2 Year Old Bedtime

CHILDREN AND STRANGERS

Up until at least 3 1/2, but especially between the ages of 18 months and 2 1/2 years, children are usually a problem in the doctor's office. They're still fearful of strange situations and strangers, and the doctor falls into the category of stranger as far as the child is concerned. They're also strong enough at this age to be difficult to handle, and their voices are loud enough to be heard all over the office.

A doctor used to dealing with children isn't disturbed by his behavior because he expects it; most all children behave this way. It's embarrassing to you, but this acting up is not sufficient reason to refuse to take the child to the doctor's office.
Avoid getting upset if the doctor handles your child quite firmly. The examination is necessary, and the doctor, not your youngster, is definitely in charge. Most doctors proceed with the kindly, but firm attitude, "You're going to be examined
whether you like it or not, young man!"

By the time he's 3 1/2, you'll be able to reason with him and explain that the doctor is going to examine him because he wants to help him, not harm him.

IMAGINARY PLAYMATES

As he approaches his third birthday, your youngster may add a new member to the family—an imaginary Susie or Billy who's very real to him. You may have to set an extra place at the table, or bring a small suitcase on vacation for this new friend. Active conversations are also a part of this friendship. This new-found friend may also be an animal, a dog or lovable lion, for instance, or he may be called Mr. Somebody-or-another. A child's inventiveness is amazing!

It requires a certain amount of intelligence on the part of a child to create an imaginary situation, so you needn't be overly concerned about this new development.

However, if your youngster seems to be spending all his time in a dream world, provide him with extra loving companionship. See to it that he has little playmates his own age with whom he can keep busy.

2 YEAR OLD BEDTIME RESISTANCE

Now that your youngster is more than able to climb out of his crib, you might just as well lower the crib rail. Otherwise, he may fall when he climbs over the rail.

He'll also come up with every possible excuse to put off the inevitable moment when he must go to sleep. When he's ready for bed, round up his doll, his blanket, or whatever other things he's used to taking to bed with him, or he'll use them as an excuse to get out of bed. Even then, you'll probably get the old song-and-dance about needing a drink of water and having to go to the potty.

Give him his drink, and by all means take him to the potty, because if you don't, you're going to have to change his bed. Then make it perfectly clear that that's it, and he's to stay in bed and go to sleep. You'll probably have to repeat your self, but a little firmness usually works with most children.

Occasionally, a child just refuses to stay in bed, and every night there's a battle-royal. Although it sounds cruel, the solution for this lies in tying, in 6 to 8 places, a tennis or badminton net over the top of his crib. This is a very effective method of keeping a child in his bed.
 

Many parents resort to using a harness, but it's no trick at all for a child to get caught hanging halfway over the crib rail. A net can be used in complete safety as a last resort. Certainly it's much kinder than locking the bedroom door and making the child feel he's been deserted.

The first three or four nights there'll be objections to the net, but once they're used to it, they often insist on it. Leave the bedroom door open, so your youngster doesn't feel totally imprisoned.

FEARS AT NIGHT

Children often have frightening dreams at this age. They'll get out of bed at night and wander into your bedroom: they're now old enough to tell you they're f tightened.

If your little one does this, pick him up, comfort him and reassure him, and carry him back to his bed. If he seems unusually frightened, sit beside his bed for a while. Don't let him climb into your bed with you. As we have mentioned
before, this too easily turns into a habit that's hard to break.

FLAT FEET IN CHILDREN

Your two-year-old has flat feet all right! This is because there is a little fat pad in the base of a child's arch which supports the child's bones until the bones become hard enough to support the child's weight. This fat pad disappears during the two to three year period of a child's life.

Don't ever let a salesman sell you corrective shoes. Your child may have flat feet, but if he does, let your physician make the diagnosis and prescribe the proper corrective shoes. He'll tell you where you can buy them.

Only in severe cases is it possible for your doctor to tell before that fat pad disappears that the arch will not have support on its own and will need additional support.

Should you buy high shoes or low shoes? Many people feel that the high shoe adds some support to the child's ankle, but
this is questionable. One great advantage of the high shoe is that youngsters can't just pull them off. They must untie them first. Otherwise, it doesn't make much difference which you buy.

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