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

sweet spot). Then Fran hugged her, walked her back to her
room, and tucked her back into bed. Fran kissed the
dollies good-night, sprayed the “secret superspray,” sang
the special song again … and went out. And that was it
for the night. The next night Stella slept beautifully.
Within five nights, Fran was able to start cutting back
to her old, briefer bedtime routine. And you know what?
A few weeks later, for Halloween, Stella begged Fran to go
trick-or-treating dressed up as an ant!
Gossip.
Let your child overhear you talking to her dollies about her
fear. And use gossip to reward your tyke’s little acts of bravery; for
example, petting a neighbor’s puppy or climbing up the slide. Each time
she takes another baby step forward, gossip to her toys about her
courage.
Win-Win Compromise.
For toddlers, every day is filled with
amazing, incredible sights! That’s why they strongly believe that almost
anything’s possible. (Ghosts? Sure. Monsters? Of course! Your boss
“exploded” at you today? Okay, but it sounds messy!) Using logic to
deny a panicked child’s fears (“There are no monsters!”) is as doomed to
failure as telling someone who fears flying that planes are safer than
cars. The fear is very real in the imagination.
Here’s a better approach: Wait for the panic to subside a bit, then offer
a win-win compromise that allows your tot to feel safe and enables you
to calm her hysteria. For example, you might suggest: temporarily letting
her sleep with you; allowing your dog to keep her company; getting a
Mickey Mouse night-light, etc.
Fairy Tales and Role-Play.
Use the “side door” of your child’s
mind to help lessen her fears. Have her dollies “talk to each other” about
the things that scare them … and how they calm themselves. Tell stories

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about nice doggies that lick your fingers and never bite and about mean
doggies who have to go to time-out when they do something bad; role-
play about dogs and encourage her to remind the puppy to be nice and
not to bite.