Crisis of 2 years in children: causes, how to identify, prepare and overcome

At two years old, children become explorers and strive for independence. This can cause a crisis with significant changes in behavior. The crisis is caused by imitation, communication, and prohibition. React calmly to tantrums, avoid forcing your child, distract them with a game, and verbally explain your actions. Showing love and patience will help your child get through this phase successfully.
Why do babies’ behavior and perception change?
By the age of two, your child is already a curious explorer, displaying high levels of activity and an increasing desire for independence. As a parent, it’s important to gradually allow your child to take on more important tasks, which will help them build a new system of relationships with both adults and their environment.
However, this new phase can also come with a crisis, leading to hysteria, stubbornness, and significant changes in behavior. It’s crucial to understand the causes of such dramatic changes in children.
Some of the main reasons
At two years old, children go through a developmental phase that can be challenging for both the child and parents. There are three major factors that can trigger a crisis during this period.
Firstly, imitation is an essential part of a two-year-old’s development, as they try to mimic adults with cleaning, cooking, and hygiene procedures. However, their attempts may not be perfect, and adults may react negatively, which can lead to tantrums.
Secondly, communication can be difficult for two-year-olds as their speech may not always be clear, making it challenging for them to express their needs. This lack of understanding can lead to conflicts and tantrums.
Lastly, when children are prohibited from doing something that brings them pleasure, it can lead to protests, hitting, or biting. They may not understand why they can’t do something, which can cause a reaction towards the “offender”.
It’s challenging to predict how long the crisis will last as it depends on the child’s emotional development, communication experience, and family situation. It can pass quickly or be accompanied by significant emotional changes for both the child and parents.
During this period, parents should remember that the crisis is shorter than the stable segment of the child’s life. It helps the child to develop fully and change their perception of the world gradually. However, parents’ incorrect behavior can make the situation worse, prolonging the crisis for over a year.
Helping your child through difficult phases can be challenging. Here are some basic recommendations that can help:
- Try to remain calm when your child throws a tantrum or screams.
- Don’t force your child to eat something they don’t want to eat.
- Engage your child in an enjoyable activity to divert their attention from negative emotions.
- If distraction doesn’t work, give your child some space and leave them alone in a room.
- Explain to your child the reason behind your actions in a clear and simple language.
- Avoid places that may cause your child to become tired or hungry.
Punishing and prohibiting a child’s behavior won’t solve the problem but can make it worse. Instead, it’s important to show love and patience to help them navigate this phase successfully. But why do babies’ behavior and perception change?
At the age of two, your child is already an active and curious explorer, striving for independence. As parents, you gradually allow your child to take on more “important” tasks, which helps them build new relationships with adults and their environment.
However, this new phase can also bring about a crisis, leading to hysteria, stubbornness, and significant changes in behavior. It’s important to understand the causes of such dramatic changes in children.
It’s totally normal for two-year-olds to have tantrums for a variety of reasons, such as:
- Imitation: Little ones often try to mimic grown-ups by helping with tasks like cleaning, cooking, and hygiene routines. But since they’re not quite ready to tackle these tasks perfectly, they may make mistakes that lead to some disapproval from adults. This can be tough on the child, and they might end up having a tantrum.
- Communication: At this age, toddlers’ speech is still developing, making it difficult for them to express their needs clearly. This can lead to conflicts and frustrations, which can result in tantrums as a way for the child to communicate what they need.
- Prohibition: When toddlers are told not to do something, they might not understand why they can’t do something they enjoy. This can lead to hitting or biting as a way of expressing their frustration.
It’s tough to say how long this phase will last, as it depends on the child’s emotional development, communication skills, and family dynamic. The “two-year-old crisis” can pass without much difficulty, or it can result in significant emotional changes for both the child and the parents.
Remember, this is just a phase and it will pass. In fact, the crisis can actually benefit the child’s development by helping them gradually change their perception of the world. But it’s important for parents to avoid behavior that can worsen the situation and prolong the crisis, which can last more than a year.
As a parent, it can be challenging to deal with your child’s tantrums and screaming. However, punishing or prohibiting them won’t help the situation. Here are some basic recommendations to help your child through this phase successfully:
- Try to remain calm and composed when your child throws a tantrum or screams.
- Don’t force your child to eat anything they don’t want to eat.
- Distract your child by engaging them in a game or activity to divert their attention from negative emotions.
- If distraction doesn’t work, give your child some alone time in a quiet room.
- Verbally explain to your child why you are taking certain actions.
- Avoid places where your child may become tired and hungry.
Showing love, patience, and understanding to your child is the key to helping them through this phase. Remember, punishment and prohibitions will only make the situation worse.
Why there are changes in the behavior and perception of the baby
As a child grows, their natural curiosity and eagerness to explore the world around them becomes increasingly evident. By the age of two, they are already showing signs of independence and a desire to take on more tasks.
Parents can support this growth by allowing their child to take on more important tasks, which can help build a new system of relationships between the child, their caregivers, and their environment.
While this process can sometimes lead to challenging behaviors such as outbursts and stubbornness, it is important to approach these situations with empathy and understanding. By doing so, parents can help their child navigate this stage of development and emerge with a greater sense of self-confidence and resilience.
The main reasons
For a two-year-old child, imitation is a way of learning how to be like an adult. They try to help their parents with cleaning, cooking, and hygiene routines, but they are not capable of completing these tasks perfectly. As a result, mistakes and quick removal from “important things” can cause negative reactions from adults.
To the child, the adult’s reaction is incomprehensible and can lead to tantrums as a way of showing their individuality. However, because a two-year-old’s speech is not always clear, they cannot always communicate their needs to adults. This lack of understanding can lead to conflicts, and tantrums can be a way for the child to get what they want.
Prohibiting a child from exploring and trying new things can also lead to protests. For example, a child may enjoy swinging for a long time or painting with a pen on the table or walls, but adults may react negatively to these activities, causing the child to feel misunderstood and frustrated. The child may not understand why they cannot do something that brings them joy, leading to hitting or biting the person who is stopping them.
How long the changes will last
It is quite challenging to determine how long a crisis in your child’s life at the age of two will last. The duration of such changes depends on several factors, including the level of emotional development, the existing experience of communication with adults, and the family situation. During this so-called “two-year crisis,” the child may experience significant emotional changes, which can also affect the parents. However, the crisis may pass calmly in some cases.
It is worth remembering that the time of crisis is much shorter than the duration of a stable segment of the life of the It’s important to keep in mind that the crisis period in a person’s life is usually shorter than the stable period. Going through a crisis can help a child to grow and develop, leading to a change in his perception of the world.
However, if parents don’t handle their child’s behavior well during this difficult period, it could make things worse and extend the crisis period. For children, this could mean a crisis that should have lasted only two years could last over a year longer, making the situation more complicated. Crisis helps the little girl or boy to fully develop, thus allowing you to gradually change your own perception of the world.
During this difficult period, parents’ behavior can significantly impact children’s crisis, which may last over a year.
Recommendations to parents in the upbringing of little fidgets
If you’re facing the 2-year crisis with your child, the most constructive approach is to focus on finding alternative ways to communicate. Instead of trying to prove who’s right or wrong, it’s important to understand the significant changes that are happening at this age and work together to ease the transition. By adopting a positive and proactive mindset, you can help your child and yourself navigate this challenging time with grace and resilience.
Basic recommendations
When your child throws a tantrum or starts screaming, it’s important to react calmly without adding any unnecessary emotions to the situation. If your child refuses to eat porridge for breakfast, don’t force it. Offer an alternative instead.
Distracting your child with a game is an effective way to shift their attention away from the tantrum and onto something more positive. If that doesn’t work, consider leaving your child alone in a quiet room to calm down.
It’s important to verbally explain to your child why you are taking certain actions. This may seem silly, but it can help your child trust you and better understand what’s happening. To avoid tantrums, be mindful of your child’s needs. Try to avoid places where your child may become tired or hungry, such as long trips or extended walks in the park. Remember that punishment and prohibitions are not effective solutions to tantrums. Instead, show love and patience to your child to help them overcome the “terrible twos.”