Did you breastfeed? I have a friend that breastfed her son and from the time he was very tiny he would pinch her neck. He weaned around 12 months but still pinched her neck when he was tired until he was four. He would also open his mouth every time his cheek touched skin.It's definitely a comfort/calming measure. I agree that if it's hurting you need to make him stop (grab his hand and gently but firmly squeeze while looking him in the eye and say "no"...eye contact is important).
The tantrum thing is very common. Personally, I ignore it (I have 5 children). Getting emotionally involved with a screaming toddler is counterproductive. As long as they're in a safe area and not injured (or injuring anyone else!)I let it go. If they're screaming when I need them to be quiet (when I'm on the phone for example) I move them to their room and shut the door. If we're in the store I've learned to ignore what other people think (I've also learned not to take a toddler with no self-restraint to a store loaded with appealing colors and objects unless it's absolutely necessary!).
We did discover though that our second child was slightly anemic and had bouts of low blood sugar. He would throw tantrums about 2.5 - 3 hours after eating. We supplemented with children's vitamins and made sure he ate every two hours and that greatly reduced the tantrums. Maintaining a schedule also helped so that he knew what to expect. Consistancy is/was extremely important (he's 8 now and still thrives best emotionally if he stays on a schedule/routine).
Kelly
That all sounds normal, exceptable, and sweet.
I have a 2 year old daughter who regularly scraches my face when tired, it seems to be the only thing that soothes her. The more tired she is, the more she is trying to scrach me (I usually try to gently stop her.)
It makes me feel a little better now, that I learned that she is not the only one! :)
My daughter is also crazy about ears (she's now nearly 4). She insists on grabbing my ear whenever she is tired or in need of comforting (sometimes she also grabs her own ear), and she usually rubs her hair at the same time. The act is usually accompanied with a great sigh of relief. It seems to always make her feel happy, so I've never worried about it.
Yes, you should mention it to his pediatrician, but there really is no sign of any significant problem. If, when he grabs your leg, he is pinching you, you should set a limit on that because he is hurting you. He may not, and likely does not, have any sense that he is hurting you - you have to teach him about this. The other behaviors appear to be either attempts to soothe himself or to relaese tension and they are not anything to worry about. Overall he appears to be developing well. But do mention it to the pediatrician and get his/her opinion. Please get back to us and let us know the feedback.
All of my kids have displayed similar behavior. The ear thing was my son. He'll still do it when he's super tired. My daughters had a thing with long hair. I've also been victim of the mushing and hugging. The tongue biting I haven't seen. And when my son was 2, he'd do the shake thing, but it looked more like uncontrolable anticipation more than anything else.
That makes me feel alot better. My mom found it strange and she raised three children and four grand children. Hopefully he will grow out of it. Thanks
What I was told was that it's a mechanism for releasing stress. Slowly pinching the top of someone's ear or methodically running fingers through someone else's hair did seem to calm them.