twonager

Blend of two +‎ teenager (by analogy with threenager), due to toddlers of this age ostensibly resembling the difficult attitude and demeanour stereotypically associated with teenagers.

twonager (plural twonagers)

1. (slang, uncommon) A two-year-old toddler who is now more independent and difficult, involving refusals, demands and tantrums; a toddler experiencing their terrible twos developmental stage.
   • 2009 November 27, pauleec, Twitter‎^[1]:

     no plans really, a quiet one with t and babel I think, though babel not so quiet lately, she has become a twonager!

   • 2012 April 23, LadyMeave, Twitter‎^[2]:

     Today's highlight was getting locked out of my truck by my twonager. I must stop putting my keys in his cup holder while I buckle him in...

   • 2014 October 24, Nole, Happy Weekend!‎^[3], number 237, Oh So Beautiful Paper:

     Sophie is going through some typical two year old tantrums (we've started referring to her as our "twonager" since it's a nice little preview of what she'll be like as a teenager), and when you combine that with a needy newborn you get two very [author's italics] tired parents.

   • 2018 July 20, “Bedtime routine chart for a 2 year old: Our routine chart”, in Bottles and Banter‎^[4], archived from the original on 4 February 2024:

     Establishing a nighttime routine is super important (even when you have a rebellious twonager on your hands), which is why we created our toddler bedtime routine chart. But it also requires flexibility.

   • 2023 March 13, u/hiiiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaa, “Can't brush her hair”, in r/toddlers‎^[5], Reddit:

     My twonager HATES having her hair brushed or even touched. She has these nasty knots that I keep trying to gently work out, but I can't. I've tried TV as a distraction. I've talked to her about it.

• Less common than terrible twos.