Seaside Mothers of Multiples


Toddler Behavior

aka Herding Cats! 


Discipline books SMOMs have had success with:

  • The Dance of Interaction (Jeanine Fitzgerald)
  • Negotiation Generation (Lynne Reeves Griffin) 
  • I, 2, 3, Magic (Thomas Phelan) 


This is a perennial question at our meetings. Generally binkies should be discouraged after the age of one to encourage speech development. Suggestions include:

  • Start by having as few binkies in the house as possible (maybe one!) 
  • Wean off the binkie gradually, (by using it only at naptime, nightime, etc)
  • Take it away for good while your child has a head cold and is therefore not using it as much.
  • Replace it with a smaller size to discourage use.
  • Cold turkey: Set a date and hold a ceremony to throw it away together at the dump! 
  • The Binkie Fairy: Put the binkie under the pillow (or by the door in a gift bag, etc), and it is miraculously replaced by a toy or other reward. The Fairy might be bequeathing your child's binkie as a gift to young babies who need binkies.



Five minutes in line somewhere with kids can feel like an eternity to everyone, including the people waiting behind you! Instead of the feed-them-a-snack trick, try giving them a book--you can read or talk about it together and the kids can swap when they're done. Try keeping a bag of books in the car. Some good places to have books on hand:
1) The doctor's office: keep the kids entertained and away from the germy toys!
2) Drive-thru: Big board books work best so everyone can see.
3) In the bathtub: Read to the kids when they're getting too hyper (or when you're trying to kill time!)
4) In the highchair--great for babies/toddlers who don't stop moving!
5) The Library: Of course! Great on cold days, and it's free! It's also fun to visit libraries in other towns.

Dining al fresco...


Now, of course we want our kids to be enthusiastic eaters, and we want them to "explore" the textures and tastes, and how gravity affects sliced banana, but there's a limit to how much mess and waste WE CAN TAKE!! Here are some options for coping with young diners under two:

*Best option: Get a dog!
* Go beyond bibs. Get ones with catch-all pockets. This SMOM swore by the iPlay long-sleeve "Best Bib", essentially a washable smock.
* Wait it out. Unfortunately, messy floors are one of those occupational hazards for parents. And lots of food gets wasted.
* Portion control: Dole out the food in small amounts, make sure the sizes of the pieces are not frustratingly small, and stay focused with them on eating. Don't react to antics, instead stay calm and remind them what your expectations are (pretty simple: "Eat! Yum!").
* If they are playing with something, they are probably done; if it is new, they may not be ready to do more than taste. Say "all done" and remove the food, moving on the next "course."
* When all else fails, have all meals outside. Of course, this requires a side helping of PABA and DEET and is impractical 9 months of the year.
* Use a dropcloth under the table or highchair (or vinyl tablecloth, shower curtain, painters' sheeting, etc). Hmmm. You still have to clean the cloth, or shake it out into your lawn--your squirrels will become as "friendly" as the ones on Boston Common.
* Let the food dry into little pebbles overnight then vacuum it up. (Kidding. Though this does occur by happy accident.)
* Place the front legs of the chair into a large plastic party tub. This is a tried and true SMOM solution. Now, about the applesauce on the wall...

Several of us have been having a tough time with "back talk" and I found this article to be very helpful. We are doing the allowance chart, and it has been working very well. Check it out: 

--Angela K.

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