The Boo Box
>> Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Thank you everyone, so much, for your comments on Z and discipline ideas.
I realized that I was probably confusing Z with the playpen (toys, sleeping area when traveling, and timeout) so I've come up with a few solutions.
Hopefully they will work. If not, we'll have to think of something else.
First off, for timeout, since she's too little to sit on a chair and stay there, even a chair her size, I've decided we're going to use a sturdy apple box with no lid, put a bumbo in it, and she can sit in it without any toys. I can't leave her, obviously, because she will try to get out of the bumbo/box. I tried the box idea this evening without the bumbo and I think the bumbo addition will help her stay seated. Eventually the idea is to get rid of the box and have the bumbo/chair in the corner. But right now, the house we're in doesn't have many corners (open concept), and there are off limit bookcases she would like to climb in the few that we have.
I wish I could move the TV/cable box/modem, but we would have to buy a new piece of furniture and put huge holes in the wall. Hopefully we're moving soon, and once we do we plan to mount the TV high on the wall and have a different setup for the electronics that will keep them out of reach of tempted little hands. Right now, because we're renting our hands are tied as far as hanging anything, even pictures, and we don't want to buy any new furniture since the movers have an excellent track record of either breaking or damaging our stuff in the past.
Secondly, Mike and I have made her playpen a quiet play place, with books and quiet toys. I'm going to schedule the day so she has time to run around crazy, time to play with her toys freely, and time to play quietly. And I am NOT going to feel guilty about the quiet play. I may schedule myself some baking or something during that time so I'm not just sitting there watching her, lol.
Thirdly, I have organized her toys and will rotate them every week so that she will hopefully stay entertained by them.
Thankfully Z is a really good kid and up until now I haven't run into too much willful, deliberate disobedience. It may get worse in the future, I realize, but for now she pretty much does what I ask her to do, and when she doesn't, a verbal warning most of the time suffices. I am hoping she's like that into adulthood. :)
I realized that I was probably confusing Z with the playpen (toys, sleeping area when traveling, and timeout) so I've come up with a few solutions.
Hopefully they will work. If not, we'll have to think of something else.
First off, for timeout, since she's too little to sit on a chair and stay there, even a chair her size, I've decided we're going to use a sturdy apple box with no lid, put a bumbo in it, and she can sit in it without any toys. I can't leave her, obviously, because she will try to get out of the bumbo/box. I tried the box idea this evening without the bumbo and I think the bumbo addition will help her stay seated. Eventually the idea is to get rid of the box and have the bumbo/chair in the corner. But right now, the house we're in doesn't have many corners (open concept), and there are off limit bookcases she would like to climb in the few that we have.
I wish I could move the TV/cable box/modem, but we would have to buy a new piece of furniture and put huge holes in the wall. Hopefully we're moving soon, and once we do we plan to mount the TV high on the wall and have a different setup for the electronics that will keep them out of reach of tempted little hands. Right now, because we're renting our hands are tied as far as hanging anything, even pictures, and we don't want to buy any new furniture since the movers have an excellent track record of either breaking or damaging our stuff in the past.
Secondly, Mike and I have made her playpen a quiet play place, with books and quiet toys. I'm going to schedule the day so she has time to run around crazy, time to play with her toys freely, and time to play quietly. And I am NOT going to feel guilty about the quiet play. I may schedule myself some baking or something during that time so I'm not just sitting there watching her, lol.
Thirdly, I have organized her toys and will rotate them every week so that she will hopefully stay entertained by them.
Thankfully Z is a really good kid and up until now I haven't run into too much willful, deliberate disobedience. It may get worse in the future, I realize, but for now she pretty much does what I ask her to do, and when she doesn't, a verbal warning most of the time suffices. I am hoping she's like that into adulthood. :)
3 comments:
Hi Katie! I got in on this a little late, but the comments folks left on your last post seemed good and comprehensive. The two things that strike me as the most important to remember are that (1) every kid is different, and you are the one who knows Z best and (2) consistency is CRUCIAL. I know that's where I often mess up, especially if what my naughty one is doing at the time is funny! I laughed a lot at your description of Z and the electronics. Sounds SO much like Gwen, who is totally in love with remotes and phones! She's a lot harder to discipline than Brahm, who is super easily offended. Gwen just looks at me like "Is that all you've got?" when I smack her hand. Sigh. She often ends up in solitary confinement in her crib when she's naughty. Keep up the good work!
P.S. Rotating toys is a great idea! I do that too, though not as regularly.
Hi Katie, I just thought I'd throw some more titles at you (regarding parenting and discipline, specifically) because I know you have SO much time to read anything and everything that gets recommended to you. ;) But really, these are the two books (besides the Bible itself) that Ben and I have found EXTREMELY helpful and biblically-based: Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp, and Child Training Tips by Reb Bradley. I know you're just at the beginning of the discipline saga with Z, but the earlier you start, the better, they say. :) Just my two cents. You are a wonderful Mama and as long as you're looking to God for the wisdom to parent your beautiful girl I don't think you can go wrong!
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