i really need boundary help with 2 year old

[peacefulmom]

okay we do gd and love it but latley we have both dh and and i have gotten really snappy...with our 2.5 year old....we are in the middle of packing to move and we have a 4 week old.....so there is a lot of adjustment for our dd who is 2 ...but even before these changes we started having issues....when we settle down for bed at around 10 or so she will start singing or talking really loudly and when we say our neighbors (duplex) are sleeping she sings louder...she also will run around the house playing...screaming etc...and we co sleep so babe #2 band i head off to bed she will run in and jump on the bed etc...she becomes painfully hyper and defiant..for lack of a better word. this goes on until 1 am.....dh takes her out of the bedroom to calm down but he and she get snappy and upset...She is testing limits and i think im failing. if i try time outs she says no and gets up...i say i will play again when your time out is done...i dont know.....she is very smart abd spirited and i adore her personaility but the not listening is hard and scarey.....she will run off in stores and when i try to stop her she throws fits...kicking and screaming....help...ie right now she is tryibg to push these computer buttons i say please stop then..no but she keeps pushing the computer buttons and mine

[NatureMama3]

sounds like there's a LOT of changes going on for ALL of you!

She's probably picking up on your stress in addition to being at a stage where she's learning to push limits and also adjusting to no longer being center stage.

I know I may get flamed for this, but when my twins were at that stage (I was a single mother for a while, so no other adults to help with them) I used leash/harnasses while in public so that they could wander a little freely and still be SAFE (no running into traffic, etc).

Maybe set aside some special "her only" time daily so she can get the attention she's clearly needing? Even if it's just 20 minutes, it can really make a difference.

[mtm]

aww, poor thing, new baby, moving, stressed out Mommy. My guy is 2.5 too and it sure is a stage of testing. I've found praising him when he's doing stuff I like works really well, catching him being good rather than being bad. And I know you are super busy but if you can find some one on one time with her it may help.

[nuggetsmom]

We have found that it was definately helpfull for DD1 to have some mommy only time. And she definately tested a lot more when she was worried that things were different forever because of DD2 As soon as I was rested enought to be firm about the limits she settled right down in to her normal testy self. But the mommy only time really helped. I made sure that I played with her more than I would usually. And she has a very good routine and as long as that stays intact that helps too. But your DD may not be so into a routine. Mine is really in need of the routine. gotta go