Okay, that's not exactly the "red-handed" that I meant.
Hmm ... another $3.93 spent at Starbucks. There goes my college fund.
A dollar? This will get me nowhere!
Gosh this purse is a mess!
Should I be doing this??
What in the world??
As you can see, now that Tanner is getting around he is into EVERYTHING!! We have an entire playroom full of toys, but of course he wants nothing to do with them -- BORING! Instead, he loves to play with lamp cords, magazines, our entertainment stand, the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, I could go on and on. I am not writing this to complain -- he's just delighting so much in his newfound discoveries. But I do have a question for you seasoned mammas -- when should I start disciplining him and how? When does "NO" start to carry some weight? Right now, we find ourselves saying that word a lot, and the sterner our voices are, the more giggles and laughter we receive from our boy. This is especially prevalent at lunchtime, when Tanner starts dropping pieces of food on the floor. He will pick up a morsel, hold it over the side of his highchair, and look at me.
"Tanner, No!"
Giggles. More Giggles.
Drop.
I would love some good advice!
9 comments:
Girl let me know when you find out!!! =) LOVE the pics, sooo funny!
Taylor laughed when I said no at that age too... but she soon learned it wasn't funny. I think it depends on the kid. With T the best thing was to ignore her and she'd stop right away and be sorry. Now she definitely knows but she's a year older. There are some interesting techniques for discipline in the Happiest Toddler on the Block. Some of it I found pretty hokey but there were some good things to. (Sorry I haven't called you back!)
Tanner is growing up so fast! So - as for the advice... What we did (and still do) is tell Brady "not to touch" and remove his hand from the object. The more I have to tell him not to touch something, the more stern my voice gets. Saying "no" is like a game to Tanner right now. Using short phrases like "not to touch" or "eyes only" are good. As for throwing food on the floor - again, it's a game for him! We tried everything in the book when Brady went through this phase (and it lasted a loooong time), but ignorning the behavior or saying calmly "food stays on tray" and picking it up after dinner was over worked best. He's really looking for a reaction from you. Whatever method you use for either situation, consistancy is key. Good luck! It will take time for him to get it - but he will :) Love you!
Carolyn
We say no. nd if Kyle still doesn't listen, we make him pick it up and put it back. He hated this at first, but now all the food that he spills by accident he now pick up after hes done. Its great.
Tanner is still so young to enforce "real" discipline (i.e. timeouts, etc.), but we definitely did stern "No"'s along with a firm squeeze of the boys' hands. The squeeze was actually a really effective accompaniment until we got to the timeout phase bc it showed them that we were serious.
As for throwing things "overboard", prayers and best of luck. We still have such a problem with it with T-baby and sometimes, M (who's now 3!!) I try to show them the alternative (putting it on the table) and then get so excited when they mimic. T is just catching on and waits for my positive feedback when he puts his bowl on the table, rather than throwing it on the floor. Hallelujah when it happens! :)
I just sniled and laughed at the pics of Tanner going through your purse. Very, very cute! He really is adorable. I'll be checking to see what everyone suggests to you about discipline and file it away for when Grady goes through this stage! Right now I'm happy if he acknowledges my exisitence! :)
Rachel,
This is definitely a phase that he will grow out of. As far as touching cords and things...we would say "no touch" and redirect to something more interesting. Keep the words simple and direct. Other than that, keep a broom handly or get a dog to fix the food problem:) He'll stop after a while. The pics of him gong through your purse are really cute. How did your appointment go? Sorry I didn't see you at the shower, we had a wedding.
WOW! Everyone's advice is really good... Our lab comes in really handy for food cleanup, so I luckily didn't care about the food thing! The sippy cup on the floor drove me nuts and it took over 6 months for him not to throw it... I'm sure there's some contraption out there to prevent it from hitting the floor, which is what they LOVE to hear! Good luck!! The "real" fun is beginning!! :-)
Love the pictures! I read all of the advice, because we are there with Kennedy. She actually laughs every time I say no. The other day she was cracking herself up so much that I literally was biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Once the food starts hitting the floor with her, I tell her not to do it and then take her out of her high chair and tell her all done. Sometimes she gets really upset with that because she really wasn't finished eating. It seems to have helped some, but I am not sure how much. I think every kid goes through these phases!
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