Toddler Tricks - 17

Ways you can trick your baby:

Problem:  Naptime disappears in the blink of an eye, and all those things you were going to get done are somehow still looming on your to-do list.  But now you have spritely toddlers in the way, bent on nothing but stopping you from doing your duties.

Solution:  I already showed you some toddler-friendly chores.  But what about craft time?  As your kids get older, they might enjoy helping you guss up the place a bit, or feed into your hobbies.  One toddler friendly activity is painting.  Cover the area completely, and make sure the paper on which they'll paint is large.  Then you can paint whatever you need to paint (in my case, letters that I will eventually - read 2015 probably - hang up on my wall) and they will paint along with you without hampering your style!

Ways your baby can trick you:

Problem:  When they're two years old, nothing will make them happy for long, not even painting.  If you're not soon dealing with paint all over your walls, you'll be dealing with tears and boredom.  Why?  Because nothing can keep them content for long.

Solution:  Keep all activities to 30 minutes, tops.  Even if you think they're doing well and can handle a longer time period, start with 30 minutes.  It's much easier to get a child to transition before they get bored than after they're already showing signs of fatigue.  Once they take a step toward Tantrum Lane, it's a lot harder to distract them.  The key is to catch them well before they have reason to be discontent.





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