BabyCenter Update

Your 2-year-old now

If only all development happened in a straight line! For all your child’s progress, she’ll slide a bit backward every now and then. For example, someone who’s been sleeping soundly through the night (finally!) for months begins popping up in your bed at 3 a.m. A pacifier is dug up and latched on to. Or a child who was potty-trained early suddenly has a rash of accidents.

Regression happens for many reasons. Sometimes a child is working so hard on one kind of skill that she backslides on another. Stress (vacation, a new sitter, Mom returning to work) or fear (of the dark, of separating) may also be a trigger.

When your child regresses, provide extra security and comfort without making a big deal over it. It’s okay to give in a little, with a limit: “Okay, you can wear your pull-ups today, and we’ll go back to your underpants tomorrow.” Kids have a drive to go forward and will soon outgrow any “baby” behaviors they revisit.

We’ve seen a little of this recently, but I suspect it’s got more to do with Tallulah coming than anything else. He asks to pretend that he’s a baby–to be held cradle-style and rocked, mostly. We usually do it and after we’re done “playing baby,” we explain that we love Henry our little boy and how fun it is to have a little boy who can do things that baby boys can’t. It kind of works. We’re making some progress on the big boy bed, too.

Your life now

You’re probably learning which discipline strategies work best for you. But here’s one you should never use: Don’t take away your child’s lovey (favorite teddy, doll, blankie, or other beloved transitional object) as punishment. Don’t even threaten to do so. A lovey is a powerful symbol of you and a source of great comfort to your child. No matter how mad you are or what kind of lesson you want to teach, you don’t want to mess with something as central to your child’s well-being as that.

Well, this one doesn’t apply to us because HL doesn’t have a “lovey.” He’s not particularly attached to any one item.

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