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Two Under 2
ivyreb
member
Teaching LO #1 patience?
ivyreb
member
in Two Under 2
I'm due October 1st w/ my second, and my DD is going through some particularly clingy days lately (she's 14 months old right now). Even trying to cook is nearly impossible.
I'm starting to put her into her crib or the pack n play while I'm cleaning or cooking or doing something else, just to get her used to playing on her own, etc. Of course, so far she's crying the whole time, despite toys, music, my constantly telling her it's okay and giving her reassuring hugs.
I'm sure it will all work out, but wondering if anyone here has any tips that have worked or are working to get #1 to be patient or alone, or just more content if they are not the center of attention?
thank you!!
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Re: Teaching LO #1 patience?
Matthew Kevin
7/31/83-7/20/11
Met 1/8/00
Engaged 4/21/06
Married 9/29/07
Two beautiful legacies: Noah Matthew (2 yrs) and Chloe Marcella (8 mos)
Day Three
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- distracts DD long enough for me to cook dinner.
"The Happiest Toddler on the Block" talks about patience stretching. For example, let's say your DD wants an apple. You both walk to the kitchen and right before you get the apple you exclaim, "Wait! Wait! Just one second sweetie." Then pretend to look for something for a few seconds. You just do it for a few seconds, then you praise her for her excellent waiting skills. Keep it short and say "good waiting! good waiting!" Slowly increase the amount of time you make her wait. You reward her with getting what she wants, as well as giving her lots of praise.
As far as getting things done around the house, I usually let DD1 watch about 30 minutes of TV per day, so I can get stuff done around the house. Otherwise, I use naptime.
This.
They don't understand the concept of time well so saying things like: "Mommy will get your milk as soon as I finish cutting this onion" so you're giving them a tangible thing that you're doing and they can watch for it to end and THEN their needs get met helps.
We started small with things like: "Sure Baby. I'll get your milk right after you give me a big hug and a kiss." and worked up to things like "I'll read you a book as soon as I finish washing these dishes."
Also check out the book: "Parenting the Strong Willed Child" It introduces the concept of narrative play. NP allows you to interact with them verbally to ensure that you're paying attention and invested in them but allows you to perform other tasks at the same time (like cooking or dealing with an infant).
Dinner was tough for us too so eventually I'd put him in his high chair or booster, roll him into the kitchen and start feeding him while I cooked. Not snacks but an actual portion of his dinner.
FWIW - cooking dinner is a BREEZE now because the 2 of them entertain each other. I remember well the days of him clinging to my leg in the kitchen and it SUCKED!
Another thing that helped us was a set of metal toy pots and pans from Target and letting him completely destroy the tupperware drawer. He wanted to be close to me so doing those things in the kitchen helped. I also recommend the Leap Frog brand of fridge magnets. He learned his letter sounds with us singing them and him playing at the fridge while I cooked.
GL!
Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.