Three things you can’t force a child to do.
Did you know that there are things you can’t make a child do without them wanting to? Those are eating, sleeping and excretion.
These three things are governed by the owner’s body, what you can do is only help. If a baby doesn’t want to eat, excrete or fall asleep, you can’t force it to. Whether you use soft or hard measures, you won’t force a baby to close their eyes and sleep.
What to do.
Eating Time: Your baby might not be eating well at its usual time because he/she might be feeding irregularly; like drinking all the time or snacking at odd times. Moreover the baby might prefer eating when hungry and not necessarily at the timetable you set for it. Try waiting to feed it at noon even if it didn’t eat well at ten (if that’s your timetable). Don’t shun the baby if it refuses to swallow as eating should be something you make enjoyable.
Excretion: excretion should not be a traumatizing experience with the pot. Let the baby ask for it as it learns to, it will come with experience. You may think it’s a waste of pampers because they are not only expensive but also when it’s time to change them, the baby has done nothing in it. Try not to worry, rather train it to like pampers if it needs them and you will notice that slowly it will refuse pampers when actually they are not needed. Just remember excretion goes by its body’s needs, it doesn’t comform to the time set for changing. Even for you, it’s hard to time your excretion.
Sleeping Time: You should make your baby used to its sleeping time without making it confrontational. With your baby you can make it a game, like drawing all the activities that the baby does leading to bedtime. When it is time for sleeping, the baby will know that it is the next item on the game, like that it will have the program in its mind and will enjoy it.
If the baby is still small try to know what it likes, just try to follow its taste and respect it as a person and do not drag it at your pace or make it conform to everyone’s doing.
Parents and guardians should take great care with these three major activities in a baby’s life, because if not handled so, then it can be a source of conflict between you and the baby.
Sometimes it is the parents’ fault with their preconceived ways of raising their children. Babies are different; that’s why one can adhere to your timetable and the other not. Most parents raise their children according to their ways, instead of getting to know what’s best for the baby. Try to get to know the uniqueness of your baby and the rest will come as an addition.
Diane M.