Play the Fool.
We could all learn a little something from Elmo’s friend Mr. Noodle. He is an adult who needs a lot of help from little kids to figure out how to do everyday things. This helplessness gives kids confidence because they feel really smart when they know more than an adult! For example, when trying to wash his hands he would do something like put his elbows in, then splash water on his face, or put his foot in the sink. Every time he does it wrong the little kids tell him the right way to do it until he finally gets it.
Find little ways to do this with your child everyday. Like forget how to put his shirt on in the morning. Or how to brush your/her teeth. How about what kind of utensil she needs to eat her cereal with? I’m sure there are a million things you can think of to “play the fool”.
*By the way this idea came from the Dr. Harvey Karp book The Happiest Toddler on the Block
Give your child lot’s of different experiences in the first 3-5 years of life especially. Since this is such an important time for brain development you want to expose them to lot’s of different experiences.
Join a play group, take them to community playgrounds, join some kind of tumbling or gymboree class, go to the local children’s museum, the local zoo, a small petting zoo, a farm, or even just set up lot’s of fun activities to do in your own home.
Go exploring outside, blow bubbles, make a fort out of chair cushions, get one of these little ball pits
Give them a paint brush and a bucket of water, or hand them a spray bottle filled with water and a towel to wipe it up with.
All of these experiences are teaching them new things about themselves and their world as well as making those all important brain connections. Children learn by playing so have fun playing!!!
Photo credit: Flickr
Try to be patient when your infant throws an object over and over and over again. This is an important part of brain development, they are learning cause and effect.
When your child is older and still throws things have them help you pick it up. Or if they make a mess by coloring on the wall or spilling water have them help you clean it with a sponge or towel. My dd loves to help clean things, it makes her feel like a “big girl”.
I find that if I have her help me clean the mess it reduces my irritation and I think eventually she will get tired of cleaning and think twice before throwing all her food off the highchair. I could be dreaming but hey it’s worth a shot right?
This picture really has nothing to do with this post. Just my adorable daughter helping me make cookies on New Years Eve. And no, I did not make her help clean the mess!
Most pediatricians recommend waiting at least until your child is 4 months old to feed cereal and 6 months for fruits and vegetables. Before this their stomachs haven’t developed the enzymes yet to digest food properly. Make sure to feed cereal from a spoon and not in the bottle. That way they learn how to eat from a spoon which also helps speech development and many other important things.
Don’t feed your baby solids while siting in a bouncy seat or car seat. It is easier to eat and digest your food if you are sitting up straight, like in a highchair. (Same goes for adults!)
