10 Effective Ways to Parenting Toddlers While Dining Out!

Feb 22

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Toddlers always scream in public. It can be embarrassing situation for every parent while parenting toddlers. Parents face difficulty when they take their toddlers for dining out. Here are effective ways in parenting toddler while dining out.

Effective ways in parenting toddler while dining out:

1. Preparation and practice! If you have preparation and practice while parenting toddler, dining out can be an enjoyabe experinece for the entire family. Dealing with infant needs only preparation, but parenting toddler requires both aspects.

2. Disruptive behavior! Toddlers behave in disruptive way when they are hungry, need a diaper change or tired. Toddlers get bored during the waiting periods that are a part of restaurant dining which leads to disruptive behavior. Parenting toddler is easy if you prepare for these situations before only.

3. Selecting the restaurant! Restaurant selection is the first step in preparation. Find out whether the tables are set far apart that other diners will not be disturbed by your toddler noise. Find whether there is a place for breastfeeding so that a mother can feel comfortable nursing her toddler.

Find if there is room for diaper changing. Find out whether the restaurant is busy and the peak dining hours. If the restaurant is busy, quick service will not be there.

4. Practice in parenting toddler! When you enter the restaurant, practice comes into picture. You have to teach the toddler how to dine out. Start small and work your way. When you are starting to teach your toddler, select a family friendly place so that they will accept the behavior and noise of toddlers. Fast food places are the better option to teach toddlers in the beginning.

5. Don’t choose! Do not chose the restaurant which have play ground types of acivities and equipment for children. Such type of restaurants encourages loud behavior which is not what you are trying to accomplish. Once your toddler is habituated with fast paced settings, you can slowly work on your way to more formal settings.

6. Be prepared while parenting toddler! Bring a blanket for breastfeeding at the table. Make sure to have plenty of formula for a bottle fed baby. For a toddler, bring finger foods or light snacks to nibble while waiting for the main dish. Arrange the dining time to coincide with the normal mealtime of the toddler. Don’t offer unnecessarily to save his appetite for the meal.

7. Time is important! Select the time as it is important factor. You can choose nap time for young infant because baby can sleep happily in car seat or in your lap with breast or bottle while you can have peaceful meal.

While parenting toddler, select the time for best performance level for meal out. If your toddler is tired and meal timings are changed, it can lead to difficult situation.

8. No boredom! While parenting toddler, come prepared with the things so that they cannot get bored. Encourage them to do their own activities so that you can spend some time with your dining companions. You can get crayons and coloring books so that your toddler can enjoy.

9. Get the toddler things! While parenting toddler, bring your own supplies. Toddler cup with spill proof lid, paper towels or napkins, and package of baby wipes are good preventive measures.

10. Quick getaway! Be prepared to make a quick getaway if necessary. If your toddler behavior makes that necessary, you can simply getaway. Don’t bribe or bargain a toddler for good behavior. You feel inconveneint getting up and leaving at that moment but it can lead to long term behavioral gains.

With preparation and practice, parenting toddlers will become easy at the restaurant. While parenting toddlers, you have to remember these things so that the toddlers follow and carry into other social situations and make meals at home more pleasant.

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Parent-coaching: 7 Ways it Can Help Parents in our Modern Changing World

Dec 23

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“Why do parents today need parent-coaching?” is a question I have been asked many times.

Why can’t parents just parent the way we always have – taking some of their ideas from their own parents and coming up with others of their own? This is a model that has worked well for centuries now – despite parents wishing that their child did come with that magic manual!

The difference is now however, we live in a time of such vast technological change that it is a very different world in which to be a parent. What once could be gleaned from generations past, no longer holds true. Our parents didn’t have to contend with the omnipresent forms of technology that we as parents do – today more than 40% of Australian 6-13 year olds own a mobile phone, while only 12% of 14–17 year olds don’t regularly use one. Many of our children now have virtually 24/7 contact with their peers!

Our children on top of an average of 11 hours TV viewing a week also often spend hours in front of the computer with almost half of them being exposed at some time to offensive material on the internet.

We as parents don’t have guidelines from our own childhoods to deal with these constant changes and challenges, nor the ever increasing pace of change which is a part of our modern day world. It’s tough (as well as rewarding) being a parent today!

This is why parent-coaching can be a very valuable support for parents. Good coaches know that parents don’t need ‘fixing’, just the chance to see their situation differently. Coaching provides parents with an opportunity:

1. to gain skills and knowledge to face change with confidence

2. to discuss strategies to deal with the challenges that modern day parents face

3. to become observers of their own behaviour as we can only change what we notice

4. to make choices about changing their way of being

5. to put steps into place to approach their relationship with their children differently

6. to be accountable to themselves for the changes they wish to make

7. to maintain close family relationships, which in our constantly changing world are more important than ever.

We will become a far more positive society when reaching out for support to help us deal with modern day parenting challenges is seen as a healthy thing to do instead of a sign of weakness. After all it is our next generation we are talking about here and they deserve the very best start in life that we as parents can give them.

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