September 29, 2010

oh, baby center?!

i'm sure every mother is signed up for Baby Center and their emails which typically are packed full of useful tips and information.
i got my daily 'helpful' email last night and the subject read '11 toddler behavior problems and how to handle them' - DING DING DING! an email specifically about kullen! HAHA!!!

the first topic - 'agression, hitting and biting' - AKA - kullen.
i begin to read about agressive behavior and how it is normal for kids but you should still try to control it as much as possible. ok, this i already know. then they go into a scenario. picture this - If your child gets into the ball pit at the indoor play center and immediately starts throwing the balls at other kids, take him out. Sit down with him and watch the other kids play, and explain that he can go back in when he feels ready to join the fun without hurting other children. - baby center
REALLY??!! i am supposed to remove my 15month old from the ball pit - this alone is cause for a meltdown in his eyes. then i'm supposed to sit down with him while he watches [and is supposed to LEARN] - are you KIDDING me baby center? i would love to meet the 15month old that actually DOES this. mine would have a meltdown that was off the charts!


next we had 'hair-pulling' - another recent kullen activity.
For young toddlers (12 to 18 months), the most likely explanation is the simplest one: They've discovered how to get a reaction, and they want to get it again.
ok, this makes sense, right? yet their first solution to this is as follows:
Demonstrate futility. One of the keys to suppressing your toddler's inappropriate behavior is demonstrating convincingly that it doesn't work. If you ignore your toddler's hair pulling, it will work.

ok, so you want me to ignore the fact that my son has grabbed a chunk of my hair and practically pulled it from my scalp? um, yeah, no can do buckaroo! how about i go up to whoever wrote this article and yank their hair as hard as i possibly can (and believe me when i say that my boy is strong) and see if they can 'ignore' me. psh!

those two in specifically made me laugh out loud! who writes this stuff? do they actually have kids and more importantly, do their kids actually DO said things?!!
read the entire 11 behavior issue article HERE
don't get me wrong - Baby Center typically has some good advice and the 9 other things listed along with suggestions for ways to keep your cool were great but these two are just unimaginable to me? i could never imagine removing kullen from a situation [let alone mid-tantrum] and him being okay with it. no haps in my world!

another thing i thought funny - the description for your 15month old is - '15 months - more meltdowns'. HAHA! hilarious yet so unbelieveable true. when kullen has good days, he's amazing but boyyyy when he has a bad day - he is AWFUL! i guess 4 teeth poking through are a key factor but geeeze - 16 months can't come fast enough! ;]
althoughhhhh - according to baby center - the description for 16 months is 'letting it all hang out' OH LAWD!!!!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

ugh. this made me LOL. I honestly don't think there is anything you can do until they are closer to two. Dominic is just now starting to "get" what I am explaining to him. Which is actually REALLY been a step in the right direction. So I can see the first suggestion working for him now (sorta). But at 15 months??!!?? Give me a break!

Throw Open the Windows said...

Too cute... and too funny!! I can totally relate. And since I never have time to read Baby Center anymore, thanks for the synopsis. LOL! Visiting from NFF. Rebecca :o)