Loving discipline and positive guidance
Date :
Friday, April 23 2010
Source:
Autourina Mains
Babies are fascinated with the world and in order for them to learn they have to have opportunities to explore. When babies’ experiential opportunities are limited, the knowledge he/she gains is going to be limited as well. Babies need to touch, taste, feel, smell, see and hear in order to build their knowledge. The best discipline policy at this time of your baby’s life is to be proactive rather than reactive. What dose proactive mean? Being proactive means thinking of ways to keep the baby safe as he is exploring his world. Predicting what might be harmful and taking measures to make it safe is acting in a proactive way. Creating an environment that is safe, nurturing and conducive to learning is pertinent because the environment is the baby’s world of exploration. Many families “baby proof” their homes and that is one measure to be proactive. Other measures include:
- Crawl through the house to get a “baby’s eye view” of the environment and think of all that the baby may put in her mouth. Remember that your baby is in her sensory stage and everything she sees will go in her mouth for further exploration.
- Keep household plants out of reach (some household plants are poisonous)
- Cover all electrical outlets
- Shorten drapery and blind cords
- Keep appliances cords short so the baby cannot pull down toasters, coffee makers and other appliances down or wrap the cord around themselves
- Keep all breakable items out of reach
- Pad the edges of coffee tables, and tile fireplaces
- Secure your cupboard doors with baby proof latches
- Keep cleaning supplies in high cabinets and out of the reach of children
In addition to these strategies, inspect your floors for any small objects like coins that may fall and cause the baby to choke. I kept a small cardboard box full of toys and books in the living room and rotated toys periodically to keep them interesting. The lower cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms can be filled with plastic containers and noise makers for the baby to explore.
When you take these measures, you provide a safe environment for the baby to explore and learn rather than telling your baby “No” all the time. Talk to your baby and explain why he/she is not allowed to explore in unsafe areas. For instance when my oldest daughter was 1 year old, she walked towards the oven. At the time I was baking and the oven was hot. As she walked towards the oven I told her “Don’t touch, oven is hot.” I kept repeating “it is hot, hot, hot.” She touched the oven door for a split second and pulled back looking at me with her big eyes. I said “Is it hot?” She learned the word hot and whenever she saw the oven, she said “hot” but never touched it again.
Babies will get in to things they are not supposed to and the best way to discipline them is to remove them from the area and redirect them to another activity. Never spank your baby, or yell at them, because that just scares them and it may discourage them from further exploration which can limit their learning.