Mommy saying it's time to go.
As far as tantrums in public - I'd pick her up and leave, and once she calmed down, I'd go back into wherever we just left, so that she learned that the tantrum, thrown to make me leave,
didn't work. Of course, this required extra time built into my schedule, but it worked.
For tantrums at home, I'd make sure she was safe, then walk away. I'd tell her, "We can talk when you calm down." By the time she was 4, she understood. She'd start a tantrum, I'd say, "When has a tantrum ever gotten you what you wanted?" Five minutes later, she'd have brought herself under control and we'd discuss. By that age, she knew that she might not get what she wanted by discussion, but that she
certainly wouldn't get what she wanted by a tantrum.
Finally, if she started to whine, I'd say, "I don't understand you when you whine. If you can talk in a normal voice, we can discuss." She didn't always get what she wanted, but she learned that whining was ineffective.
These techniques are tough and require consistency, but for many kids, they really work. The smarter the kid, the faster it works. And believe it or not, it's easier to nip these behaviors at 2 than at 6.
Good luck, and remember - you and your children will survive!
