Parents of toddlers mean well but they may be at a loss when it comes to find ways to get a young child to act appropriately. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you need a little help with your toddler. Some toddlers are very clever and parents may assume they understand more than they do, not realizing that no matter how smart a toddler is, he or she is still new to the world.
Parents.com offered tips from psychologist Deborah Roth Ledley, Ph.D. and author of Becoming a Calm Mom: How to Manage Stress and Enjoy the First Year of Motherhood on disciplining toddlers:
Redirect:
Rather than scold a toddler "because your tone will either make him upset of curious," you can try to calmly get your child interested in something else--something other than the activity you want to discourage. Distracting your child will keep him or her from continuing the unwanted behavior and with time he or she will come to understand that this behavior is not welcome.
Model appropriate behavior:
Sometimes parents forget that toddlers are new to the world and they need to see how things are done. If a child is merely told and not shown, he or she may not understand. Parents.com gives the example of showing a child how to be gentle with another child on play date instead of scolding a child for being too rough.
Give praise:
Praising your child's good behavior does not guarantee that your child will never act out but it may decrease incidents of bad behavior. Toddlers want attention and sometimes they act out to get it. If a young child can get attention for good behavior, he or she has an incentive to repeat this behavior.
And if you are looking for childcare for you toddler, contact Horizon Education Centers—we are currently offering a discounted price for our Toddler Care program.
