Toddler tantrums

I went through the exact same thing tonight with my daughter, with the nappy situation! She didn’t want me to change her into pyjamas and a nappy. I tried for 30 minutes and she just wouldn’t listen, screamed, cried, pushed me, banging on the living room door to get her toys! It’s just exhausting I finally got her to calm down just by holding her but it took so long to get her to even be near me. She acted like nothing happened after to, laughing and dancing, taking my things and running away with them while laughing and I just feel like I have nothing left and a shadow of a person, I rarely get any support or any adult conversation and time to myself so I’m pretty lost and miserable also. Don’t really have any advice but just know you’re not alone going through these feelings and kids just go through these phases it’s hard for everyone involved and It’s hard to stay fully calm in the moment but if you stay calm they calm down quicker I’ve realised

This stage is so hard and being single parents we have it so much harder. With stuff like this I tend to stop trying to put his nappy/clothes on, do something else for a few mins then come back to it. In those few mins if I'm feeling unregulated, it sounds strange but I sometimes look at myself in the mirror or tie my hair up or put moisturizer on or something - it can help me feel more grounded. Or I make a drink, send a quick message, go into another room, or look out the window, etc. The last two things tend to help him to calm down too. I see if he wants a hug, some water, a song, and ask him which nappy and PJ's he wants out of a choice of two (doesn't matter that the nappies are exactly the same!). Often by that point both of us are a bit calmer. If not then I'll try a story and another song. It's tough, try to get some respite if you can, @sophie too, (I know easier said than done), and this stage won't last forever. You got this xx

@Lydia thank you so much this is great advice! Grounding techniques for myself is something I have to try xx