Preschooler mamas

olivia_eve

Can I vent and ask for some advice?  Rosie never really went through the "terrible twos," she never had those big lie down on the ground tantrums or anything close to that.  But man, I feel like we're paying for that now, as the closer she gets to three years old, the worse her behavior is getting.

Basically, her big problem is being defiant and not listening.  I feel like I'm really struggling to get through the day.  I know a big part of this is that I'm tired and don't have as much energy and patience to deal with it, but she's also very good at pushing buttons.  So for instance, she has to wear a Pull Up for her nap, and getting her into and out of it is always a problem.  She will stall, run around, basically do everything she can to not put them on or to take them off and put on underwear.  I don't really know what to do about it, I can't physically put her down and do it myself, she'll kick and flail and I'm not strong enough and can't lift her to do it myself. Oh, and she won't do it herself either, this is not a case where she wants to be a "big girl," she just plain doesn't want to do it.

Any time I've tried to do a time out, she just gets right up and runs away.  If you try and do something like put her in her room and close the door, she gets absolutely hysterical. 

Any advice or books that you've read that have worked?