Dealing with these 2 year old behaviors?

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zeldapsychology
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01 Sep 2009, 6:02 pm

Hey I have a 2 year old nephew and I was curious if you had tips for the following experiences.

1) In a restraunt he has a VERY small attention span (unless he wants to eat) he's looking around wants to move around etc. (as in not sit and eat) (His mom's friend suggested a Gameboy LOL! Sure at that young age you can't expect them to sit still but any tips to get him to not get all whiny?

2) 1 word SHARING! MINE! (I was using his mom's deer blanket he yanked it from me and said mommy's blanket and she said Mommy shares it's ok for her to have it) (I was cold) So any tips for this hard issue?

I know these are common issues for any 2 year old but I'd like to make since of them and how you fixed them (minus the never eat anywhere with him until he's X age LOL!)



Aimless
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01 Sep 2009, 7:04 pm

All that sounds pretty typical for a two year old. They say all that selfish behavior is actually a healthy sign that they are establishing a sense of self.



number5
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01 Sep 2009, 8:19 pm

Restaurants are all about keeping them busy. Think of anything you can to keep them involved with something - crayons + paper, matchbox cars, straws (with and without paper), creamers, small toys, even small snacks. Basically just go prepared and as long as it's not too loud or disruptive to other diners, it's fair game. Even if it's not the most quiet game, like smashing cars, I've found that most people would prefer to hear a child laughing than to hear a child whining. As for the sharing thing, be patient - he'll grow out if it. Just keep encouraging him. They don't call them the terrible two's for nothing! :)



Tory_canuck
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01 Sep 2009, 11:09 pm

Some restaraunts give crayons and paper to the children while waiting for their food....The Pizza huts and a few private ones here in Red Deer do.


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02 Sep 2009, 8:43 am

we use to reward sharing with something he liked till eventually got to the point when we did not reward, and now he happily shares. i always brought a mini jigsaw for sitting waiting, kept him happy., toys he could build, cars etc.



DW_a_mom
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02 Sep 2009, 11:44 am

zeldapsychology wrote:
Hey I have a 2 year old nephew and I was curious if you had tips for the following experiences.

1) In a restraunt he has a VERY small attention span (unless he wants to eat) he's looking around wants to move around etc. (as in not sit and eat) (His mom's friend suggested a Gameboy LOL! Sure at that young age you can't expect them to sit still but any tips to get him to not get all whiny?


Restaurants at this age are ALWAYS going to be a hit or miss experience, and everyone MUST accept that and be prepared for it. Yes, you do your best to keep him quietly entertained, but some days he just isn't going to be able to do it. What worked best for my son was the fact that he LOVED eating at restaurants, so the simple statement was this: "if you insist on whinning we are going to have to leave immediately. You get one more warning, and then we go." And you follow through, even if that means paying for uneaten food. Its considered an investment in learning what is expected at a restaurant.

If he doesn't LIKE restaurants well, then, I strongly recommend not taking him to any for a while. Kids grow and change; it won't be become a life sentence.


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hillse12
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16 Sep 2009, 2:13 pm

When we moved to Hawaii we had to live in hotels and eat in restaurants for 2 months! My daughter had AS and I was dreading it, thought it was going to be a nightmare. She has zero attention span. I put together a small bag of things that I knew she would be interested in. Start with the simple things first. I had a pencil and paper, then I would give her crayons, then stencils. We always keep sugar free suckers on hand and sometimes we bring a portable dvd player (with out the sound for other customers sake) There are things I need to do that are important and I have no choice but to bring my kids, that dvd player strapped to the stroller has worked wonders! You might get looks from parents that you're cheating, but my husband is military so it is just me and the kids most of the time, I will do whatever it takes! Start with small things first.