By Sarah Chana Radcliffe
Her hair is always hanging in her eyes and the elastic always seems to fall off somewhere...
Can you get your child to keep the hair out of her eyes, stand up straighter, tuck the shirt in? Some kids are naturally "put together" and others are naturally not. You can nag and correct endlessly in order to get temporary improved results in the latter group, but the resultant lower self-esteem probably won't help the overall "look" in the long run. Use praise to reinforce even a semi-good look ("I like your ponytail!"); ignoring the negative, usually works best.
Reprimands can reinforce problematic behaviors in toddlers so what do you do instead?
Can you train a one-year to stop grabbing toys from others? No. The age of "education" is closer to 3. Before that, do your best to arrange the environment (i.e. ask the other child to go play elsewhere or move the baby away from the other child). In general use smiles and praise to encourage desirable behaviors in this age group and just be quiet and "uninterested" in behaviors you don't want to see more of.
