My sweet, fun, happy two year old daughter is at such an exciting age! I thought I was tired with a newborn... well, having a two year old is mentally exhausting. She is so interactive and fun, but sometimes things get trying when it comes to staying strong with discipline.
I'm realizing, that once I say something, I MUST commit to the action. For example, Cece is using her food as something to control right now. She is often having too much fun playing and doesn't want to eat. If I say "4 more bites, and you can play" I MUST follow through on those words. I am really watching what I'm getting myself into. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes for her to eat those 4 bites, sometimes 2 minutes, and other times, she doesn't even eat them and we don't get to play.
Then, how do you balance these actions in public to avoid the tantrum when you say no? Recently, I've been having activities or special snacks that we only have when we are out in public or at a restaurant... And there are times when I pull out all the stops for good behavior outside the house. My husband and I have made a commitment to not use the tablet or iPhones as entertainment while at home or often. It has helped us, because we use it as a last resort. Sometimes you get to a restaurant and the food takes wayyyyyyy too long, the games, snacks and peek-a-boo have all been exhausted... my husband and I give each other the look of "it's time for Dora" and out comes the iPhone.
I'm realizing, that once I say something, I MUST commit to the action. For example, Cece is using her food as something to control right now. She is often having too much fun playing and doesn't want to eat. If I say "4 more bites, and you can play" I MUST follow through on those words. I am really watching what I'm getting myself into. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes for her to eat those 4 bites, sometimes 2 minutes, and other times, she doesn't even eat them and we don't get to play.
Then, how do you balance these actions in public to avoid the tantrum when you say no? Recently, I've been having activities or special snacks that we only have when we are out in public or at a restaurant... And there are times when I pull out all the stops for good behavior outside the house. My husband and I have made a commitment to not use the tablet or iPhones as entertainment while at home or often. It has helped us, because we use it as a last resort. Sometimes you get to a restaurant and the food takes wayyyyyyy too long, the games, snacks and peek-a-boo have all been exhausted... my husband and I give each other the look of "it's time for Dora" and out comes the iPhone.
Here are the current steps my husband and I use for discipline that seem to be working for US. Every parent and child is different, and by no means are we experts, but I thought I'd share what we do in our home.
Those are some things that we have found to work for us. Sometimes it takes longer to follow the steps then others. Take things in stride. I, myself, am trying to stay strong and consistent with these steps so that she knows I mean what I say, when I say it.
I'd love to know what works for you! Send me an email or comment below. Thanks!
- Warning- "Please stop jumping on the couch, you must sit."
- Firm no while being close to the child's level, and mention time out if it happens again.
- If the problem continues, time out happens. If not, we praise with encouraging words and mention how happy we are she made the right choice.
- Time out- We have a designated spot in our home for time out. Cece is to sit there and not move away from the spot. I set the timer for 2 minutes since she's 2 years old. When she's 3 it will be 3 minutes. During this time I try and ignore what she's doing- crying etc. After two minutes, I get down to her level and speak very firm/quietly and discuss why she was in time out and tell her what would be the better choice next time (in the future I will ask her). She then says "yes Mommy" and we hug and move on.
- If the crying continues into a tantrum, she goes to her room for a couple more minutes so we can both recuperate. I then follow the steps to the end of Time Out once she has calmed down.
Those are some things that we have found to work for us. Sometimes it takes longer to follow the steps then others. Take things in stride. I, myself, am trying to stay strong and consistent with these steps so that she knows I mean what I say, when I say it.
I'd love to know what works for you! Send me an email or comment below. Thanks!