naughty 8 month old???

Archie is only 8 months and it sounds ridiculous but he seems to be starting to be naughty already! i didn't think they got like this til at least 1.

he gets this naughty look on his face and will pinch and slap and bite. i think that it might be because i ruff him up sometimes when we play and he gets all intense and squeeses and pinches and now that he is older its getting worse. the last couple of days i have been a lot quieter and gentler with him and he has only put his naughty face on once and 'attacked' me. so i will keep being more gentle and quiet with him, i think he is just too easily excited and worked up.

also he likse to stick his thumb up the spout in the bath. i have been saying 'no, dangerous' and gently pulling his hand away, yesterday i did this and he put his naughty face on, stuck his thumb straight back up there and yelled:eek:

just wondering if anyone else has experienced this with such a young baby??

Oh wow Elissa. I wish I knew what to suggest, but I too have a cheeky & fun loving baby. Maddy's been doing similiar stuff for a few months (she's almost 13 months) and now if I move her hand away she yells/squeals at me and tries to bite my hand. As for saying 'no'....she KNOWS what I mean but choses to ignore it and go straight back to whatever I have removed her from.

thanks becka, its just that i started to panic thinking oh my goodness, what is he gonna be like as a 2 year old if he is doing this already. i suppose he is starting to realise that he has a lot of control over his environment (and his parents!) and he is experimenting with what he can do and how far he can go and what reactions he gets. i guess im still trying to come to terms with the fact that Archie isn't a newborn baby anymore, more of a little boy.

gorgeous photo by the way!

elissa i don't believe baby's or children for that matter are ever 'naughty'. i guess as you said his is exploring his environment and trying to work out where he fits in the world. oscar sometimes has a face where i know he is going to do just what he wants so i try and pre-empt this by moving him away straight away. it's fun having babys/toddlers isn't it :) i loveit
beckles

He sounds gorgeous Elissa!!! What an adventurous little one you have. I too dont tend to think of littlies as being naughty but it sounds like hes having fun with you.

Jo

Like some of the others, I see this kind of thing as pushing the boundaries to see if they stay put, rather than being 'naughty'. Lucy does a few similar things and you are so right about the look on their faces!

Lucy tried biting my shoulder and grinning at me to see what kind of a reaction she'd get for a few days. She grits her teeth, goes stiff and makes a really cross noise when I take something off her she doesn't want taken. Etc, etc, etc.

I figure if I stay consistent she will have it right in the end. I just say 'no' (as firmly as I can, but she still laughs at me!) and take either the thing away from her or her away from the thing (like the dogs' water bowl). I tell her if she does it again I'll shut the gate so she can't get to it, and follow through. She has gotten the message about the dogs' bowl, but gives it a go still about once a week. Most times though she just goes right by it. Much better than smacking her hand!

thanks so much everyone. i agree so much about kids not being naughty, just testing their boundaries, i just forget sometimes with my own child. i feel reassured that he is just normal fun baby with a whole lot of personality. he has been full of personality since he was smiling at 1 week! i guess there will be very few dull moments in my house forever, just the way we like it!

Charlie is a little feral at the moment too but he is just soo cute - he actually laughs at me whan i say - don't do that - little bugger!!!
He thinks its great to slap my forehead - i don't know how to stop him