There is nothing more frustrating for a parent than to say something they know their baby understands, but that their baby just seems to blithely ignore. From the: don’t touch that to the bring that to mommy to the play nicely to the stop doing that – when your toddler isn’t listening to you, you may wonder what you are doing wrong. Before you start banging your head against a brick wall in frustration, keep the following in mind:
- Actions speak louder than words to your toddler, if you want them to stop doing something, remove them from the activity and put them at another one
- Don’t just call to them from another room, walk in and get firm eye contact with them so they know you are serious
- Don’t tune out your child, I’ve seen this done time and again when a toddler asks for a drink or food or some other item, only to have their parent not even acknowledge the request – when asked about it later, they admit they didn’t hear it in the first place
- Don’t be too complicated – toddlers are still learning the beginning stages of the language, keep your requests and orders down to the absolute basics such as demonstrating what you are asking and expect to have to do it several times before they get it
- Remember that your toddler is not trying to drive you insane, they may simply not understand or they may not be able to comprehend how to do what you are asking
- Short and sweet should be your mantra – if they have totally disheveled a room, don’t expect to tell them to clean it up and have them do everything – start out with – help mommy get all the blocks, then move from item to item until everything is up where it needs to be
- Be their cheerleader – seriously, using positive reinforcement is a great way to remind them that they did it right instead of just getting mad at them when they do it wrong
- Be patient – every child learns at a different rate, just because your neighbor’s child puts away one toy before getting out another doesn’t mean your child is stupid because they don’t – it just may take them longer to get the hang of it
What do you do when your toddler doesn’t listen to you?
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