Is there even such a thing as toddler training? Spend time at any park, play place, mall, or grocery store and most of the time the “trained” individual seems to be the parent. Toddler training isn’t often popular in our society but most people don’t realize how much more pleasant life could be if more households engaged in a little toddler training.
The training I am speaking of doesn’t come easy and it isn’t some 5 step program that claims to have your toddler the most polite on the block. It is time intensive and difficult. It will likely leave you frustrated and shaking your head at times, but, my dear friend, it is SO worth it in the long run.
One of the first things to remember with your toddler training is consistency. No matter whether you are cooking dinner, or relaxing on the couch you must react in the same way to the same behavior every time. Many times, even at 1 or 2 years old a firm voice and eye contact is enough to deter a bad choice after you have established your consistency. But you must establish that respect for your wishes and instill within your child a trust that if they make that bad choice there WILL be a punishment. If you give them reason to wonder if you will really follow through with it then most often they will try it every time.
The best time to focus your toddler training on sitting still and quiet is within the comfort of home, not in a meeting or at church. Teaching self-control and self discipline takes a lot of time and you can’t expect your toddler to learn it if they are only made to do once a week at church or every once in awhile during a meeting or such. We use Blanket Training here in our house and are pleased with the results, but we also have other times of the day that even the toddlers are required to sit still and listen. These times of toddler training include meal times, times of reading aloud from Mom, family worship, and often while I am cooking dinner. I will many times during the intensive trainig days place a blanket on the edge of my kitchen area and require the toddler to sit on it with a few toys while I cook. It is yet another practice time for them and keeps them safe and out of harm while I am busy. And yet they are close enough that we often sing, work on body parts, talk about what I am doing, and practice speech as well. If Blanket Training isn’t for you it is still a very good idea for your toddler to be able to sit quietly with little to no interaction from you for a span of 15-20 minutes. They will need clear boundaries and expectations and LOTS of practice. But we all use self-control everyday and the earlier that our children learn this the easier it is for them.
So, once you have gotten the consistency down and your toddler realizes that you mean what you say the first time and they are working their way toward being able to sit quietly in a defined space when you tell them too your toddler training is well under way and your life will be getting easier already. But there are other ways to make you toddler a joy to be around for anyone and in any situation. So, join me next time when I share with you about how to teach your child to respect others and their things.
Linked to A Wise Woman Link Up.
Hi, I have tried Blanket training in the past with several of my kids. My littlest one, 19 months, has found it really difficult to extend his time past 10 minutes without getting off the blanket. He knows he must stay on there, but he steps off a bit, looks at me to see what I will do, I have decided that he goes to the play pen for a minute or 2 for coming off, I go get him, we try again…goes on like this till the timer I have set goes off, we pack up the toys and I flop with disappointment.
If you have time, I would love to know more details about how you have your toddler STAY on the blanket, and what to do when they come off.
Thank you for your blog!