My three year old son was told not to touch his three week old sister's head. I no sooner said that and he pushes the edge of a toy to her head ( soft spot ). She was okay, a slight pink spot were he poked her and mad her cry. How do I get the point accross that isn't safe and he could of really hurt her???
2006-08-24 10:04:37 · 13 answers · asked by TIA 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
punt him like a football
2006-08-24 10:11:10 · answer #1 · answered by Walker T 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I'm having the same problem with my son, and he's 5. There is nothing that you can say that will make him stop completely and never touch the baby again. Kids learn by repetition, and the key is to just stay on top of it. The key is not to prevent her from touching her altogether, but to teach him how he can touch her. Encourage gentle touching, and praise him when he does it. My son is getting better, but still occasionally hurts her. She's 6 1/2 months now. God Bless
2006-08-24 20:29:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kids at this age are hard ones to make understand. Does your son understand when he gets hurt? Do you have a name for it in your house? Boo-boo or something like that. Explain that it gives the baby a boo-boo (or whatever word your house uses) when you do that. It makes her sad.
I just had my second child and I have worked with kids for a long time. Try having your son help with the baby, it will help him bond with his new sister. When he bonds with her, he will want to protect her. Try getting him a doll and teaching him how to be gentle with it.
Also let your son see you pick him over his sister now and then. When you are making lunch for him and the baby cries, tell the baby loud enough for him to hear that you are making Bobby's lunch right now and you will be with her in a minute. Letting your older child win sometimes makes him feel less jealous of the new bundle. Good luck three is such a fun age :)
2006-08-24 17:13:44 · answer #3 · answered by aerofrce1 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
At three he should have no problem understanding you when you speak to him. He gets it believe me... he gets it. They are much smarter than you think. Sometimes there is jealousy when a new baby arrives. If you want that jealousy to go away then praise your son. Let him know that he is a very important roll model for his little sister. Talk to him about how much his little sister loves him. And let him help you as much as possible. If he minded before the new baby arrived then the issue is definitely jealousy. If he didn't mind then there are other issues and I pray you take the steps to teach him now. Congratulations and God bless your family!
2006-08-24 17:23:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The first mistake you made was telling him not to touch it...now he's going to want to do something you told him he wasen't allowed to do...
now you need to let him know that if you catch him doing it again he will have to go and sit in his room or some other form of punishment and let him know that you mean what you say...
this is a baby and he can not be allowed to hurt her...she is little and if he touches her head he could hurt her bad enough that he could make her go to the dr...and then when you get to the doctor's office i would make the dr tell him that he shouldn't touch her head...
your mistake has been made, now your three year old is paying for it...good luck...
2006-08-24 17:11:29 · answer #5 · answered by tiffani h 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You should keep explaining to him of how delicate his sister is, and tell him that he has made her cry so he can see that what he is doing is wrong.
When my 20 months-old niece hit my 4 months-old son's head with her doll (by mistake) - her mother made her sit in the corner for 2 minutes to 'think' about her mistake. She understands and now she plays with my son still, but without her doll :P
3 years-old should have at least 3-5 minutes. Apparently the idea is to increase the 'time-out' for each year.
2006-08-24 17:10:57 · answer #6 · answered by carpenoctrum 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Next time he does it, pop his hand - hard. If he does it again, pop him again.
If he still doesn't get the picture...spank his butt.
He'll get the picture after a while. I'm all for explaining why he can't do that....but explain after you've given him a better reason (getting popped) to not do it. He may not fully understand why he can't touch his baby sister - but he will understand that he doesn't like the consequences.
When he repeatedly does something you tell him not to do it is DEFIANCE. Kids at this age are beginning to learn right from wrong and they CAN remember what mommy tells them not to do. But they also start getting a feel for what they can get away with. If you let them get away with not minding now....you'll have it harder later.
2006-08-24 22:10:37 · answer #7 · answered by tdh05 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Toddlers (especially around late 2s/3s) hate to be told not to do something. Instead of telling him not to touch her, involve him with the baby. If he really wants to touch her head, tell him to touch very gently, or ask him to pat the baby's hair, and feel how soft it is.
Telling a toddler no is almost a surefire way to get him to do exactly the opposite.
2006-08-24 17:09:00 · answer #8 · answered by Steve H 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
He sounds like he might be jealous of the attention the baby is getting. Try to involve him as much as possible. Like can you go and get sissy's diaper and wipes. Simple little things. If he keeps poking at her time him out for 3 min. and explain to him why he is in time out. He probably understands more than you know. Which he is testing out on you.
2006-08-24 17:21:57 · answer #9 · answered by duh 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A three year old is old enough to understand simple commands. Explain to him WHY he should not be touching his sister's head...most likely, he is just curious about how a baby feels (is it like a stuffed animal or what??) & isn't deliberately trying to hurt her. If, however, you think that he may be trying to hurt her (sibling rivalry), you may need to sit him down for a time out...he is definitely old enough to think about how to treat something (or someone) gently
2006-08-24 17:10:02 · answer #10 · answered by Penn State Princess 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Which is better - for you to slap your 3 year old's hands so that he knows you mean it, or have the emergency room doctor call the police and report you for abuse when you have to take your baby in with her skull crushed in or her eye poked out?
It always amazes me how adults allow a kid to run their life. If you can't outsmart a 3 year old you shouldn't be allowed to reproduce and please don't email me - you asked the question and I'm answering it.
2006-08-24 17:15:44 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋