It’s a fundamental of parenthood, comforting your child. Your baby requires a healthy diet of nutritious food whether it is breast milk, formula or solids along with a healthy diet of hugs and kisses in order to thrive. Your child craves your attention and it’s extremely natural for you to give it.
Hugs and Kisses
From the moment they are born, we begin with the hugs and kisses. We cradle them. We snuggle them. We give them comfort and we continue to do this as they get older. There’s nothing like the feeling of your little one returning your hug. Their tiny arms go around your neck and they give you wet little kisses to begin.
Comfort is Vital
It’s important to remember that no matter how human you are, your toddler thinks you hung the moon and painted the stars. They consider you the well of knowledge and a magician rolled into one omnipotent being who can take care of everything for them. You kiss their boo-boos and make them better. You wipe away their tears of frustration and upset.
It’s important to remember that your toddler is an emotional creature who is prone to fits of temper and angst and it’s your job to be their emotional port in the storm. It’s important to balance your comfort with a good dose of common sense. Most often, a quick hug and a kiss can heal most wounds.
Be sure to Not Overdo
When your child hurts him or herself, they want you to feel compassion and empathy, but they don’t want you to tell them you told them so. They also don’t want a lecture. Most often, they get it especially if you’d already told them not to do something. It’s also important to not overdo it and make everything a crisis of national importance – the last thing you want to cope with is a toddler diva or martyr.
Your baby thinks you can fix everything and for a long time, you’ll be able to. But you can’t fix everything. In fact, it’s better that you don’t. Learning to cope with disaster is something you can teach them by helping them to accept that sometimes toys are broken and sometimes they can’t go out to play because it’s raining and sometimes the program they like to watch has already aired. Sympathize with them, but remember – if you don’t let them learn – you run the risk of seeing them repeat the mistake over and over again.
How do you comfort your little one?
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