How To Stop Toddlers From Biting-Toddler
How To Stop Toddlers From Biting
It is an unfortunate fact of life but, unfortunately, toddlers and biting frequently go together. It is a painful time for both the toddler and their parents and trying to stop the toddler from biting can be quite a challenge.Toddlers and biting may be a difficult challenge but there is hope for a cure if you are patient and consistent. First you need to understand why your toddler bites. The primary reason that a toddler bites another child or their parents is because of frustration. The toddler is now aware of his/her needs but frequently lacks the ability to successfully communicate those needs. Another reason that toddlers bite is when they are stressed. New situations, new environments, new people or playmates can all stress a toddler and biting maybe their reaction to it. Being hungry or tired also add to the toddler's stress.If a toddler bites out of frustration it is important to start teaching them the exact words they need to use in order to express their wants. Simple phrases like, "I want..." work best. If a toddler bites out of stress the best medicine is preventative medicine. Try to avoid putting the child in positions where he/she will likely to become stressed, a stress that may result in biting.When your toddler bites it is important that you respond immediately and appropriately. You need to let the toddler know that biting is not acceptable social behavior and that it needs to stop. Teaching the toddler appropriate means to handle stress and frustration are the best tools to handle toddlers and biting.Maria Gonzalez is webmaster of Parenting Made Easy, a site dedicted to helping new parents.For more great articles on parenting visit our Parenting Articles page.
Stop Procrastinating – Start Achieving Your Goals – Goal-Setting
Stop Procrastinating - Start Achieving Your Goals
It has been said that 60-80% of New Year's resolutions will be broken within the first two weeks. In other words, a lot of people have a hard time making the changes in their life they want to make. So you are not alone. Personally, I am not a huge advocate of New Year's resolutions because I believe in setting and achieving personal goals all year around. That being said, I wanted to share with you the top ten ways to increase the likelihood for success with achieving your goals.1. Stick to 1 or 2 important goals.Having a laundry list of all the things you would like to change in your life can be overwhelming. Your chances for success are much higher if you stick to 1 or 2 of your most important goals. This allows you to concentrate all your energy and focus on these goals. Once you achieve those goals, you can always set 1 or 2 more.2. Be realistic.It's okay to think big and want the best, but it is more important to succeed, so be realistic. Ask yourself whether or not your goals are reasonable and possible. It is probably not realistic to set the goal of never yelling at your kids again. How will you feel about your resolution when your children test you on a very bad day and you yell? Certainly one can cut back on yelling and work to find alternative ways to deal with misbehavior, but an all or nothing attitude may set you up for failure, and feeling like you've failed can set you up for more failure. Instead, accept and honor your humanness.3. Be specific.Be as specific as possible when determining goals. Articulate how you will measure success and exactly what you are trying to achieve. Setting a goal to lose weight is too general. A better choice would be to set a specific and manageable goal. For example say, "I will lose 25 pounds by June 30, 2005." Be specific when answering the what, when and how.4. Connect to your motivation for achieving your goal.Why do you want to achieve this goal? Why now? Make sure your motivation comes from your heart, and not from your head. In other words, your goal should be something you really desire, and not something you know you SHOULD do. Really connect to why this is so important to you. Pay attention to whether or not you are being driven by fear or love. Beware of setting goals based on what someone else in your life thinks you should do. Your resolutions should come from your authentic self.5. Examine your belief in your ability to achieve this goal.What do you believe about your ability to achieve your goals? If you have tried to reach the same goal many times before without much success, your confidence could be wavering. You could be feeding yourself negative messages without even realizing it. Be conscious about positive thinking. Remind yourself that you are capable of doing anything you set your heart to. Tell yourself every day that you have the ability to take the steps it will take to reach your goal.6. Create a detailed plan to achieve your goal.Let's say your goal is to eliminate the clutter in your home. But how will you start when the clutter is overwhelming? It may be helpful to break large goals into intermediate, manageable steps. Make a list of each area you need to tackle. Then break each area into even smaller segments that can be tackled easily. For instance, set time aside to clean out old clothes, then to organize sweaters, then to throw out old shoes, and finally arrange clothing by color or type. Don't forget to specify a time limit for accomplishing each of the smaller steps. Before you know it, the larger goal will have been met.7. Recognize that you may encounter obstacles.Most people give up on their goals because they run into some type of obstacle along the way. Obstacles can be internal or external. Examples of internal obstacles include negative self-talk, limiting beliefs and discipline issues. Some external obstacles are the lack of time, money or resources. Know in advance what hurdles you may have to conquer.8. Identify a plan of action to overcome obstacles.If you are trying to give up chocolate (I would never try this!), what are you going to do when you get a craving for chocolate, or when all your friends are chowing down on chocolate cake? Maybe your plan would be to carry a sweet substitute with you at all times. Or perhaps you could involve yourself in a fun activity when the urge strikes. If your obstacles are tougher and you need more support, consider hiring a life coach to help you work through your blocks.9. Enlist the support of an accountability partner.As you work towards your goals, it can be very helpful to have someone in your life to be your support partner. Consider asking your partner or friend to help you stick to the goals you have set. Use this person when you are struggling and set up a plan to check in regularly with him/her. As a coach, I have the privilege of trading coaching services with my peers. My coach helps me achieve my goals, overcome any obstacles, and celebrate my success.10. Celebrate success along the way.One of the most important things you can do for yourself is celebrate your small successes as you work towards your larger goals. Don't wait until the end to reward yourself. You deserve to be recognized for your efforts and your commitment, especially when your goals take a long time to achieve. If you don't celebrate on your journey, you will lose your motivation. So celebrate, celebrate, and celebrate!Achieving your goals can be tough work sometimes, but it is also very rewarding. If you fall off your path, remember you can always get back on. It's okay to take a few detours. It's also okay to take a break to rest. Don't beat yourself up or give up hope. Start again where you fell down and before you know it, you will be a pro at accomplishing your goals.Lori Radun, certified life coach for moms. Get her FREE monthly ezine for moms who want healthier and happier lives at http://www.true2youlifecoaching.com.
My Dog Won?t Stop Digging – What Can I Do?
My Dog Won?t Stop Digging - What Can I Do?
Lonely, bored, tired of eating that same old stick, then maybe you would like to dig yourself a hole.When it comes to the canine thought process this could be the reason why Scraps keeps tearing up your finely groomed lawn. This article will help you find the behavioral reasons why your dog digs and offers some suggestions on how to stop your companion's pesky habit.First and foremost as an owner don't go placing blame on your good friend until you are sure it is their fault. A good way to find out if your dog has been digging is to check its paws and nose for soil or pica. This is a good indicator to see if they have been eating dirt. In this case consult a veterinarian because there are all kinds of nasty bacteria in dirt that can affect your dog's health. Another full proof method to find out if your animal is the culprit is to hold yourself a stake out and catch it in the act. Don't start correcting the problem until you are sure it is your animal causing the problem. Otherwise you might cause the dog more anxiety than it has already endured from watching some other animal dig up its master's lawn.Once you have assessed that it is your dog doing the digging then you need to find out why it is digging. It is instinctual for dogs to dig for a number of reasons: boredom, loneliness, animals in the yard, to cool down, or just for fun. First you can judge by the nature of the whole and where it is located why your dog is digging. If your dog is digging next to the house or in shaded areas then it is probably too hot for it. If it continuously digs up the same spot in the yard then it is most likely a foreign animal and you should thank it for the early warning-gophers and moles can be a gardener's nightmare. If the placement of holes is sporadic then it is not receiving the stimuli or attention that a dog needs.After you've come to a conclusion why your dog is digging then you can try some of these suggestions to help thwart its efforts. If it is an animal causing the problem then you should call an exterminator or animal control to handle the matter. Building a dog house or adding a pet door can give the animal the comfort level it needs while you are away. The more difficult digging scenario to mend is the digging out of boredom or digging for fun case. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, physically punish your dog as this will teach the animal nothing except disrespect for humans which can lead to biting and other misbehavior. If your dog is digging out of boredom try giving it a tasty alternative such as a rawhide bone. It is a common misconception that dogs bury their bones. More likely if they are digging for a bone it is because they can't remember where they left. So give them the treats where they can find them easily. If toys and chews don't work then try exercising your animal more often throughout the day. It could be that they aren't expending enough energy and need some kind of outlet. If these simple methods do not work then you might have to get creative. One method is to bury a piece of chain link fence where the dog has been digging-it will not like this rubbing against its paws. You can also bury a balloon or sneak up on it with a paper bag; the popping will work as shock therapy. Other suggested methods are burying the dog's feces, mousetraps, or moth balls to deter the animal.In my own personal opinion the best way to keep the mischief down in an animal is to give them more love than they know what to do with. When you leave them alone they will more curious as to when you will return than with anything else.Stephanie Hetu
Find over 200 pages of dog training tips, information and cute pictures at Cutepuppydog.com