HELP! My 21mo ds is driving me INSANE!!

[Super~Single~Mama]

I'm completely, utterly FAILING at gentle discipline right now!!

My ds is going through a phase of hitting, kicking, pulling hair and being just plain annoying!!

He does it mostly when he's overly excited, and I'm having a REALLY hard time figuring out a consequence to get through to him that hitting, kicking, and pulling hair are NOT OK.

I taught him not to bite by always always always putting him in his pack n play for cooling down (since I couldn't hold him b/c he would just keep biting, so I sat near him and talked to him while he was in the pack n play). That's not working again though.

And, the kicking ALWAYS happens when I'm changing his diaper - GRRRRRR - I'm SO sick of being kicked when I'm cleaning him up! He's not ready for PL'ing, so that's out as a solution.

He's also RUNNING away from me - how do I teach him that is not ok either? He thinks its funny, and no matter how upset I get with him he just laughs!

HELP!!!! I've even spanked him a few times lately, and I know its not helping, but I don't know what else to do!!!! HELP!!

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

OYEEE, mama, i know exactly what your going through. I honestly dont have any answers. I havent found anything that works absolutly yet. It will work for a time, but then its like the effect wears off or something. And its all things you already stated, so sorry, but im not much help.

I DO know for a fact that lots of this stuff are stages. It seems like it lasts forever right now, but looking back it was only like a month or two, and then things totally calm down. For a while anyway.

I totally get the frustration though, and then desperation. I have had more not-so-proud mama moments then I care to remember. And doing it ALONE, oye!

[pranava]

Changing a toddlers diaper is like wrestling an alligator!! I haven't experienced all the things you talk about (although they seem to be on the horizon) but pull-ups save my sanity. It is so much easier to take a wet pull up off while DS is standing, and slip a new one on while standing too. I can barely get a diaper on him, and really only lay him down for a change when he poops or to get a diaper on before bedtime. Pullups are more expensive than diapers, but I've found a generic brand that's not much more.