The child of 2 years and 10 months
Stubbornness can be a word to define the period just before the age of 2 and passing a little over the age of 3. It is the stage of development and recognition of emotions, when the child is perceiving the feelings of her and other people.
It goes from “I don’t want” to “it’s mine”, and then to “I’ll do it, yes”. Knowing how to deal with this complicated way of seeing the world is part of learning not only for the child, but for yours as a mother and the rest of the family.
Simple and direct conversations, in a clear yet soft way, and substitutions, diverting the child’s attention to another subject are some ways to deal with these moments of confrontation.
Another way is to try to listen to the child’s opinion and let him give his opinion when choosing, for example, the clothes he will wear, the food that everyone will eat and even the place he wants to go. This makes her feel part of the family.
It creates autonomy and learns to understand possible frustrations. Since stressful situations will arise until she can cope, it is your responsibility to be ready to be constant and loving at the same time. There is no need to knock or shout, you are learning together.
Stimuli and Games
At this age, the child can already perform the simplest tasks at home. Store toys or shoes, put folded socks in the drawer or dirty clothes in the basket, wipe the table, help set the table to eat, remove the plate from the table, throw the garbage in the trash.
Using recyclable materials to create games and make crafts is fun, stimulates creativity, interaction between you (which is very important for the child) and produces very interesting and funny things. Rolls of toilet paper turn into animals, pet bottles are healthy, or pots of yogurt are great rattles or other shapes, just search the internet for simpler tutorials, but using your imagination is also very good.
The modeling clay is a favorite. At first, it can just knead and curl. Give a few different materials to create shapes. Show how two clay balls can become a doll. In toy stores there are molds to cut clay from various shapes, but you can improvise with what you have at home.
Many parents end up transferring playing with their children to apps and toys are left out. How about rummaging through the toy box and making up a story or playing with these forgotten toys in the background? The child will love finding that stroller or doll.
Defrost continues
The pace of development of the child is very particular. One aspect has to do with defrosting. While some get rid of diapers easily, practically alone, others take a little more time, especially in relation to nighttime de-escalation.
It is recommended not to give up the process in the first accident and take everything with patience and good humor. Whenever it happens, talk to the child. She is still maturing sphincter control, and often, she doesn’t want to stop playing to go to the bathroom, it all depends on the situation.
Keep showing her what to do, ask her often if she is in the mood and wait or encourage her to wait a little longer on the potty.
If daytime defrosting has been successful and the problem is nighttime, calmness is also important. Some children actually take longer to have this control at night, and they may be over 3 years old.
Put the diaper on just before bedtime at first. Over time, line the mattress with a plastic or absorbent mat and try to take the child to the bathroom before bed. Avoid giving fluids after 6 pm.
