Be good or the dog gets it!
Last week I wrote a post about managing difficult behaviour in children.
In particular the behaviour of one our our daughters. R.
R has been ‘misbehaving’ over the past few weeks.
She’s started shouting a lot, storming off and saying no to everything.
Sounds like pretty normal toddler behaviour, but I’ve not been sure about how best to deal with it.
The softly, softly approach worked on occasion, as did the strict shouting at her, but I hate doing that!
I thought about introducing time outs, but it’s not something we’ve actually started.
Last week I inadvertently found a method that works!
I’m sure it’s one that many parents over the years have used, so I know I’m not alone in doing this.
Unlike M, R gets quite attached to things. In particular her blanket and toy dog.
They come everywhere with us and R takes them to bed with her every night.
R will talk to her dog, feed her dog and cuddle her dog.
She loves her dog!
Last Sunday R and M helped me to cook Sunday dinner.
They love ‘snapping’ the broccoli and putting it into the saucepan.
I thought that by getting them involved they’d eat better.
In fairness, M eats Sunday dinner very well. R on other hand will eat the broccoli and nothing else! I’m not complaining about that! It’s great that she loves broccoli as much as she does!
The part that I’m complaining about is the part where she sits down to eat.
Or the lack of it I should say!
Last Sunday, M was sat in her chair in the kitchen waiting for her food.
R entered the kitchen, saw that M had a bracelet on and decided that she wouldn’t sit down for food until she had the same bracelet.
We buy two of everything, but do you think we could find the other bracelet?! Nope!
We eventually managed to get M to swap hers by switching it for another bracelet, but by this time R just wasn’t interested in sitting down for food.
I’d had enough.
I told her in a fairly stern voice that mummy and daddy were fed up of her naughty behaviour.
I told her that M was also fed up of it.
I told her that if she didn’t sit down for her dinner I would take her toy dog off her!
When she didn’t listen, Twin Daddy, took the dog off her and we left her in our front room whilst M, Twin Daddy and I ate our food in the kitchen.
Eventually R sat at the table and ate her food.
Moral of the story – take the toy!
I’m hoping that by being consistent with this, R’s behaviour will improve.
She’s a good girl and had been really well behaved that day up until that point, but her repetitive behaviour when it comes to certain situations has to change!
Do you take special toys off your children to get them to listen?
13 Comments
Kim Carberry
January 14, 2015 at 12:57 pm
I don't take toys off my two as they are older but I change the password for the WiFi….hehehe It does the trick!
I hope he behavior improves 🙂 x
Dave H
January 15, 2015 at 3:36 pm
We've not got to this stage yet as the little one is 5 months old, but it's all food for thought on how we'd deal with behaviour we don't want. Hmmm, you've got me thinking now and I feel pretty lost and confused 🙂
Emz
January 16, 2015 at 10:39 am
Its sometimes probably the simple things like taking a toy away, that make kids think about what they are doing! Must be so tough when you start getting the 'NO' comments, I don't look forward to this at all! Good luck xx
Katy F
January 16, 2015 at 10:59 am
We are going through this right now- unfortunately she doesn't have a toy she is fond of! Doh! x
Zena’s Suitcase
January 16, 2015 at 12:18 pm
We have a pretty wilful toddler at the moment too. THings like this work for a while, then she goes ,well take it then!' or 'I want to sit on the time out step.' We keep trying thou, I know it will come good in the end. #binkylinky
Little Miss Alba
January 16, 2015 at 2:08 pm
I think your method is perfect – this is exactly what happens to me, I lose my blankie – devastation sets in and I learn a valuable lesson! You take the toy, we learn we will lose things we love from being badly behaved x Ax
First Time Mummy
January 16, 2015 at 3:31 pm
Sounds good to me, I was a nanny for 10 years and this is how I worked. If they were naughty, no treats, favourite toy taken away etc. It worked very well! #binkylinky
bloggingastrid.com
January 16, 2015 at 6:56 pm
I'm glad it works. My mother used to take random toys away from me when I tantrumed (I was much older than, aroudn ten, but still attached to toys and still tantruming). The difference is she wouldn't give them back, in fact pretended she'd thrown them away (she hid them in her study). This usually just made me more upset. I can totally understand taking a toy away would work in some situations, but for me it didn't. #PoCoLo
Ickle Pickle
January 16, 2015 at 9:47 pm
I am starting to discover my wilful side! If I am tired, gosh I am grumpy. Yes, Mummy threatens to take my favourite thing of the day. Sometimes it works….sometimes it doesn't! That's toddlers for you! #BinkyLinky
Victoria Welton
January 17, 2015 at 5:21 pm
I don't need to do it anymore but I used to take Grace's bobo (comfort blanket) off of her when she was younger. Great to see it works for you too. Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo
FromMummy ToMum
January 17, 2015 at 5:37 pm
I do this too normally their favourite toy at the time. With the youngest one with food I always do a "one more or you won't get pudding" but the older too its harder to find something they are particularly attached to.
Sarah H
January 17, 2015 at 6:10 pm
My 5 year old has just entered a similar behaviour stage!! not listening, not staying sat down at the table, answering back with 'no' and being generally loud and disrespectful. I am not sure how much of it is to do with tiredness from starting school, new found confidence and belief in herself since starting school or just her playing up because we have a baby due in 6 weeks but we are fed up of it and timeout is not working, maybe we should start taking her toys away, one each time for a few days until she gets it!!
Honest Mum
January 17, 2015 at 10:36 pm
Things will work out chick, totally relate as eldest is so stubborn and toddler is going through the terrible two's. I seem to be constantly threatening taking away toys and it's tiring! Thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts, please can you add my badge or link back, thanks x