Teaching a Toddler How To Behave

Parents are often frustrated with their toddlers. The little sweet baby, who used to smile, drool, and babble on the couch, learns how to walk and turns into a little rascal. Yes, she is just as cute and sweet as before but the baby’s strong desire to explore the world often goes against the parent’s wishes.

No matter how much we want the carefree childhood to last, toddlers need to be taught how to behave in order to be safe. Specialists from daycare in Carroll Gardens know all about toddler discipline and agree to share a few tips.

Behave Yourself

Many parents fail to understand that children copy everything they do. One of the teachers at family daycare in Cobble Hills tells the parents: “You can go out of your way to teach the child to clean his room. But if you have a cluttered desk or a sink full of dirty dishes, you’ll never succeed. Start by teaching yourself”. Become your kid’s model and the little copycat is bound to learn.

Don’t Forget About Praise

If you spend a few minutes peeking inside the Cobble Hill daycare playroom, you’ll notice how often toddlers get praised. Praise is very important to kids and they learn through it. If they did something good, never forget to say how wonderful they are. Just like adults, children require praise to feel sure of themselves.

Be Consistent

If you tell your toddler “no”, never change it to “yes”. If you said that he shouldn’t reach for the frying pan when it’s on the stove, don’t allow the kid to play with it when it’s in the drawer. The child can’t tell the difference between an item on a hot stove and the same item in the drawer. If you allow the latter, he will reach for the stove the next time the pan is on it.

Don’t Scream

In Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn daycare you’ll find the staff speaking in a calm and quiet manner. Toddlers understand quiet and calm speech much better than screaming. Of course, parents can’t help themselves sometimes, but don’t forget point 1. By screaming, you are only inducing similar behavior. Meanwhile, you are unlikely to get through to the child. Speak quietly and the child will need to calm down in order to hear what you have to say.

Explain

Many parents believe that a toddler is unable to understand reason. That’s why they stop at yelling “no”. However, it’s very important to explain to the child why he or she can’t do something. With time, this work always pays off.

Teach Patience

When parents drop everything they are doing to comply with the child’s demands, they rob their kid of the ability to practice patience. Meanwhile, patience is one of the most important skills people need in their lives, starting from toddlerhood. Talk the toddler’s emotions through since they can’t do it just yet. Always say something like: “I know that you want to get home fast. I’m so glad you are being patient. You are doing a great job!”