The Good Behaviour Book: How to have a better-behaved child from birth to age ten. Martha Sears
latches, electric socket and plug covers, and so on). These and some ingenuity will enable you to protect your little scientist. Effort spent baby-proofing your home will pay off in less conflict with your toddler. Plus, you will be more relaxed parents. Childproofing also provides your young explorer with guidance from the controlled environment itself. Here’s a room-to-room guide to start with:
Living room/family room:
• Cover electrical sockets.
• Secure lamp cords so lamps can’t be pulled down.
• Anchor floor lamps, or remove them.
• Cover controls on the television, stereo, DVD or video.
• Cushion sharp corners on coffee tables and hearths.
• Display breakables out of baby’s reach, or put them away for a few years.
• Reorganize bookshelves (toddlers love to empty these, tearing covers and dust jackets).
• Move plants.
Dining room/eating area:
• Push chairs all the way up to the table to prevent climbing.
• Install latches on drawers or cupboards holding breakable dishes.
• Push items on the tabletop to the centre.
• Fold tablecloth corners under and up, out of grabbing distance.
Bathroom:
• Keep medicines, razors, pins, mouthwash, cosmetics, perfume, nail polish and remover, scissors, and other dangerous objects out of reach.
• Keep medicine cabinet latched.
• Pad bath taps.
• Place a non-slip mat in the bath.
• Use rugs with non-slip backings.
• Keep the toilet seat down and latched.
• Empty the bath after use. Don’t leave children unattended in the bath.
• Use plastic, not glass or ceramic, cups and soap dishes.
• Keep the bathroom door shut.
Kitchen:
• Store knives out of reach.
• Unplug small appliances. Don’t leave cords dangling.
• Store cleansers, solvents, bleaches, dishwasher detergent, and other poisons out of baby’s reach in a latched cupboard.
• Cook on the back burners, and turn pot handles toward the back.
• Cover the hob controls, or remove them.
• Store breakables, things your baby can choke on, and other dangerous objects out of reach. Remember, that toddlers can climb onto kitchen surfaces.
• Use unbreakable dishes when your baby is around.
• Store plastic bags and plastic grocery bags out of reach.
• Hold hot drinks where your baby can’t grab them, and keep them away from the edge of tables or counters.
Windows and doors:
• Keep sliding glass doors closed or locked.
• Place stickers at toddler eye level on glass doors.
• Lock windows.
• Shorten the cords on curtains and blinds to get them up out of children’s reach.
• Use netting to enclose the rails on balconies so that your baby can’t squeeze through.
Miscellaneous:
• Don’t forget the garage, with paint thinners, antifreeze, gardening tools, supplies, insecticides, and other hazards.
• Use a safety gate at the top and bottom of stairs, especially if they are steep and unpadded. Some parents choose instead, if their stairs are carpeted and not too steep, to let the baby learn to crawl up and back down and keep a close eye on the ungated stairs for the few weeks it takes baby to learn.
• You can move an adjustable safety gate from doorway to doorway to keep your child away from temptation when you can’t be right on his heels to supervise. Being able to block off the kitchen, for example, can save a lot of wear on mum and dad – you may not want the saucepan cupboard emptied at every opportunity. It’s safe, but sometimes mum can only take so much.
Once you have the “don’t-touch” items out of the way, consider positive steps you can take to encourage good behaviour in your toddler. Give him his own drawer in the kitchen, filled with interesting items to pull out, sort, and study, things like measuring spoons, plastic dishes, a potato masher. Provide things of his own around the house that he can push, pull, turn, and manipulate. Give him a safe outlet for climbing. Let him experiment with pouring water in a saucepan outside or in a bath, or at the sink under your supervision. Uncooked rice or oatmeal are easy-to-clean-up indoor substitutes for pouring sand.
Placing child-sized furniture around the house encourages the busy toddler to sit still longer and “work” at her own special table. A step stool will help her reach the kitchen sink for hand washing, tooth brushing, and for “helping” in the kitchen.
Toddlerhood is an exciting time in a child’s life. It can be great fun just to watch your little one play. Being observant will also help you know when to step in and help out and when to let your child work out a problem on his own. A safe environment allows him to do this.
Organize your day to fit your child. It’s easier to shuffle your daily schedule around a bit than to change the temperament of your toddler. Do not set yourself up for impossible struggles. You know your own child best, and you will learn by trial and error what works. Try these tips:
• Use wisdom when shopping. When you shop with a toddler, be sure you are both well rested, well fed, and be ready with a nutritious snack to keep his mind off the cereal boxes, lettuce, and egg cartons. Be prepared to have it take twice as long – take your baby sling along, let baby ride in the trolley, have fun and a short list. If you’re in a hurry, feeling distracted, or stressed, shop without baby. (See “Supermarket Discipline”).
• Plan ahead. Know your child’s up and down times of the day. Most toddlers behave best in the morning, worst in late afternoon or just before naptimes. Plan outings during what we call “easy times”. Martha finds mornings one of the easiest times of the day to get our children to fit her agenda. During “tough times” of the day, our toddlers stay at home.
• Anticipate your child’s moods. Provide snacks, lunch or supper, before he gets ravenous. Sit down to share some quiet activity before he’s so wound up he can’t fall asleep at night.
• Provide regular routines. You don’t have to be a slave to a schedule, but toddlers need predictability: breakfast first, then get dressed; put on socks and shoes, then go bye-bye; supper, quiet play, bath, brush teeth, then bedtime stories. Routines give a child a sense of mastery.
Organize your child to fit your day. While children are not machines set to behave according to the design of the parent engineer, there are simple ways to channel little minds and bodies to make your day run smoother:
• Rested mind and full tummy. If you have no choice but to take a toddler to a place where it’s difficult to be a two-year-old, plan ahead. Suppose you have a meeting with your older child’s schoolteacher