Getting Mall'ed by a Toddler

Our Baby B has quite the 13-month-old temper under her quiet exterior. She's finding her lack of verbal acumen frustrating and takes that frustration out by hitting, pinching and biting. All normal responses at this age. It's what you do with them that turns a potential biter into a child who can express herself without turning to violence. Case in point: I had BB at the mall last night. Both Margaret and Patricia were spending the night at Grandma and Granddad's house so it was BB and me on our own. I let her run around the pretty-quiet mall and followed along to keep her out of trouble. Whenever she would make a wrong turn, I'd go up along side her and steer her the right way. Sometimes that meant taking her hand. Well, that wasn't her idea of being set free. She started trying to peel my fingers off her hand and wrist. When she couldn't peel herself free, she started hitting my hand with her free hand. When that didn't get the results she wanted, she tried pulling my hand toward her mouth to bite me. She would cry and arch her back as well. So, I'd pull my hand and hers away from her mouth and pick her up. "No bites!" I'd say, and move her to another area. I'd set her down and we'd start all over again. Every now and then, when she would try to pull away or react by striking out, I'd put her back in the stroller, calmly saying, "If you bite (or hit) you go back in the stroller." I'd walk with her in the stroller for a few minutes and ask, "Are you going to listen to me?" and then let her out again. I don't know if she got it yet, but enough reinforcement and repeating the routine and she'll get it. Plus, in her own defense, it was getting late and she was very tired. She ran from one end of the mall to the other pretty much, so she was tired. We had a treat at Auntie Anne's -- part of a cinnamon and sugar pretzel. Yummy. So all was right with the world by the end of our mall walk.

She did fall asleep pretty easily as a result. I didn't even get to give her a bath. Just a wipe-down with a baby wipe and get her in her pjs. Some boob (for my own relief) and off she went. We didn't have a repeat of the last few nights where she was waking at 3 or 3:30 and not going back to sleep on her own, so I hope we're heading out of that. I am thinking she may have a molar coming in. A certain pediatrician, who will be nameless so as to protect his identity, told me the other day, "Tylenol, benedryl and back to bed, but you didn't hear it from me" when I described her waking. I gave her some benedryl last night, and maybe that helped.

Now I just wish we could find something to give to Daddy for his leg so he can sleep through the night.

We want to give a shout-out to Grandma Wright if we don't get a post tomorrow on the occasion of her 73rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Grandma! We love you!