Routine truly is the key to handling a 2 year old. Take bedtime. Usually, a source of stalling, tantrums, coaxing, coercing, and finally, a lot of crying. But when a routine is established, bedtime can actually go fairly easily. Here is the current routine with Thing 2. No detail is too small to repeat every day.
- Starting at 7pm, put on pajamas
- Watch either Backyardigans, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or Little Einsteins
- Tell Thing 2 to stop jumping on the couch…six times
- 7:30…Get a drink of milk or apple juice. Thing 2 must open and close the refrigerator door by himself or all bets are off
- Piggy back ride upstairs
- Brush teeth. First daddy brushes, then his turn. Thing 2 rinses the brush off and puts toothbrush into holder himself or all bets are off
- Read the same book we’ve read the previous 4 months. Twice.
- Two “running hugs” where Thing 2 runs across the room at full speed to hug me while saying “CHICKEN!”. I have no idea how this started, but it is very very important to do it every night
- Thing 2 must turn on his music and turn off the light himself or all bets are off
- Cover him with a “night-night”. A night-night is one of daddy’s old tee shirts. Thing 2 doesn’t sleep with a blanket, but a blanket has to be in his crib but not touching him
- Say goodnight
As I said, it’s all about the routine
Tell Thing 2 for 7th time not to jump on the couch and you will punch up http://backyardigans.littletoons.com/ and let him listen to the Backyardigans theme song :)