How do you teach a very smart and articulate two and a half year old to shut her mouth ?!?
She is fine going to time out but will sit and sing, loudly. She always sings or talks. I never went through the major temper tantrum phase because she could articulate her feelings. That was great, but now the articulating won't stop. How something so small can be so loud is incredible.
She also changes her clothes all the time. She'll have a dress a skirt some shorts and a shirt all on at the same time. Thats only one outfit of the day. UGH!!!
My first child was quiet for the most part and he still walks around in his boxers from breakfast to dinner. She is a whole new world!
Any auggestions?
Thanks, J.
You all were so funny!
I loved the idea to give her 2-3 outfits she can change into during the day instead of her entire wardrobe. When I put her clothes out of reach she about killed herself for her polka dotted dress. We are also being more stringent about no noise of any sort in time out. We've also talked about no panties under or on top of her pullup. I can't believe I forgot the "inside" voice deal. THANK YOU for reminding me!
Thanks to Everyone! It's so nice to have partners in parenting.
Find her an outlet for her energy. Maybe she needs an old suitcase with dress-up clothes. For the talking, maybe she needs a set of little people or family of dolls in her room so she can let her imagination run wild. Puppets? Dance class? Modeling clay? Anything that will engage her mild and body may work.
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sorry, I just couldn't stop laughing with this one... My suggestion would be to watch what you say in front of her... you wouldn't want her to repeat it to a whole crowd of people.
The rest, just enjoy it, and get alot of video!! A few years down the road, you'll be glad you did !
My youngest son was the same way !!! LOL : )
I did a ton of laundry when he was little because he changed clothes ten times a day. I could not tell what was clean and what was dirty.
I started letting him pick his clothes out every night for the next day. I gave him several choices of outfits to pick from. That way he felt in control. It helped alot. I also moved his clothes out of his reach.
He is 10 years old now... He changes into different clothes when he gets home from school now. It will get better.
You're not alone! My daughter is exactly the same...I swear she was talking when she was delivered in the hospital. There are days that my ears literally ache (so I believe) because she talks from sunrise to sunset. She also sings and plays and talks in time out sometimes. We've been as consistent as possible with "no talking, no singing, no making ANY noise in time out." She truly gets upset when we ask her to be quiet and listen to the music in the car--it's as if we've grounded her for life or something. She just turned 3 so I'm hoping this year will bring a lot of understanding on her part and that we'll also be able to reason a lot more with her. Hang in there!
Ithink you need to assume the leadership role with your daughter. Let her pick out an outfit for the day and unless she somehow spills something on herself that is what she should wear that day. Make it clear to her that this is the rule. Every household needs some basic rules. There should be some quiet time. Learning how to not talk for short periods of time is simply good training for what is ahead. Tell her it's "our quiet time" and put your fingers over your lips. Simply establish basic rules for your home. V.
J....You and I are living in the same world. My girl is almost 2.5. Recently I started asking her to hush(just so I could think for a second). Immediately she says, "can I talk now?" To which I reply yes, then she starts again.
I've tried distraction.(Can you please get that ball for me?) But as soon as she gets back she's talking again. She even talks in her sleep.
She also insists on doubling up clothes, but not on a regular basis.
I have no advice, only my sympathies. I now understand what men mean when they say women talk alot. Apparently it starts at birth.
Ha! Ha! That's funny -- she goes a mile a minute, eh? Probably that's just the person she is -- and it's so fitting that she's the opposite of her older sibling. I would probably say, "no more than two outfits in a day and you have to neatly (as best a two-year-old can do) put away the first outfit before you get a new one." Other than that, just know that she'll probably be smart and do well in school as long as she can control the urge to move. You'll need to keep her engaged and insist on good behavior, good manners, and respectfulness. But she'll catch on quickly, methinks.
hm. i am looking at my daughter right now, so there's no way you could have kidnapped her, but it sure does sound like it...
hee hee, just kidding of course.
my daughter is 4 now. first word spoken at 8 months, and lawsy mercy she has never stopped since. probably the best thing i ever did was read the Strong WIlled Child. not everything applies to girls like ours, but it just affirms where you need to be tough and where, perhaps, you just accept personality traits.
she'll be an amazing woman! :)
<<the articulating won't stop>> LOL!! LOOVE it!
mom, just try to live it and BE THANKFUL! your daughter is blessed w/ abilities that other children would certainly benefit from. she is able to tell you, assuming clearly, what she wants, gets results, etc. i *KNOW* about that. i've got one. but i look forward to when she's in her early adulthood, and how her abilities now are helping her make her (generally positive) mark as the bright girl that she is. i'm anticipating it will help her develop confidence which will in turn help her in her teenage years to be able to stand up for herself and against the pressure she's sure to get. maybe get/keep her occupied in activities that will demand that she keep quiet for short periods of time - gymnastics, eventually ballet, art classes, etc. you can eventually treat her self discipline, but in the mean time, maybe have her learn to use her 'indoor voice' and secondly, be THANKFUL for the bright, articulate blessing that she is :)
You have to appreciate her creativity! Maybe try to harvest her creativity into an art or music class or dance where she has an outlet to display her talent. As a theatre/acting teacher and director, I am a fan of letting our little ones express themselves - but within reason. You can also explain that you love her singing, but its nice to also have quiet time. And definetly when she is in timeout - there is no talking or playing for us. And if she does, then time starts over. My almost 3 year old is also articulate, which is nice for being able to express her feelings, but sometimes you have to have some quiet time!
Mom,
Get use to it! It sounds like you have a little DIVA on your hands! My 9 year old daughter is the exact same way. She sings and dances all around the house and she'll change clothes at least 3 times a day. Pajamas included! Trust me, it could be much worst. We could be talking about your quiet, shy, introverted, self conscience little girl. Thank God you only have to tell her to "shut up" and not "speak up". Encourage her to start her own talk show or record her pretending to be a news anchor talking about current events or interviewing her brother or the rest of the family, neighbors, etc. You never know....Ms. Diva maybe the next OPRAH! LOL!
Many Blessings!
Just get used to it! I have a three and a half year old who talks incessantly and is also very bright and articulate. Unless he's asleep (and even sometimes in his sleep) he is talking and has been like that ever since he started talking. My oldest child was the same way and is now, at twenty one, rather quiet. In twenty years, I have not discovered an on/off button or a volume control. They do grow up and quiet down and surprisingly enough, you will miss all that chatter and all those questions. Our middle child was very quiet, they are all very different, enjoy your "chatterbox" while she's with you.
She sounds adorable. If you don't already encourage her to use her inside voice in the house and her outside voice outside. Maybe you can set aside time in the day for quiet time when she can look at a picture book, color or draw pictures. After she is finished then she can talk to you about the activity. But only when she is done or 20 minutes later, which ever comes first.
Your daughter and my daughter could be twins. lol But my daughter is now 4 and still talks non stop. She began changing her clothes by herself at about 18 months (not always on the right way but she got them on). When she was 2, I swear she changed clothes once an hour at least. I always thought of it as expressing her creative side. I usually just picked them up and put them back in the drawers. Now that she is 4, she has to do that herself which in turn has cut down on the number of changes. But she still loves her clothes...and she's a tomboy. She has batman pj's and spiderman underwear but still loves to change them constantly.
You just described my daughter! She talks, sings, yells, hums etc. ALL of the time and is also obsessed with clothes, shoes etc and puts tons on several times a day. It must be a 2 1/2 year old girl thing;) Take lots of pictures and videos of her silliness and try really hard to laugh about it, even though it drives you nuts.
I had (well, still have) the same problem with my son talking nonstop! It's exhausting, I know, but it's actually a good thing that she's so articulate. If you're worried about her talking and singing through timeouts, make being quiet a part of the punishment. Every time she talks or sings or plays, her time starts over. If that doesn't work, progress to taking things away every time you ask her to be quiet and she doesn't. I know it seems a little harsh for something so simple, but if she's that articulate I know she understands! Again, I had the same issue with my little boy who is now 3.5. Also don't be afraid to ask for quiet time for yourself! "Son, mommy is tired and needs a little quiet time. Can you either play in your room for a while or play quietly? I'll let you know when quiet time is over and we'll talk." Sometimes it's the only way I keep from loosing my mind! And don't forget the quiet game! Whoever talks first looses! lol
I have no idea what to do about the clothes....I haven't gotten there yet! Maybe lay out a few options at the beginning of the day and tell her after she's gone through them all then no more until tomorrow? That way she still has the creativity and flexibility to change, but has limitations and you save a little on laundry! lol
Count that your daughter is never quiet as a blessing. Whenever I babysit my granddaughters I have to keep my eyes on them, they love to change their shoes every hour.
P. S
If she is singing/talking/make noise in time out, then time out shouldn't start until she is quiet. Other times, you'll have to learn how to use your mommy ears and tune her out, ask her only to do it in her room, etc.
As far as the clothes go, put all of her clothes up out of her reach that hang and you might have to do it with her dresser clothes as well till she understands. But pick out two outfits and let her pick between the two and then no more clothes for the rest of the day. You need to explain to her that there is no reason for her to wear so many different clothes a day. You are the parent, time to lay down the ground rules.
The toy box with dress up clothes is a great idea and I'm sure I've seen toy microphones for kids that she could have her own karaoke contest in her room without involving the whole house!
Good luck
S.
Wow! I have one of those!!!
My now 10 year old daughter is the epitome of "sassy"
I had never met a baby with so mush attitude!
I am pretty quiet and the two siblings before here are also pretty low key, so she came as a world wind into our lives.
It took me some time, but I finally got my head straight and accepted the fact that she chose "us" for a reason and that I had oodles to learn from her. Even whilst pregnant with this little woman, my femininity was able to flow out to a greater degree ( I still like to climb trees :) I no longer attempt to quiet my daughter and make her fit into our personalities, she is the bright color in our earth toned world and the techno beat to our waltz. She still changes her clothes a couple of times in a day, but will wear them another day in the week if clean. The only thing I had to stress with her is that, if asked to be quite for a moment, she must listen. If there was an emergency and we all needed to be quiet (for whatever reason) there would be no time for a debate with The Loquacious One. In time you will "get" her more as long as you let her be herself.
Peace
