i know i'm probably opening up a can when i solicit suggestions on the blog, but i've got a burning question. when RM was a newborn, i had wonderful, sound encouragement on promoting good sleeping and eating habits for my boy that have really given us quite the happy baby, who fortunately sleeps a ton for us. And despite the last 7 months of new territories with food allergies, we've seemed to weather it all without too much fuss.
now that RM is learning to exert his own little wills and desires a bit more, i'm starting to find some new challenges in guiding him. He has a wonderful, vibrant personality - and his teachers consistently tell us they don't want him to move up to the next class because he's just the most FUN to have around. He is Mr. Social.
the new patterns that I'm seeing that make me think, "What do I do with that?" are pretty simple really. Here are a couple of examples:
1. He doesn't want to hold my hand. He wants to walk alone. This is great in the park. This is not great when we are walking to the car through a parking lot. And in two months I'm not going to be able to quell the fit by picking him up - because my hands will be FULL with a newborn.
2. He has learned how to avoid a bite of unwanted food by contorting his face, shuddering, whining, and covering his mouth. I mean, I'm not trying to feed him gross food options... but the boy doesn't have enough options that he's not allergic to for him to start refusing the 'ok' items!
Anyway... I've been given some good reading suggestions, like Ginger Plowman's "Don't Make Me Count to Three" and I have found some good suggestions for disciplining toddlers on the Shepherding Press blog, but I am just wondering if any of you out there have any other encouragement. Sometimes it's just good to hear from other moms who I know are real. :)
3 comments:
Once the baby came along, I convinced OBB he was "helping" me by holding onto her car seat as I carried it into stores. This way I could control both of them through the parking lot. I don't know it RM is old enough to get excited about being a "big brother" and a "helper" but it's worked like a charm for me.
On the general discipline issue, I try to present options...you can do this or you can go to bed...you choose...and usually he'll choose to do the thing I need him to do.
I like that advice, EssBee! Dan, another book I found helpful, though not Christ-centered, was the baby whisper's toddler book. She too makes discipline (I say as much as POSSIBLE) a choice for them. You give them two options that are both acceptable to you. Don't overwhelm with more than two. So, RM, do you want to walk like a big boy and HOLD MOMMY's HAND or do you want mommy to carry you? Or, RM, you can take this one bite of food and get down to play ball OR you can go to your bed. Which would you like to do. Good Luck, sis! These are the hard training times. Another friend told me the best toddler training book she ever read was her puppy training manual.
Oohhh...that's good advice, EssBee.
I knew G-Money HAD to be able to hold my hand in the parking lot before Dstruction was born...so we did training time every time we were out. Either he held my hand while we walked, or I picked him up. He figured it out after a few times--he really wanted to walk on his own!
As far as the eating issue goes...you know all of my kids dip their green beans in ketchup. Whatever it takes to get it down. :) Eventually they'll quit that lovely habit, right??
Miss you~
Post a Comment