Behavior Problems in Toddlers: It's Types, Causes, and How to Handle Them

Team AckoFeb 9, 2024

There are a lot of behavior problems in toddlers because this is the age they try and experiment with everything that they see others do. There's a reason the toddler phase in your child's life is known as the ''Terrible Twos.'' It's not that on a whole their behavior is very bad because some of these behaviors are good, like saying “thank you” when someone gives them something or saying “sorry” when they make a mistake. However, this is also the age when they learn all kinds of bad behaviors, like kicking, biting, pinching, throwing tantrums and hitting other kids or even adults around them. 

Read now: All you need to know about the 'terrible twos' stage in your child's life

Types of Behavioral Problems in Toddlers

There are many bad behaviors that the toddlers pick up and keep on experimenting with them on other kids and sometimes even adults. Some of those are as follows:

-Biting or hitting other kids when they do not listen or do what he wants them to do

-Pulling other kids’ hair and feeling good about it

-Interrupting continuously between other peoples’ conversations

-Screaming loudly when anything they want is not given to them

-Running away when someone tries to speak to them about something they did wrong

-Lying is the biggest behavioral problem among toddlers

-Teasing others about something they couldn’t do or say

Throwing a lot of tantrums around if their wishes do not get fulfilled

Throwing things when they get angry or irritated

Causes of these Behavioral Problems in Toddlers

There are reasons due to which these behavioral problems occur in toddlers. Some of these are as follows:

-You have to handle the temper and aggression of your toddler, which leads to most of the behavioral problems like hitting, throwing things, etc. At this age, your child is full of different types of emotions and feelings. This mainly happens because he can understand what you are telling him but he cannot express himself correctly to you, which leads to frustration in him. So he throws tantrums and sometimes things too.

-Toddlers tend to kick or hit others which are mostly to get attention from the people around them. If you react to this instantly, this might become a habit.

-Toddlers are always full of energy that is why they scream so loudly. Screaming does not mean shouting or showing anger for them always. He might not know that this is wrong. He might get excited by the sound of his own voice and that you give him instant attention whenever he shouts.

-When the toddler learns to say “no,” it’s everything he replies to when you ask him something. It is exciting for him because it gets him attention and also means that he also has an opinion in that matter.

Check out: How to deal with your child's temper tantrums

How to handle these Behavioral Problems in Toddlers?

These are the basic behavioral problems that most toddlers go through. There are ways to deal with these problems. Some of the methods are as follows:

When your toddler starts throwing tantrums, you need to be cool because if both of you start throwing fits then it would be a mess. If you raise your voice and say something it might have an opposite effect on him. You should sit before him and gently pick him up and pat him on his shoulder. You should tell him that you love him a lot and this will calm him down.

If your toddler kicks or hits others, he has to understand that these will have repercussions. You should not shout at him, instead take away his favorite toy or stop something he loves doing. You should explain to him that if he does these things then he will get grounded like this every time. You should make him sit alone and make him understand what alternatives he could use next time he was in a situation where he had to kick and hit.

If your toddler has been screaming, you have to be calm. You have to make sure that he has been well rested. If you shout at him then he might think that it is okay to shout and say things. You should make him understand the difference between talking softly and shouting at the top of their voice. 

When your toddler learns to say “no” he says that in everything. You can limit his saying no by giving him different options where he cannot say no directly to anything. You should make him a part of your decisions which makes him feel that he has a part in this and his opinion counts. 

You are a grown up so you have to handle the situation calmly because if everybody starts shouting then no problem will get solved. You should always keep telling him how much you love him to calm him down.

In heated situations, you have to be the calm one and tell your toddler that what they are doing is not good and make him understand his mistakes.

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