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I have been following this blog, Chronicles of a Babywise Mom, not because I have any toddlers but because I like to keep aware of how mums are going with this age group. This post, Overstimulation for Toddlers, I felt had much merit for kids of all ages – there may even be a few truths there for us – the parents!! As you read this blog, read it with your children’s ages in mind, things may look different but the bottom line, the cause/effects, is really the same.
Are your kids acting a little ratty? Over stimulation maybe the cause.
- Too little sleep
- Too much activity
- Routine Disrupted
I know all of those things are happening in our home – they snuck up on me! Valerie outlines some very relevant consequences of over stimulation – are any happening in your home. You may have a different list. The things I am noticing in my home are:
- Distraction (not focusing)
- Snarkiness (little niggles towards each other)
Unfortunately these attitudes won’t stop magically on Christmas day. A busy season tends to give opportunities for bad habits to get established. I am encouraging myself, and anyone who is reading this post, not to waste tomorrow – don’t wash my hands of the kid’s behaviour, putting it down to excess lollies, chocolate, and excitement.
Things I can do
- Have planned activities – I’m busy tomorrow with lots of cooking. The kids will help me with some of that but for the rest of the time I want the kids, especially the younger two to be doing something intentionally. Since they are struggling to stay focused at much, moving from one activity to another I will also use the timer to help them stay on track.
- Give them healthy food – We’ve been snacking too much over the last week and there sure will be plenty of high sugar food in the next few days so when possible I am going to chop up fruit and a veggie platter.
- Have 1-2 quiet times through the day – We will definitely have a quiet reading time after lunch but depending on how things are going in the morning I may have an earlier time as well. I find quiet times tend to help my children refocus.
- Keep my expectations true – I need to keep our family standard in front of our children. We expect kind words, obedience, self control and thoroughness.
I am going to print this list out, have it on my fridge to be reminded of how I can regain some calm during the next week, as we live in the aftermath of a very busy social time.
