Good habits must be taught at a very young age. Good manners and good conduct are the foundation for proper behavior. They must be taught since childhood and enforced throughout the years. I am sure a lot of us at one point or another have asked of how to discipline a baby? When is a good time to start?
Infants Have Behavior
No matter how young or old, human have a way of behaving. Infant babies are no exception. This is why we must start at the beginning of their lives in order to instill good manners and proper behavior. In this case it is never too early, but there is a time when it might be too late. The child’s personality will be formed within the first 7 years, it will be reinforced by age 14, and it will be set and extremely difficult to change or modified by age 21.
Start At The Beginning
Seems very simple and self-explanatory right? Well maybe not. A lot of parents aren’t sure or do not pay too much attention at behavior in the first year. The truth is that discipline must start as soon as the baby becomes self-aware of the surroundings. If your baby is crawling then he/she is ready to start learning good manners, discipline, wrong vs right.
Critical Actions
Feeding time is a very good time to teach good manners. Bath time is great instill safety precautions that lead to thinking before acting. When a baby start grabbing things, putting things into his mouth, crawling into spaces, all of these are great opportunity to emphasize good behavior. Point out the what is good and praise it, discourage what is undesirable with a subtle redirection to what is good instead.
Do Not Panic And Be Gentle
Remember a baby is simply learning his way into this world. A baby’s action have no motive to do right or wrong, the baby is just experimenting and learning, therefore your role is to guide towards the things that are positive and good while you also steer the baby away from those actions the could be harmful or inappropriate.
Always correct positively, be gentle and explain. Yes your baby is listening, his brain is processing at light speed although it might not seem so to you. When correcting always make eye contact and explain clearly your message. Whenever possible show the action that leads to good behavior and praise it.
Your Baby’s Future Is Greatly Dependent On His Present
The best that you can do for your baby is to provide a wonderful present filled with good examples, great behavior, good manners, and a very loving family environment. Always keep in mind that “Monkey See, Monkey Do”. Lead by example and your baby’s life will be very rewarding.
Parenting Books: 4-in-1 Box Set Toddler and Baby Discipline, Sleep, and Potty Training Books
Feel free to comment and let me know if there is anything in particular that you would like me to address on my next post.
