for the moms. i have a three year old son. not quite potty trained. we recently went on vacation to my moms wh

Question

while there my son began to act out very badly like throw huge tantrums and refused to go potty other than to poop. hes poopoo trained but not pee yet. he hit everyone and screamed at bed time. why did he do this. now we are home and hes back on all tracks. its confusing. do all kids do this at every age. i hope not.my question is how to keep him behaving when visiting family or when family visits its just my mom and brother so far

ok the potty training wasnt the big issue. the tantrums were. how do i stop him from acting badly around family

Answer 1

1. all kids do not do this, but some normal kids do.
2. It is fine for 3, but a kid over 5 who does this is a serious brat in need of better discipline.

Kids have different temperments, and yours sounds like he is more of a creature of routine who is thrown badly out of whack by a major change in routine / environment. When he is old enough to talk and reason, this will probably manifest itself in more appropriate ways. Like, he may be anxious about staying in a strange place at night and you could suggest he bring familiar things from home, to calm his anxiety. The underlying temperment, of being kind of rigid and liking familiar surroundings, may never change, but plenty of people are like that and still act appropriately. Unless you spoil him rotten, he will outgrow the tantrum / panic reaction and act appropriate as well.
In summary: he is not abnormal, he will outgrow it, and until he is a little older you may or may not have success making the behavior stop. You will have to use trial and error since something different works for each kid, but keeping in mind that the underlying problem is most likely a dislike of change, a good place to start would be to keep as many of his routines, such as naps and meals, the same when travelling as they are at home, and bring as many familiar things with you as you can manage.

Answer 2

We have been using bribery since he was 3 (he's 3.5 now) and we're still working on it. I think our guy uses it to assert his independence. The only times I insist on him going is first thing in the morning and then again before bed making sure I limit liquids before bed. He actually does better when we let him run around with no training pants or underwear and that's how we started to make some good progress. I think bribery is just fine in this circumstance. #1 was the easy part, going #2 was a bit of a fight but he hardly has that type of accident any more. Just be patient and try only asking/insisting twice a day and give him something fun to do that he can only do while on the potty - ie: special toy, special book. The new baby, as you suspected, might be part of it too. Give him little jobs to do to help you and praise the heck out of him. When people come to visit, ask that they give him some attention first. Make him feel important and that might help him want to be a "big boy" even more. Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

Its all about routine. Thats most likely why the problems with the potty issues.

The tantrum thing is a little different. Does he not interact with other people often? maybe try daycare for social interaction. Also disciple is a major important factor. Set a punishment for unacceptable behavior and stick to it. DO NOT ever allow him to "get away with it". If you are not consistent he will use it against you.

Another consideration is that he may have an issue with either your mom or your brother...don't know history of relationship so can't hypothesize.

Remember, you are the parent he is the child and unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated.

Answer 4

Some kids do not adjust well to change. Don't let this discourage you from taking him for visits, next time you will be better prepared to handle his behavior. Try talking about the trip and what he should expect in advance so he will get the idea that something is going to happen. My son went through times like that when we were moving around alot while my husband was in the Army. As he gets older he will do better. Good luck!

Answer 5

Oooh... my nephew did the same thing when we visited family in Mexico. I guess he wasn't used to everyone looking at him and asking him all sort of questions. He'd was so bad and he'd just hit my sister (his mom) and yell and sass back, the whole time. My Dad was so embarrassed that we had to pack up and leave... He refuses to take my nephew anywhere to see family. Anyway, he seems perfectly comfortable around people he knows... and I guess he just got over it as he grew up... Good Luck, though!!!

Answer 6

Ok I'm not a mom but I have six siblings. Some people don't like to punish their kids in front of other people, or punish them as hard. And eventually the kid finds this out so he/she dose things that they wouldn't normally do at home.

I don't know if your that kind of person, this is just what i have seen. But if you are that kind of person your just gonna have to punish your child like you do when you at home.



God bless.

Answer 7

It is hard on kids when there is a change. It doesn't understand how to express it. It make things a little easier like bringing his favorite toy. As he gets older he will adjust and be able to communicate better. I hope this help.

Answer 8

Kids thrive on routine,and when it is disturbed they go a bit nuts at times (which of course makes us the same way!)
Good luck--boys are tougher to potty train than girls are.

Answer 9

If you figure it out let me know they go through that stage. With my sons my grandma used to let them pee outside when they had to go and for some odd reason it helped they just started going to the bathroom maybe that will help.

Answer 10

he just needs to get used to using the potty in different suroundings....my guess is that hes never gone anyplace but home and when your 3...that can be pretty scary thing.
using the potty is new to him as it is.
i wouldnt worry too much. eventually hell get it all down,