The terrible twos. Is it a myth or has your
gorgeous baby developed into a fiend of mischief
over night.
The change from baby to a young child can be
quite painful for some parents but have you ever
wondered why ?
The main problem is boredom, he or she has
discovered that there is more to life than
sitting playing with toys, the mind becomes
active they want to be involved in what is going
on around them.
Expecting your little treasure to sit
contentedly while you get on with your daily
tasks is now a thing of the past, he or she will
want to take part in the running of the house
and nothing is going to stop them.
As a baby life was almost routine, feeding
times, bath time, nappy changing, bedtime,
suddenly this has changed he now has more time
on his hands as routines change with growing
needs.
One way to avert this unsettling time is to
cater for their every need which of course is an
impossibility when you have a home to run.
Your little tot is on a learning curve and he
is interested in all you do even to the point of
wanting to copy so a visit to the Early Learning
Centre is helpful.
At the age of two to three your Child does
not know the difference between sexes, your son
will happily play with a doll or a car and
vice-versus so a few household type toys are
useful.
A vacuum cleaner for a start so they can join
in and do their bit, an iron and ironing board
to keep them busy while you set about the
ironing, a dustpan and brush so you can teach
them to pick up the bits that are dropped.
A plastic painting or play mat is a good idea
they are quite large and while you are washing
the dishes you can sit them on the kitchen floor
with a little bowl of water and a dolls tea set
so they can copy what you are doing, any upsets
that occur are easily cleaned up.
Give them a duster when you polish and when
you empty the washing machine give them some
small items to fold in their own way, or you can
even buy two or three handkerchiefs and give
them a wash each time so they have their own
washing to deal with.
As you put your cleaning aids away try and
get your child to do the same even storing them
in the same place as yours. leaving them out for
continuous play will spoil the enjoyment of
doing the jobs and they will soon get bored with
it, plus your child may learn the need to be
tidy.
A daily walk to the shops or the park is a
treat for any young child, point things out as
you go and say the name it is surprising what
they take in at this age.
If it hasn't already happened your child
should now be ready for a nap so you can rest
for a while or do whatever you want to do, the
problem is that as your child gets older he will
often fight against sleep and when that happens
he can become irritable and appear naughty.
Instead of scolding try a bit of motherly
love, nurse him for a while and if that fails a
walk down the garden often works, he will either
get over his tiredness or finally give way to
the much needed nap.
A good practise is to start as you mean to go
on by placing your child in the cot each day
even when tiny, they will then be used to the
daily ritual, this can continue until climbing
becomes an obsession and the cot sides hold a
challenge for him.
When they become bored with their toys a
saucepan and wooden spoon will delight them and
a cardboard box large enough for them to climb
in will occupy them for an hour or more.
Anything out of the ordinary that is safe will
keep your child happy for varied lengths of
time.
Each stage of your son or daughters life is a
learning curve, as each year passes so your
child will change and what he learns from you
now will effect his future habits and behaviour.
Tantrums are not allowed and if this happens
do not scream or shout at your child just let
them get on with it, continue with what ever you
are doing and ignore it, he or she will soon
realise that you are not interested and they
will get over the tantrum much quicker, they
will eventually stop as they realise it does no
good.
You are the person that will mould your child
into the person you want him to be until he or
she reaches the age where they can think and act
for themselves.