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Tips for parents
It's been called the most important job on earth: Being a good parent. Along with all the joys of parenting come challenges. Odessa Brown Children's Clinic understands that it isn't always easy, and we're here to help. |
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How to survive the 'terrible twos' (and threes)
 It's a toddler's job to test his parents. Your two- or three-year-old is learning to be more independent, and that often means finding out what makes mommy and daddy mad.
Fortunately for parents, this intense pushing of the envelop does ease up, particularly if children are taught to accept consistent and fair limits from an early age. Odessa Brown Children's Clinic offers the following tips to help parents through the sometimes trying toddler years:
- Make your home safe and toddler-friendly by having plenty of age-appropriate things to play with, storing breakables out of reach, gating off potentially dangerous areas such as stairs and putting child-proof catches on cupboards (consider leaving one, such as a Tupperware drawer, open for play).
- Catch your child being good. Watch for opportunities to praise good behavior: "Peter, I like how you're sharing those blocks."
- Be consistent. Children get confused when a behavior gets a laugh one day and a stern talking-to the next.
- Be clear. If your child is misbehaving, get her attention by looking into her eyes, saying her name, and then firmly but calmly saying, "No." Tell her what to stop – "Sand isn't for throwing" – and what to do instead – "Sand is for playing. Can you build a mountain?"
- Praise cooperation: "Thank you for playing nicely in the sandbox."
- Enforce logical consequences if the misbehavior continues. If possible, remove the source of the problem: "You're not playing nicely with the sand so you need to take a five-minute break from the sandbox." Ignore complaints or crying, and don't argue the issue with your toddler.
- If there is no logical consequence or your child repeats the behavior after a logical consequence, give him a few minutes of quiet time or a time-out (have him sit by himself or take him to an uninteresting but safe room or space for a time-out).
- Return the child to the activity after the quiet time or time-out to give him a chance to do what you told him. Praise him for good behavior, and repeat the time-out or take him away from the situation if the problem continues.
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