Power Struggles with my 16 month old DD!

Laiya

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 7:10 am

June wrote:

OMG this is exactly my baby.

And in the example I gave, it wasn't really a punishment. When she drops food off her highchair I take her out and we clean it up together. She usually cooperates. That time she decided to start mushing it into the floor instead of helping me pick it up. And then when I tried to redirect her she wanted to come on my lap. I told her we still need to put the food back on the table (we get ants reeeeally quickly) and then she could sit on my lap. So she started picking up the food and throwing it.

But yes, this is my first child and BH she's really advanced so it's hard to remember that she's still a tiny baby. I appreciate all the posts and links/recommendation, lots to think about.

I 100% agree with what others have said.

As far as mushing food, at this age, and older too, the sensory experiences are still very new for them. She's not thinking, "Mommy wants to clean? Ha! I'll show her!" She's thinking, "This feels so cool on my fingers! Wow!"

Similar with throwing: "All I did was open my fingers, and it fell down! AND it made Mommy yell! I wonder if the same thing will happen if I do it again??"

Hatzlocha!

luppamom

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 7:42 am

I keep my expectations low. Right now, we're working on not biting. That's an important one! One thing I noticed is I have to be careful how I react b/c my DD thinks being told No! is fun. I've been just moving away from her when she does this and that works much better b/c it's not a game.