defiant baby?
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7844
Printed Date: 11 October 2025 at 4:04am
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Topic: defiant baby?
Posted By: Andie
Subject: defiant baby?
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 4:56pm
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No-one is suprised that Miss Ella is the fiesty, strong-willed kind with us for parents. There are moments when she's refusing her solids (as she often does), and she gives me this look that leaves me in no doubt that she's asserting her midget 'authority' at the time. She threw her first tanty a couple of months ago in her cot (apparently nap time is a sucky idea!). It's not that I think she's being naughty every time she's being difficult - I'm sure her constant rolling away when I'm changing and dressing her is just 'cause she's curious, and most of the time she's refusing food it's for a reason that I'm sure makes sense to her! But there's those moments where she might as well up and say "nah nah... you can't make me...". Today she even pulled the finger as she did it!! Fluke, yes, but it did look pretty funny. I'd love to hear around what ages other babies were when they started doing this sort of stuff, and what sort of thing works? I may be wrong, but I don't think a 7& 1/2 month old understands cause & effect yet, which makes any kind of discipline difficult to figure out. ------------- Andie |
Replies:
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 5:04pm
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if she refuses food then she isnt hungry - nap times it is because they dont want to be separated from you - nappy changing time is because they can.
Not naughty but just exploring and doing what feels right or good for a 7 mth old. you just have to be consistent and loving. If she doesnt want to eat tho i certainly wouldnt push that one.. |
Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 5:37pm
haha You have a mini-Hannah. 
All you can do is provide what you gotta provide and if they refuse it, too bad. (Well, food-wise anyway... sleepwise is a different story!) |
Posted By: Bumble
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 6:07pm
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get the book - "of course I love you, now go to your room!" by Diane Levy.... Excellent... We had a boy who was very defiant from very early on.. (5-6 mnths..) read the book, went to a seminar (easy for DH to take in) and we haven't looked back!
I would have lent you my book but someone borrowed it and didn't return it... and now they have moved..  ------------- formerly known as "Bee" Ethan ~ March 2003 Big 6 year old school boy! Micah ~ Aug 2008 ~ Smiley pants who loves telephones! |
Posted By: megrac
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 7:10pm
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at changing time have a special toy (usually something that is noisey and colourful) that she only plays with when you are changing her should give you enoth time to get her changed before she gets board with it and takes off.
you just have to perserve with nap time she will soon get use to it some kids are more stubbon than others keep a routeen so she knows whats comming i had a girl that i looked afther and she would go to sleep standing up before she would accept nap time and lie down. dont worry about the food she will eat when she is hungry. even though it is at strange times. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 8:40pm
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Taine is my defiant baby. he has jsut learnt to push chairs to places, climb up and get whatever he wants! grr, Jake was never like this! as for disciplining him - or Ella in your case, we just deal at present.
am loving that Dianne Levy book! |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 9:03pm
She's a ginger, right?  *ducks*
Briona threw her first tanty at 5mos. She wanted the food I was holding and I didn't offer it, and she kicked her little legs etc, it was hilarious to watch! But she's always been more determined than Hannah (or Krystiana) and I think a lot of it is personality. Hannah did her first tanty at about 8-10 mos I think. I think she actually copied a 1-2yo who had visited earlier in the day. He got put in the corner so guess what I did for her? She didn't try it again (for a long time...)
When my girls got stubborn about sleeping, I kept them up til they crashed. I guess it was my way of checking did they really need that much sleep still. Putting a 7mo down is all I've really ever done (cause and effect kicks in about 10-12mos+ IMO). And you get really fast and nifty at dressing
PS Diane Levy's book is available at the PN library. -------------  |
Posted By: james
Date Posted: 28 May 2007 at 10:05pm
james and my newphew are very strong-willed toddlers have been since they were born i think its just there personality you do just have to persever why just tonight james has only just gone down for his nihgt sleep and his tantys inculed headbutting the floor,hitting and kicking the colest thing to him you just have to hold in there and persever its the olny thing that works for the boys oh that and sometimes lots of cuddles good luck ------------- <a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a> |
Posted By: Two Blondinis
Date Posted: 29 May 2007 at 10:26am
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Defiant baby - I thought this was a post all about Caitlin
On good days she's "strong willed" on bad days she's "demon baby" She also refuses food MY FOOD that I make for her, turns her face away and pushes the spoon out of my hand, until I open a jar of Watties then she's all ready to go with mouth wide open! 
She also does the "gimme what I want or I'll do the demon spawn whingy cry" which she does until we take the sought after item out of view, and distract her with something else, then she's fine. As for change times!
Nothing short of chains and gaffa tape will hold my girl down! It drives me nuts and she crawls away so fast! Sunday night she even pee'd whilst she was crawling and even went into her bedroom to do it (the only room in the house with carpet! )
But I'm just as "strong willed" and just laugh and think she's a Mini Me  so I'm really just getting angry with my self and she doesn't understand that so it's a waste of energy & time anyways 
I'm gonna get that book out of the library at lunchtime! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 
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Posted By: KiwiWonder
Date Posted: 29 May 2007 at 7:55pm
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Keep in mind, particularly with food, that it's one of very few things that babies this age can control - so it's not surprising that they try to ;-) Probably not so helpful, but it might help to have 'some' idea why she may be refusing? ------------- Margo |
Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 30 May 2007 at 11:24am
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Methinks I should find that book - Ta. Someone did suggest giving her a light smack at those times, but she is too young to relate getting a wee smack to a behaviour, so I'm not even going to attempt that one. For now I'm just trying not to get caught up in making a performance of mealtimes when she refuses her food - instead I'm going overboard on praising her when she's eating well. ------------- Andie |