The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

We Set a Bad Example.
Venting your anger in front of your child
may train her to scream more. She’ll learn that unleashing her rage is
totally fine. After all … Mommy does it.
They Get Stuck in an Emotional Corner.
For many little
Tarzans, forcing them to give in can make them feel humiliated. When
their primitive sense of pride gets bruised, they go bonkers. The harder
these kids struggle against us, the more they get painted into an
emotional “corner,” unable to gracefully back down and recover from
their upset.
Jeev, 18 months, was a gentle boy, but he could still act
pretty uncivilized. He loved eating whole pears … but one
day his mom, Suparna, cut his pear in pieces because it
was extra juicy. His response? He grabbed the plate and
hurled it at his mom’s head! Suparna realized her
“mistake” and immediately offered Jeev a whole pear.
And what did this little cave-kid do? He scowled, shook
his head No! and refused to even look at it.
Like Jeev, your toddler may get so upset she paints herself into a corner,
unable to give in, even when you offer exactly what she’s asking for.
That’s why respectful, diplomatic skills are so great. They help our tots
escape from this predicament with their pride intact.
They Have “Temper” Temperaments.
Intense and spirited
toddlers have bigger meltdowns because, well, they do everything bigger.
You can’t change your child’s temperament, but the tips in this book will
help you keep him from exploding into anger with every frustration and
disappointment.
Our World Is Simultaneously Too Exciting … and Too
Boring.
Your toddler’s immature brain may get overloaded by noisy

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DVDs and fast-paced TV. Yet at the same time, she may get bored
spending a lot of time at home. Remember, up until 200 years ago,
toddlers usually spent many, many hours a day playing outdoors.
Tantrums Work!
When we give in to outbursts (or pay too much
attention to them), our kids learn that screaming gets them what they
want. Younger toddlers recognize this sub-consciously, but older ones
often learn to intentionally use fits to get their way.
Today’s parents face many tough challenges. On top of working full-
time jobs outside the home (which over half of all moms with kids under
the age of three do), they cook and clean and do housekeeping chores,
and they may be responsible for the care and feeding of their parents
and/or grandparents, too. These days, most parents shoulder these
responsibilities without much assistance from neighbors, kin, babysitters,
or other hired help.
Whew! No wonder it feels like you’re giving 120 percent … you are.
You try so hard. You do so much. That’s why it can really push your
buttons when your toddler turns into a screaming red-eyed bully. It can
feel so unfair—even humiliating—especially if she pelts you with mean
words, like “I hate you!” or “You’re stupid!”
Our toddler’s rage can suddenly push us over the edge into our own
impulsive, irrational rage.
We’ve all been there, but when it happens we must try to remember to
breathe and say to ourselves: My child is the caveman.… I’m a civilized
adult.
And as a civilized adult, you must try to stay calm and not return your
child’s outbursts with sarcasm, humiliation, or removal of your
love … and certainly not with violence. (Review
Chapter 2
for more
ideas on how to handle your strong feelings.)