• Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    My 17 month-old has started biting other children when at nursery but not at home. I have a 17 month old little girl, who attends a very good nursery 3 days a week. She is extremely happy there and likes the interaction she has with the other children. However, over the last 3 months she has started to bite the other children at random. Sometimes in retaliation, but most of the time she bites them for no reason. I am beginning to worry, as this is now happening once or twice a day when she attends, and some of the other parents aren’t happy. The nursery is dealing with her…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    My 14-month-old son loves to be very noisy. My 14-month-old son constantly bangs everything together. I try to keep items, such as spoons, out of reach, but he will use anything he finds. He will hammer on tables, doors and even the TV screen. I have tried buying him a toy drum, but he is not interested; I don’t think it makes enough noise. I am at my wits end. How can I stop this behaviour? Making noise is very typical at this age, especially if it gets a reaction from you. It is hard to ignore banging, particularly during a family meal or while you are on the phone,…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    How can I stop my 17-month-old from biting? At almost 17 months, my son has taken to biting my nanny and I when he doesn’t get his own way. He has been on CLB routines since birth. He sleeps well, loves being in his cot and on the whole is a happy toddler. But when he doesn’t want to be changed (especially after his bath) or is told “No”, he bites. I have told him sternly that we don’t bite, but this behaviour has continued for a month. Tonight I lost my patience and yelled at him, a response that I feel guilty about, but how can I deal with…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    How do I stop my 1-year-old wriggling and protesting at nappy changes? I wondered if you could give me some tips on how to combat my constant struggle to dress or change my 12-month-old. I’ve never seen anything like it! Every time I change his nappy he struggles and screams and will not keep still, which can get very messy when I’m trying to change a dirty one. I’ve tried saying “No” very sternly but he doesn’t take any notice at all. Have you come across this before? It basically happens whenever I try to do something my son doesn’t want to do: i.e. dress him, put him in car…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    My son of 16mths is aggressive with other children both at home and nursery. My son is consistently aggressive with other children at nursery and at home. He is a lively and boisterous boy, often starts off playing well but then starts to be aggressive, seeking others to pull over by the scruff of the neck or pull hair, or bite. We distract him but he goes straight back to it. We have just started (when at home) removing him from the room and putting him into his cot for a minute but I don’t know if this is beneficial or potentially damaging. How you deal with your son’s behaviour…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    My daughter of 14mths finds it difficult to cope with my husband’s repeated absences and reappearances due to work. My husband works abroad and is away from home for a week / 2 weeks at a time. When he goes, we explain that he is working but will be back. We talk to my 14mth old daughter about her “daddy” daily in a very relaxed way taking care not to make a big deal about his absence and also speak on the phone regularly. We try and make this very matter of fact and not make a big deal about his going. For the first couple of days after he…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    My son of 14 months has begun to throw tantrums when he is told he may not do something. He also seems to ignore the word “No” both at home and nursery, returning to what he was trying to do even when he has been moved away. My son of 14 months is becoming very strong-willed and determined to get his own way. When he tries to do something, such as empty the fridge, and is stopped he throws himself backwards onto the ground screaming with rage. If I catch him about to do something such as fiddle with the video controls and say his name followed with “No” he…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    My daughter of 15mths has little speech but one word she uses constantly is “no”. She will say this when either asked to do something, or told to stop doing something. At first it seemed quite amusing but now I feel as if every day is battle of wills from the moment she gets up. How can I get her to have a more positive response to things? Or is this just a phase? This is just one of the many different phases of your child’s normal development.  She has now reached the age where she is beginning to assert herself emotionally, physically and verbally and is gradually learning the…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    I have a very boisterous 15-month-old girl and she is quite strong willed! How do you approach discipline at this age? For instance when we go to toddlers’ group she just runs in and pulls everything off the shelves; each time I ask her to stop she just runs to something else. She doesn’t seem to be able to concentrate on anything for any period of time. At 15 months old your daughter’s concentration skills are just beginning to form as well as her social skills. Remember for her everything is new and just needs to be explored and she does need time to do this, however, quite rightly, you…

  • Development FAQ

    Development FAQ: 12-18 months – Behaviour

    My daughter Harriet is 13-months-old and sometimes gets really scared of other people – not only strangers, but sometimes friends of mine whom she has met several times before. She looks at them fearfully and bursts into tears. Today we went to a singing group for the fourth time. The first two times were OK but the next two occasions we had to leave after ten minutes because she just wouldn’t stop crying and it was rather embarrassing. Once a week she stays for a couple of hours with a friend who has a son the same age. She has been going there for two months and she still becomes…