We received this lovely little note from Hadley's teacher yesterday....
Really? She bit someone? I couldn't believe it. Her teacher reassured me it is age appropriate, but I still never thought my baby would bite someone. And even worse, it was not provoked.
Then, Brandon goes to pick Hadley up today. And she tried to bite someone again today. I'm really at a loss of what to do. They do tell them no when they bite. Hadley had just started to get her feelings hurt when she "gets in trouble" or someone sternly tells her "no" in disappointment. They told us that she went and pouted in the corner after today's little incident.
Recently, we've noticed that if we say no, Hadley has figured out she can still do whatever she is doing (touching the television, touching the Christmas tree, etc). We want her to understand no means no, but aren't really sure how you "discipline" a 14 month old. I mean, should we even be disciplining her yet? I had no idea we would have to think about these things at such an early age!
So Sunday, I was determined to find a couple of books we could read on this subject and ordered these:
The Happiest Toddler on the Block: How to Eliminate Tantrums and Raise a Patient, Respectful, and Cooperative One- to Four-Year-Old. Sounds perfect! I ready Happiest Baby on the Block and really liked what the book had to offer, so I'm hoping we pick up some great tips from this one.
The Discipline Book: How to Have a Better-Behaved Child From Birth to Age Ten. This book sounded great. It talks about how to shape your child's behavior so that good conduct comes naturally. It touches on mother vs. father roles, developing connection with your baby that will make discipline easier in years to come, saying no, temper tantrums, helping your child express their feelings, the spanking debate, etc.
I'm hoping we will gain a little insight in the whole discipline department. We sure do need something! I will report back after we finish reading these!
Aww! I know we are dealing with tantrums already and I'm not a fan! It's hard. The main ways I am disciplining right now are the redirecting and distracting with other things. I do a firm NO! And then try to replace it with what he CAN do. However, we have had to hand slap or a little bottom smack, too, which may or may not be effective. I absolutely hate spanking him, but sometimes for a stubborn boy, I have found it is the only thing that works! Micaiah has always had a REALLY strong will to go back to the things we say no to and do them over and over despite what we say, but I just try to be patient and keep at it. It WILL sink in at some point! Here's to entering the toddler stage! lol
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