Blog #20 How to: Erin Holbrook

How to watch a kid:

Kids are crazy. They drive us crazy. But no matter what, someone has to take care of them. It always sounds easy, but in reality it can be pretty hard just trying to keep them alive. You turn your back for one second and suddenly the kid is trying to stick a metal key into a power socket. So here's how you keep kids 10 & under out of trouble without loosing your mind.

1.) Make sure they are fed and rested. This means feeding them healthy food and wearing them out before nap time. Whether kids are tired or on a junk food high, the result is the same: they turn into Tasmanian devils.
2.) Put them in time-out liberally. Not that I'm advocating excessive punishment, but young children need to know where their limits are. Plus, oftentimes a child that is escalating responds well to a few minutes of quiet time and behaves much better afterwards.
3.) Redirect. Kids are stubborn. If they are obsessing over doing a certain thing one way, or are escalating due to a certain activity, it is always a good idea to redirect their energy somewhere else. (i.e. "instead of climbing on the furniture, do you want to see some stickers?")
4.) Interact. Kids don't get worn out playing by themselves, coloring, or watching tv. They need you to play with them, even if all that means is sitting on the floor and building a lego tower.
5.) Keep a close eye on them. Maybe its just my experience, but kids have a knack for getting into trouble. They jump off of things, stick random objects into other random objects, and have minimal understanding of the dangers of the street. You can't childproof the entire planet. While you don't have to hover, you should keep a general eye out.