Page 18 - Baby Sleep Miracle (Mary-Ann Schuler) : Flip It & Read It

Whenever you are in involved in a task such as cooking a meal, it is wise to
offer your young child some pots and pans, plastic containers, and small
objects to use in filling, dumping, stirring, etc. so that your child can play
and imitate you while you cook. If your child complains, you should try to

redirect him physically or verbally.

Moreover, you should be clear to your child about when it is time that you
will pick them up or help them and when it isn’t because you are busy.

As soon as you are finished with your chore, you should reward them for
playing alone or waiting by sitting with them to read a story or playing with
them briefly.

For young babies, they may be carried about in a sling while you do
household chores so that he or she can see what you are doing.

With older children – preschoolers and school-aged children – it is helpful to
teach your child to label his or her emotions and to read bodily signals so
that he or she can implement calm-down strategies on their own.

Sometimes children respond to ideas like a traffic light or mood meter with
red color denoting “time to put on the brakes” or mad or angry feelings and
green or blue colors for feeling calm or focused.

Other children respond well to thinking about their engine is running.

© 2016 Mary-Ann Schuler - WWW.BABYSLEEPMIRACLE.COM 21