Toddler from you know where!

[don8life]

Ha, Ha, Ha, I have one of them toddlers too!! Oh man. She is my third and if she was my first I would not have had anymore. She is not bad just enthusiastic and a handful

Last time we rented a house with a private pool. It was perfect. There was a lock and bar on the sliding glass door so she couldn't get out.(the bar is up high) She was fine in the parks. I kept her in the carraige unless we were waiting on line. I gave her interesting things to play with or snack on so she didn't freak out.

In 5 days I am taking all 3 of my kids by myself so I think I need to get a leash cause she is quick. I always hated leashes but I have to make sure she is safe.

She also freaks out at Kohl's and I sooo love Kohl's.
I say go!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by hokiefan33
You don't mention the age, though you do say he's a toddler, so I'm assuming around 2 or so? Anyway, you also don't mention whether autism or some other behavior-causing syndrome is involved, so I'll assume that one is not. So, you basically have a small child who acts up a lot. Barring a behavior-causing syndrome, this is typically for only a few reasons. They might be trying to get attention from parents (for whatever reason), or they know they can get away with it and enjoy your reactions. My wife and I had this problem with our DD, and the worst thing you can do is alter your life b/c of it. Let your child know who's in charge, and here's a hint - it's not them. Sometimes you need to be forceful with your kids to let them know in no uncertain terms that certain behaviors will NOT be tolerated, i.e. screaming in department stores, restaurants, etc... Don't worry about bruising their psyche or anything like that - THEY'RE 2!! Kids need boundaries, and if you don't make them and ENFORCE them, they'll run all over you. Very easy to prevent if you take action to prevent them. In my experience, kids who act up for non-medical reasons do so b/c their parents let them without disciplining them. Don't let this ruin your life, and certainly don't let it ruin your vacation. You can't try and fix it ON vacation, though; you need to get it in check before you go. Your child will love you for it, and will learn to respect your rules. It will work. I'm sure this message will generate much controversy. Anytime you talk about disciplining kids and not letting them "be themselves" in this day and age, somebody gets mad. But that's not my problem. Just my 2 cents, but it's worked for me.

Great post.

 

[G&J's Mom]

Originally posted by don8life

She also freaks out at Kohl's and I sooo love Kohl's.
I say go!

What is it with the affect Kohl's has over kids and their behaviour?? I was in there a couple of days ago to buy a set of luggage and DD was starting to get anxious, so I quickly made my purchase and left, not even realizing that the whole set was not there, UGH! Resolved that issue, but just thought it was kind of funny that Kohl's has been mentioned a couple of times.

hokiefan33

No flames here. My 4 year old DD is mildly autistic, and there are times, even recently (like two weeks ago ) when planning this trip, that I might have let her behaviour and my wild 2 year olds behaviour affect my life as well as this trip. NOPE, won't let it happen. We are outta here! It just takes more work and patience on my part. Regardless, of whether or not there are extenuating circumstances to blame partially for my dd's behaviour, she and DS are still very aware what will be tolerated and what will not. We might be forced to leave some places, but by gosh, NOTHING is going to stop me from getting there or returning (here I come Kohl's ) I think the more she and crazy 2 year old get out and experience the world, the more it helps with their behaviour. Just my thoughts.

Denise.

 

[JESW]

Good luck on your trip...maybe we'll see you there!

Just had to say that our family has been going to WDW 2x a year since 2000 so we are very lucky. Our kids are now DD5 & DS9. I can look back on EVERY trip and see different parts of it that were "ruined" (probably not a nice word for a Mom to use ) by one or both kids. BUT that doesn't stop us from going back! DS was recently diagnosed with Aspergers and that is on the autism spectrum - this will be his first trip on medication - we are hoping it cuts down on the melt-downs. Our DD is.....mmmm....how shall I say it? Well, she's a pistol! She knows how to push her brothers buttons and she does it whenever she can. Fortunately, DH & I have learned over the years and over so many trips that some times it's just better when we split up - he will take DS and I'll take DD. It's not the family trip I envision all the time, but sometimes you just have to do it.

Looks like we are heading down to a hot vacation! Have fun!

Jill

P.S. My DD5 hates Kohl's, too! I go to the one in Milford.

 

[HenDuck]

My DS (3 1/2) is a handful. We have gone in and out of the tantrum phases and I know it's not fun.

Somethings that we did on our April trip to DL that I thought worked out well:

1. Traveled with my parents. That gave us 4 adults at any given time to pass him off to.

2. Got him excited about the trip way in advance. For several reasons:

- so he would know what to expect and looked forward to doing certain things; and
- so we could bribe him for good behavior before the trip ( ok, you know you all do it too!)

3. Took long naps in the middle of the day. We watched his cues and took him back to the hotel when he started to get tired and grouchy.

4. Let him eat what he wanted to eat, including ice cream, when he wanted to eat it! (Hey, it works with me, so I figured, like mother, like son, right?)

5. Let him ride whatever he wanted as many times as he wanted (ok, we had to stop at 5 Pooh rides in a row, but you get my drift).

6. Because he was so well-acquianted with DL because of our advanced preparation , we could always find something new to distract him with. "Hey ___, do you wanna ride the tea cups AGAIN?"

7. When in doubt about what to do, we took him for a ride on the train or looked for his favorite princess (Belle). Either one chased the grouchies away.

One last thing that we did was we carried him a lot more at DL than at home. My poor DH did most of the carrying. He is usually much more agreeable when being carried (hey, and why not?). I figured whatever we could do to keep him smiling would pay off big time for all of us in the end.

Good luck! There is so much at Disney for kids to love, that your little one will probably be in awe most of the time and forget about tantrums and other toddler antics.

Just keep your patience! And remember, Mickey ice cream bars are for parents too!!

 

[MATTERHORN]

hokiefan33, I was waiting for someone to post that!! Amen. Way too many people alter their lives now and care too much about what their children think of them. Children learn what you teach them, and my daughters know what NO means because I have enforced it from day one! My older DD 3.5, all I have to say now is "That is unnaceptable." I think it's because kids today don't have any fear because so many are to afraid to truly parent anymore. Obviously the OP and those who responded are loving parents that care enough to post about this. It's just crazy how many instances you run into now where the kids do run the show. If you do buy a 5 point harness stroller, try to use it around town before your trip so your son will know exactly what is expected of him, then there shouldn't be a problem. Also my thoughts on hand holding are hold their hand and don't let go. If you have to hold it tight so be it, if they struggle and squirm so be it. Eventually they will realize they just need to hold it and walk. I hope you don't let him dicatate you family plans and that you go and have a great time! He might surprise you!


Andrea