tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52410322468663211312024-03-13T08:29:09.540-07:00Daddy MagicEd Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-30382154245263390852007-10-23T20:21:00.000-07:002007-10-23T20:51:14.594-07:00Daddy Magic: Tantrum? Change the SubjectToddlers have two-second attention spans.<br /><br />They are smiling at you and then... boom... they're staring at the guy walking by then... boom... they see a puppy then... boom... a car drives by.<br /><br />This short attention span can be used to your advantage when it comes to tantrums.<br /><br />My two-year-old hates getting strapped into the car. If you've had a two-year-old, you probably know that they can get pretty wild. So today ours was running around the car while I was trying to put our one-year-old into the car.<br /><br />She loves to climb around in the car, but you're guaranteeing a tantrum then, because when you strap her in you're taking her from something she loves to something she hates. It's a guaranteed tantrum. However, I realized it was safer to have her climb around inside the car than run around outside of it.<br /><br />So I opened the passenger door and asked her to climb in. She gleefully agreed. It was nice for me, because I peacefully put our baby into the carseat, got the baby bag (backpack) into the car, and got ready for our toddler.<br /><br />I knew she was going to throw a tantrum, so I started a little early. I asked her to get into her seat. She refused. I then had her say yes to me instead (that's a great discipline we've already established). I asked her again, and so she sat on her seat and started playing with her buckles. I walked around the car to her side.<br /><br />That's when she knew it was time, and she bolted away from her chair. I was ready, and I caught her arm. She started throwing a tantrum. I asked her nicely to get strapped in. She reluctantly agreed and sat in the chair.<br /><br />I then started getting the straps around her arms. She slinked to the floor and started throwing another tantrum. I asked her again. I helped her to her feet and asked for her to get ready again. She agreed, and we put her in the seat. She started complaining again.<br /><br />So I started changing the subject. I asked her where the buckle fastened. I asked her how it work. She showed me. I asked her about her Elmo toy, and she showed me how that worked too.<br /><br /><br />You're kid probably won't be that easy to distract the first few times. Mine wasn't either. However, if you read my post about the anatomy of a tantrum, you know that they aren't going to keep doing it for very long if they know that it's only going to make their life worse.<br /><br />Anatomy of a tantrum:<br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/10/daddy-magic-anatomy-of-tantrum.html">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/10/daddy-magic-anatomy-of-tantrum.html</a><br /><br /><br />That's the way it is with our daughter. Sure, she'll say no and start to throw a tantrum.<br /><br />But then I ask her to do something. She knows that if she doesn't obey, then discipline will keep coming until she does. That's why she's easily distracted. She knows throwing a tantrum isn't effective. It only makes things worse for her.<br /><br />A child who only throws a tantrum for a few mere seconds? Now that's Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a><br /><br /><br />--------------------<br /><br />TheAnimationEmpire update:<br /><br />Do you have a bucket full of cheese?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YEShg_kigmc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YEShg_kigmc&autoplay=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-70117459507311692202007-10-22T18:07:00.000-07:002007-10-22T18:22:18.114-07:00Daddy Magic: Leave the TantrumSo let's get into some more specifics about the tantrum. We established that discipline is necessary. If you're in the room and you can hear or feel the tantrum, then the tantrum is a success. You have to make it a failure to get it to stop.<br /><br />For me, a tantrum means, "I want to go to bed." So I usually start there. "You're crying. Are you ready to go to bed?" She says, "No." "Oh, but you're still crying. Let's go to bed. If you stop crying then you won't have to go to bed." If she stops. That's good. If she doesn't, she goes to bed. She always stops. She never has to go to bed. Sure, she had to learn it, but it didn't take long.<br /><br />There are two times where that won't work. First, it's not going to work if you're driving somewhere. That's why she goes in the car before anything else. I put her in the car, and then she throws a tantrum (she doesn't like to be strapped in). First, I try distractions, by getting her to help me (more on that later). If that doesn't work, that's fine. I leave her in the car to scream while I get the rest of the stuff and keep packing the car. We can't hear her. It's futile, so it usually only lasts a few seconds. Why scream your head off if you have no audience?<br /><br />How about when you're at the store? Try distractions. If it doesn't work, go for discipline, which, unfortunately, might mean it's time for you to leave the store. However, there are forms of discipline you can use in the store as well. More on that later.<br /><br />The other time it won't work is if she can climb out of bed, open the door, and walk out of the room. We put discipline on that too, so she doesn't do that. However, if you haven't taught your toddler to stay in the room (and toddler-proofed it) then you're going to need to bite the bullet and put that baby proof door handle on the inside. Lock your kid in. If she can escape, she won't be miserable. She needs to learn that a tantrum will steadily make life miserable for the rest of her life. The sooner she stops, the sooner her misery stops.<br /><br />Sure, you can still hear the tantrum if you leave him in the room (that way you know if the scream is from pain or something else). But it should be faint so that it doesn't bother you. Too loud? Turn on the radio so it's not loud. Go to another room. Allow yourself to hear it faint enough so that you can monitor it without it bothering you.<br /><br />You don't care. The tantrum not going to last because you don't care. When the child stops, give it a few minutes and then reward him by letting him out, hugging him, and telling him why he had a time out.<br /><br />It's said you should always love your child and explain to your child after the discipline is done. That's when they're paying attention.<br /><br />Leaving a tantrum behind so that it doesn't affect you? Now that's Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-9787289470307245082007-10-22T17:47:00.000-07:002007-10-22T18:22:05.463-07:00Daddy Magic: The Anatomy of the TantrumThis one is devoted to Queen Bug.<br /><br />I have a two-year old as well. Tantrums come with the age. The trick is to minimize them, shorten them, and make sure they don't last.<br /><br />We use thousands of tactics to do this, but the best learned lesson is to understand why the tantrum exists.<br /><br />We vote for a president because we see it being tallied on our TVs. We want to do what we can to put the right person in office. Likewise, we put together a resume, portfolio, and interview because we want the job. If we knew that we wouldn't get the job and that the interview would do no good, we wouldn't take the interview.<br /><br />Why would you ever try to do something if it was futile? We wouldn't. Sure, we might start doing it, but as soon as we remember and realize that it's pointless, we'd stop.<br /><br />That's it. That's the secret.<br /><br />You have to convince your toddler that their tantrum is futile. The only reason why you do anything is because you know that it works. That's the tantrum. The child knows that throwing a tantrum will yield results.<br /><br />So that's the first step. You need to figure out what you're giving the child. You might just let the child scream until he is done. I have some relatives who did that. It wasn't really helping much. One time, the child was screaming when a police officer walked up and told the child to stop and to respect the parent. The child went silent. A stranger acting on authority was discipline to that child. That's not the attention the child wanted.<br /><br />My child screams when we put her in the car. She doesn't want to be there. Sometimes I'll take something away from her or take her out of the room. She throws a tantrum.<br /><br />I immediately discipline her and distract her. It doesn't take long for her to stop. Why?<br /><br />Because we have a history. Her life is going to steadily get worse until she stops. If she doesn't stop, she's going to be stuck in bed for the rest of her life with periodic spankings and no one anywhere near her to even know that she's screaming. It sounds like torture, and it is. That's why it never has to happen. =^)<br /><br />The moment you look at your child in a tantrum when you are not engaging in discipline you just gave in to your child's tantrum. The moment that you stay in the ear shot of your child and he knows you can hear him or feel his tantrum if he's flailing at you, your child's tantrum is succeeding. He may not only want his way. He may just settle for making your life miserable with noises and physical actions. That's fine by him. If you allow that, then you are telling him that tantrums are okay.<br /><br />The only way to stop a tantrum is to constantly take steps to making his life worse. It's discipline. It won't take him long to learn. When he learns that he has nothing to gain and everything to lose, he'll begin to pull back.<br /><br />That's the essence of the tantrum. That's how it works. You have to be more stubborn than your child if you want him to learn.<br /><br />Now that's Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-89300611096103894892007-03-26T12:46:00.000-07:002007-03-26T12:54:50.302-07:00Daddy Magic: The Pacifier ClipThe pacifier clip is something that attaches to your pacifier. The other end clips to your baby's clothing. You can find these at any baby store.<br /><br />Some babies don't really need this. However, some babies spit out their pacifiers.<br /><br />If you find yourself picking up a pacifier off the floor a few times each day, then it's time to go get a pacifier clip.<br /><br />Save yourself the trouble of picking up that pacifier all day.<br /><br />This is especially good for sleeping. When you go in at 2 in the morning to put the pacifier back in your baby's mouth and get her to fall asleep again, you want to find the pacifier. You'll always find it when you have it clipped to your baby. Otherwise, it may be under the crib, in a blanket, or anywhere in the room. You don't want to loose pacifiers, and you don't want your baby screaming while you search for it.<br /><br />That's Daddy Magic!<br /><br />Note: When your baby is a toddler, she will pull off the clip and fling it even further. That's when you know it's time to stop using the clip.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-20510063649175204102007-03-26T12:39:00.000-07:002007-03-26T12:46:15.770-07:00Daddy Magic: Wrap a blanket over your baby's handThere is a difficult stage in teaching your baby to sleep. That's when he is getting too strong for the swaddle.<br /><br />He breaks out of the swaddle.<br /><br />Unfortunately, he's also too young to have developed hand coordination. As a result, he pulls his pacifier out of his own mouth. So he's screaming at 5 in the morning, because he broke out of his swaddle and pulled his pacifier out of his mouth.<br /><br />What do you do?<br /><br />Wrap a blanket over his hand that is pulling out his pacifier. For our daughter, it has been her left hand. He won't be able to pull out his pacifier. You can also accomplish this by putting a blanket barrier on his neck so that he can't get his hand up to his mouth. Another method is to use the pacifiers without the handle at the end (one brand is hollow so you can stick your finger in them and pump the pacifier in his mouth; another brand has a knob at the end). Another method is using mittens or those baby shirts where the sleeves have built-in mittens to cover your baby's hands.<br /><br />Use any one of these methods to survive this transition and get some sleep! You and your baby need your sleep!<br /><br />Get sleep? That's Daddy Magic!!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-12209122709143867582007-03-16T17:51:00.000-07:002007-03-19T13:57:49.203-07:00Daddy Magic: Pray with your childIt's important to <strong>pray with your child every day</strong>! When your child is a baby, you will be praying over your child.<br /><br />I recommend doing this every night when you put your child to bed.<br /><br />By doing this when your child is an infant, you will build a habit for the rest of your life.<br /><br /><br />Now, this only makes sense to pray to our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can truly answer our prayers.<br /><br /><br /><strong>What to pray for:</strong><br /><br />(1) For God to put events in your child's life that will draw her to Him<br /><br />(2) For God to put people in your child's life that will draw her to Him<br /><br />(3) For the salvation of your child and her friends<br /><br />(4) That your child will have mentors who will draw her to God<br /><br />(5) That your child will have friends who will draw her to God<br /><br />(6) That your child will have friends and mentees who she will draw to God<br /><br />(7) That your child will server God with her life<br /><br />(8) That your child will give financially to God<br /><br />(9) That your child will love others<br /><br />(10) That your child will share with others<br /><br />(11) That your child will have God's peace and patience<br /><br />(12) That your child will endure and persevere for God's glory<br /><br />(13) That your child will obey you, according to the Will of God<br /><br />(14) That your child will obey God<br /><br />(15) That your child will repent from her sins<br /><br />(16) That your child will lead Bible studies<br /><br />(17) That your child will passionately love God<br /><br />(18) That God will provide for your child's needs so that she can serve Him fully<br /><br />(19) Health of your child - so that she can honor God with her life<br /><br />(20) Countenance and mood of your child - that she will reflect Christ's attitude<br /><br />(21) That she will get a lot of rest in her naps and in her sleep - so that she can honor God with a loving countenance<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Why you should pray:</strong><br /><br />(1) It is God's Will for you to pray corporately<br /><br />(2) You are putting God before yourself and your child<br /><br />(3) She will learn the importance of prayer<br /><br />(4) She will see how high you value the things you pray for<br /><br />(5) She will pursue the things you pray for<br /><br />(6) You will renew your focus on the things you are praying for<br /><br />(7) Because you love your child<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Give it a try! If you are not a Christian, learn about the God who created us! Google Jesus Christ! This is the best thing for your child's life... forever.<br /><br /><br />Is this Daddy Magic? No, it's more like a practice that God has required of us since the first creature walked on Earth.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-14966622514072848572007-03-12T15:19:00.000-07:002007-03-12T15:28:53.827-07:00Daddy Magic: There are a lot of techniques in parentingThere are a lot of techniques in parenting.<br /><br />If you're a parent, you're already figuring this out. You could get lost in our site, reading about all the different techniques. However, many parents don't know that there are a lot of techniques and most people who hear me talk about the latest techniques are surprised about how much thought I (and others) put into parenting.<br /><br />It usually starts with me talking about a new technique I developed like patting your baby to sleep (<a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/03/daddy-magic-pat-your-baby-to-sleep.html">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/03/daddy-magic-pat-your-baby-to-sleep.html</a>), running with your baby (<a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-run-with-your-baby.html">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-run-with-your-baby.html</a>), using "Don't Touch" (<a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-instead-of-stop-use-dont.html">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-instead-of-stop-use-dont.html</a>) or teaching your baby how to smile (<a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-smile-for-your-baby.html">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-smile-for-your-baby.html</a>).<br /><br />Then the person is suprised about how much thought we put into the techniques.<br /><br />My typical response is, "Not every parent does put this much thought into parenting. That explains all the undisciplined kids that are running around."<br /><br />This past week I was telling someone that you have to teach a child everything: how to sleep, how to burp, how to suck on a pacifier... everything! Then he suggested that you don't have to teach a baby how to smile. Well, I told him that's not the case. Sure, a baby's first smile comes from farting (a welcome release), but for a baby to be smiling often requires training.<br /><br />Our babies smile a lot because we trained them to:<br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-smile-for-your-baby.html">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-smile-for-your-baby.html</a><br /><br />So, yes, there are a lot of parenting techniques, and you can find them here at Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-43406975301694109492007-03-12T15:17:00.000-07:002007-03-12T15:29:11.872-07:00Daddy Magic: Mix cereal with formulaThis is a classic tip. When your baby is eating more, mix some of the baby cereal with your formula.<br /><br />This way your baby continues to eat more and be healthy, but you aren't buying more formula or having to pump more.<br /><br />This is also a good way to get your baby used to solids sooner.<br /><br />Now that's Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-1920708271493646842007-03-08T16:52:00.000-08:002007-03-08T17:00:23.457-08:00Daddy Magic: How to get your baby used to the SwaddleHow do you get your baby used to the swaddle?<br /><br />This is my third post that is ONLY on the swaddle!!!<br /><br />Why three? I'll tell you why! I keep coming across people who throw their hands up in the air and say, "Our baby doesn't like the swaddle!"<br /><br />Of course not! Teach him to like it!<br /><br />Click here to learn why you should do it:<br /><br /><a title="Daddy Magic" href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/daddy-magic-get-your-baby-used-to.html" targget="_blank">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/daddy-magic-get-your-baby-used-to.html</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Here's how to get her used to the swaddle:<br /><br />(1) Hold your baby tight to you.<br /><br />(2) Make sure the swaddle is tight!<br /><br />(3) Use two blankets if you need to.<br /><br />(4) Use larger blankets if you need to.<br /><br />(5) Pump the pacifier in her mouth.<br /><br />(6) Hold her sideways.<br /><br />(7) Bounce her. Use your full body motion from your toes to your ankles to your knees to your hips to your spine to your elbows to your wrists.<br /><br />(8) Run with her if you have to.<br /><br /><br />Bottom line: Get her used to the swaddle! Read the link above to learn why you should do this. Embrace the Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-55557793892447447192007-03-08T16:43:00.000-08:002007-03-08T16:50:56.891-08:00Baby Magic: Get Your Baby to EatGet your baby to eat!!!<br /><br />Your baby will probably be drinking from a bottle, but he may be nursing.<br /><br />I realized that I need to write this one when I saw someone throw their hands up in frustration. The baby was having a fit. She was so upset, that she wouldn't eat, even though she was upset because she was hungry!<br /><br />Think about it! She was so hungry, that she was too upset to eat! Imagine that!<br /><br />Well, that is pretty common.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Here's what to do:</strong><br /><br />(1) Hold him tight. Give him that important stability. It will help calm him down.<br /><br />(2) Bounce with him. Walk him around. Make him feel like he's on a bungy cord, but he's still tight in your arms. Run with him if you have to.<br /><br />(3) Put the bottle in his mouth. Hold it there until he recognizes that he has access to his food.<br /><br />(4) Pump the bottle in his mouth: in and out until he grabs on and starts sucking.<br /><br /><br />Using this method, I got the baby to start eating in less than 20 seconds, when her mother had just spent several minutes.<br /><br />This works. This is Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-22231479179000363852007-03-08T16:33:00.000-08:002007-03-08T16:43:31.728-08:00Daddy Magic: Touch Your Baby!!!Touch your baby! Start from day one. Touch your infant. Touch his hands, his feet, his legs, his arms, his neck, his chest, his stomach, his face, and his head. Touch him gently and playfully.<br /><br />Touch your infant!<br /><br />Touch your baby!<br /><br />Touch your toddler! When you get more toward the toddler age, your touches should be more like tickles on the sides, neck, and feet/toes. Also touch his hands, his arms, his neck, his face, and his head. Give him hugs! Teach him how to hug.<br /><br />Tickle your toddler! Tickles count.<br /><br />Why? Why touch your child?<br /><br /><br /><strong>Do it for these reasons:</strong><br /><br />(1) Teach him how to hug. By getting him comfortable with affection, he will learn how to show affection to others. It starts with physical touch, but it will extend to compassionate acts as he grows.<br /><br />(2) He will learn that his parents love him. He will learn this much more affectively and quickly than any other method. Do you love him? Tell him.<br /><br />(3) He will be healthy. That's right. Touching your child stimulates the blood cells so that he is able to fight off sickness and viruses. This is especially vital in the younger stages.<br /><br /><br />Love your child! Touch your child! That's Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-71137939460903816152007-03-08T16:26:00.000-08:002007-03-08T16:33:47.433-08:00Baby Magic: Gently Rub your Toddler's TempleGently rub your toddler's temple to get him to fall asleep.<br /><br />You can also do this with your baby, but it will be magic with your toddler. Instead concentrate on patting your baby and pumping his pacifier. Use this with your baby as something else to try.<br /><br />But definitely do this with your toddler! Why a toddler? I think it works best with your toddler because he is used to you touching him, especially in this fashion. He knows you. He understand the gentle touch. It sooths him.<br /><br />Gently rub his temple and "Shh" him so that he calms down. Again, you don't need to wait for him to fall asleep. Just get him to calm down. He will learn to fall asleep. As a toddler, you should have already taught him this. But if you haven't, then you should begin teaching him how to get himself to fall asleep once he is calm.<br /><br />That's Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-71761216290756819212007-03-08T16:17:00.000-08:002007-03-08T16:25:51.728-08:00Daddy Magic: Turn on your FanTurn on your fan to lull your baby to sleep! This is also great for your toddler and infant.<br /><br />Some babies sleep better than others. We have one baby who slept better as an infant and a baby. Our toddler had more trouble at every stage. Babies are different. That's life.<br /><br />However, we've learned to turn on the fan. Make sure your fan makes noise, because that is about 80% of the point. The hushing sound is magical! Turn it on the lowest mode, as long as it is loud enough. It's as if you were nearby your baby, hushing him. "Shhh!" Constantly. All night long.<br /><br />That's great! Why? Because you don't need to do it! Go to sleep instead. =^)<br /><br />This is a great technique to be used with patting your baby, the pacifier, and the swaddle (see other posts).<br /><br />The fan will be your biggest fan. That's Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-1224676930425807192007-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:002008-12-16T11:19:47.982-08:00Daddy Magic: Pat Your Baby to SleepI've mentioned this before, but I use this almost exclusively in the current stage of my baby's growth. So I want to go in depth on this topic:<br /><br />Pat your baby to sleep!<br /><br />This is an excellent alternative to swaying and tightly holding your baby.<br /><br />With one hand, hold your baby's pacifier and pump it gently. Get him to suck on it. I would also use a "Shh" sound or run a noisy fan. This also works much better if your child is in a tight swaddle (see other posts on swaddling your baby).<br /><br />With one hand you are stabilizing and pumping the pacifier (you can stop pumping as your baby takes over and sucks on it).<br /><br />With your other hand pat your baby on his stomach/chest. It is best in the middle of his stomach/chest (about the rib cage) but this depends on the size of your hand and baby.<br /><br />Pat the baby sternly. Don't pat him gently, but if he's making noise or your pat is making noise, then you're probably doing it too hard. =^)<br /><br />Pat the baby very quickly, depending on how quickly your baby is breathing. At least match the speed of your baby's breath, but you should probably pat faster than that.<br /><br />Do this for 30 seconds. Count them in your head. Then slow down your pace a little. Your baby's breathing should slow down and match your pace. If his breath doesn't slow down to match it. Go back to the original speed and try again. Honestly, you should persevere through this and keep trying until it works. The reason is because you're training your baby to respond to this type of soothing. He will learn, and it will get easier. Persevere!<br /><br />So, you slowed down your pace. He will slow down his breathing to match it. Count another 30 seconds. Then slow down your pace again. Count another 30 seconds. Your pace should be much slower. He must match this pace. If he doesn't go back to your second pace. Try again until he slows down with you.<br /><br />After he successfully slows down to the third pace, stop. You may want to have a fourth pace, but I only use three (if you use too many stages this will take too long, which is against the point of this technique). If he is still breathing quickly and heavily, continue patting him, find his pace, and start there. Try again until he is breathing calmly.<br /><br />Once he is breathing calmly and sucking on the pacifier, leave. He'll fall asleep. You are only calming him down so that he can put himself to sleep. You are not putting him to sleep. You are teaching him how to do that himself.<br /><br /><strong>Here's why you should do this technique:</strong><br /><br />(1) It's faster. Like 5 times faster than rocking or bouncing him to sleep.<br /><br />(2) It's quieter. If you begin pumping his pacifier and patting him speedily, he will be quiet as you vigorously pat him and pump his pacifier. You are in control.<br /><br />(3) You are teaching him to put himself to sleep. You are teaching him to let you sleep through the night. You are enabling him to do the work for you! He will learn to fall asleep without you, as long as he is calm. If you rock him to sleep, you are teaching him to cry until you come rock him to sleep.<br /><br />This also works with toddlers, but if you teach your baby this discipline, you won't need to teach him when he is a toddler. <br /><br />The point is to gradually ween your baby off of the patting and thus, stop (do it less and less). You teach your baby how to sleep through... Baby Steps!!!<br /><br />This method needs to be used sparingly and in conjunction with the "tough love" method of letting your child cry through the night (see specifics on that in another article). <br /><br /><br />Pure Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-70114816675267259432007-02-27T14:25:00.000-08:002007-02-27T14:28:02.207-08:00Daddy Magic: Use Time-Outs for TantrumsSome parents are willing to do a little discipline with time-outs. I've heard of parents who limit their time-outs to a few minutes.<br /><br />Limit your time-out to when your child calms down. If that happens in one minute, then great! What do you do when your child has been screaming for two hours? Simple, he falls asleep. You don't do anything.<br /><br />Also, please note, this doesn't really happen. It may possibly happen once. I've never seen it. Your child stops, and he learns for next time. But if you go in, then you're teaching him that all he has to do is scream for five minutes, and you'll go in. If you aren't teaching him that, then he won't learn it.<br /><br />The best problem to use time outs for is for fits. It teaches your child that if he throws a fit, he goes to his room until he calms down. I don't recommend it for anything else, because he won't be able to associate it. For example, if he throws his food on the ground and you discipline him by sending him in his room for a time-out, then he won't know why he got sent to his room. However, if you slap his hand and then comfort him, he will learn the lesson VERY quickly.<br /><br />I've heard of people sending a child to a corner or to sit on a chair for a time-out. Depending on the child, this can be a reward. Instead, remove the child from human contact.<br /><br />Time-outs can be pure magic. Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-80764425555314464322007-02-27T14:12:00.000-08:002007-02-27T14:25:16.528-08:00Daddy Magic: Hold your child after a spankingMany people want to avoid discipline like spanking and hand-slapping.<br /><br />If you do spank your child, then I'd recommend loving him and hugging him afterwards. It tells him that you care about him.<br /><br />If you spank him without loving him afterward, then the spanking may confuse him.<br /><br />You need to make it very simple so that he knows what he did wrong.<br /><br /><br />If you are avoiding spanking or hand-slaps, you're going to have to deal with a LOT of tantrums.<br />The easiest way to avoid this is to establish discipline as soon as the child is willfully doing wrong (tantrums count; see time-outs). It's a lot of work, but the riches are evident as they get older.<br /><br />In fact, the riches are magic. Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-55375145610414901002007-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:002007-02-27T14:34:46.757-08:00Daddy Magic: Let people hold your baby!!!What??? Are you crazy??? Let people hold your baby!!!<br /><br />You think you're being protective, but do you know what you're doing to your child??? Everything you do is teaching your child something. By going around and always holding your child, not ever leaving your baby, and not letting other people hold your baby, you are teaching your baby one thing:<br /><br />He is not safe in anyone else's arms and in anyone else's care.<br /><br /><br /><br />That's right! You're teaching that to your baby!!!!<br /><br />Do you know what that means? That means that you cannot have someone else watch your child. Your child will throw fits because the baby sitter isn't you. What if you have to go to the bathroom? You can't hand the baby to a friend. The baby trusts no one except for you! What about the other spouse? Is your spouse going to watch your baby sometime? It's not possible if the baby isn't used to it!<br /><br /><br />This is what happens when you are the only one who holds your baby:<br /><br />1. The baby throws more tantrums because you can't always hold him.<br />2. The baby becomes a toddler who still throws tantrums.<br />3. The baby doesn't feel comfortable with your spouse.<br />4. The baby won't sleep as well unless you are holding him. He won't put himself to sleep.<br />5. You will have to wake up constantly or sleep with your baby in your bed. Either one will be bad for your marriage relationship and sex life.<br />6. You can't get away from your baby. You can't go out with your friends, go on a date with your spouse, or do anything, really.<br />7. Your baby won't trust people. He will throw tantrums in public places. Not good.<br />8. People think you are being a little uptight. Well, guess what? They are right. You are.<br /><br /><br />What to do:<br /><br />1. This is hard to do (to trust others with something so precious), so do it from day 2 or 3. When visitors come to the hospital, let some of them (especially the ladies) Purell their hands and hold your newborn.<br />2. When you get to church, let a few people Purell their hands and hold your newborn.<br />3. When visitors or family comes over, let them Purell their hands and hold your newborn.<br />4. Let female trusted family members or female trusted friends watch your infant while you go out.<br /><br /><br />What this does:<br /><br />1. Your baby will trust people. You are helping shape her personality.<br />2. Your baby will be interested in people. You are helping shape her personality.<br />3. Your baby will be comfortable around people.<br />4. Your baby will smile at people.<br />5. Your baby will be friendly to people.<br />6. Your baby will learn how to share much easier.<br />7. Your baby will not be as violent to other children.<br />8. Your baby will learn social skills much sooner.<br /><br /><br />These are all good things! These are Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-68577550017389268132007-02-27T11:41:00.000-08:002007-02-27T11:51:28.776-08:00Daddy Magic: Should you teach your child to trust people?Should you teach your child to trust people?<br /><br />YES!!!<br /><br />Why would you want to, since people can do really bad things?<br /><br />Well, not all people do. If you teach your child how to trust people, then your child will learn about trust, love, and contentment much sooner than the other children. It's worth it! Do it! The sooner your child will trust and love people the more it will shape his life.<br /><br />The primary concern here is that this could lead to a stranger (or family or friend) doing an evil thing to your child. That could happen. However, you can mitigate that risk!<br /><br />- Always watch your child.<br />- Only leave your child with a trusted friend.<br />- Only leave your child with a woman. About 95% of sexual abuse is by men.<br />- We leave our children in our church nursery, but we know them, and the men cannot watch children alone, they can't change diapers, and they can't take a child to the bathroom. Our church has already thought about all that.<br /><br /><br />Here's the thing, teach your child how to love everyone when you really can't communicate very well with your child. Once you can communicate with your child, teach him to be cautious and give him rules without giving him reasons until he's ready. This way you can teach your child to be loving and cautious. That's Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-36675686202755405192007-02-27T11:31:00.000-08:002007-02-27T11:39:26.026-08:00Daddy Magic: Smile for your baby!!!Smile for your baby!<br /><br />Who is the happiest baby in the room? Well, she's the one who is smiling and always in a good mood. How does that happen?<br /><br />Well, have been smiling with your baby?<br /><br />How do children learn anything? You do it with them and slowly teach them. It's the same thing with smiling.<br /><br />It's simple, just smile with your baby. Smile all day with your baby. Smile for hours. Smile until your face falls off. Okay, those are exaggerations. Don't smile that much.<br /><br />But you should smile so much that it hurts. You should smile every chance you get for extended periods of time. You should sacrifice your time and comfort to teach your baby one important thing:<br /><br />How to smile<br /><br />If you can teach your baby that, then you'll notice that your baby smiles more. A baby who smiles more, doesn't throw tantrums as often. A baby who smiles more is pleasant to be around. A baby who smiles more is the happiest baby in the room. She loves people. She trusts people.<br /><br />Should your baby trust people? YES. More on that in another blog. This one is ONLY about smiling.<br /><br />Play with your baby. Do a very slow version of peekaboo. Tickle him under his chin. Make soft sounds and sing. Whatever you do, always smile! Grin ear to ear whenever your face is in front of his face. He will learn how to smile.<br /><br />Another thing will happen too. He will know that you love him. It is very important to teach your child how much you love him, and this is a wonderful way to do it.<br /><br />Loving your baby is purely Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-52291011458421633142007-02-23T12:54:00.000-08:002007-02-23T12:57:52.417-08:00Daddy Magic: Pump the bottleWhen feeding your baby, pump the bottle.<br /><br />Bring it in and take it away. Repeat this until the baby sucks to resist it when you pull it out of his mouth. The earlier you teach him this, the better. You're teaching him how to eat healthy.<br /><br />Be sure to stop when he stops drinking. Then burp him and return. If you feed him agressively, he will eat agressively and be healthy.<br /><br />So far, this has worked like a charm for our two children. They both are very healthy eaters. This discipline you teach them carries over to their toddler food as well.<br /><br />That's some sweet Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-79479774282890768952007-02-23T12:49:00.000-08:002007-02-23T12:53:24.023-08:00Daddy Magic: Chase your childNothing is more fun to a baby and toddler than a good chase. As soon as your child can crawl, you should be playing this with her.<br /><br />Make sounds and slowly crawl toward her. You can growl, bark, hum the Jaws song, or make loud thumping sounds. When you catch her, give her a good tickling and an opportunity to get away.<br /><br />Keep playing this with your child until you're tired of it. I have some relatives that the dad and mom both chase around their son. I know one guy that uses really deep and scary growls, and his son <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">squeals</span> with delight.<br /><br />Have fun with it! This is Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-32207332753236943572007-02-23T12:42:00.000-08:002007-02-23T12:49:24.303-08:00Daddy Magic: Sign Language works!Sign langauge works!<br /><br />You might as well use real sign language, so that your child learns a valuable skill.<br /><br />When teaching your toddler sign language, use the word and the sign at the same time. Some people think that the child will learn the sign instead of the word, but it helps the child learn the word and the sign better. Then the child can better remember how you communicate each specific topic.<br /><br />Our toddler says the word and does the sign at the same time.<br /><br />Some great signs to teach:<br /><br />- More<br />- All Done<br />- Banana<br />- Cracker<br />- Cereal<br />- Milk<br />- Eat<br />- Drink<br />- Thank you<br />- Up<br /><br />Now that my daughter can communicate a little, she walks around signing cracker.<br /><br />I think a reason why they call it the "terrible twos" is that your child is frustrated because he can't communicate with you. Make the terrible two's easier on him and you by teaching him how to communicate.<br /><br />You may tell him no if he asks for a cracker, but at least he's not frustrated that he can't communicate with you. Plus this makes eating a lot easier when he can communicate.<br /><br /><br /><br />Now that's Daddy Magic!<br /><br /><br />But don't teach him stop! See this post for that:<br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-instead-of-stop-use-dont.html">http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/02/daddy-magic-instead-of-stop-use-dont.html</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-81329600831875533602007-02-20T13:48:00.000-08:002007-02-20T13:53:58.307-08:00Daddy Magic: Instead of Stop, use Don't TouchWe don't use "Stop!" Many parents use Stop and use the sign language for "Stop." However, every time I've seen that, the child is learning how to tell parents how to stop. It's good to know what the child is thinking, but the child may not be thinking that if he didn't know he could communicate it to you.<br /><br />Instead of "Stop," we use "Don't Touch." We sternly say, "Don't Touch" and wave our hand near the area she isn't allowed to touch. When she touches it, we slap her hand or foot that touched it. Eventually, we started saying "Don't Touch" less stearnly so she wouldn't think we were mad at her. However, the hand motion and words still worked.<br /><br />Don't use Stop. You are teaching your child how to talk back before you can properly reason with him.<br /><br />Instead, use "Don't Touch," say it firmly, slowly wave your hand next to the object, and enforce it by slapping his hand or foot. He will learn.<br /><br />That's Daddy Magic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-37607493804746048142007-02-20T13:34:00.000-08:002007-02-20T13:54:42.081-08:00Daddy Magic: How to get your toddler to not stuff his face with foodOur toddler doesn't stuff her face with food. All her friends do.<br /><br />Why is that? I actually stumbled on this one by accident.<br /><br />I started handing her things (coasters mostly) to teach her how to share. I saw that a friend of mine was doing it, and his daughter knew how to share. So I started doing it when my daughter was younger.<br /><br /><strong>This is what I did:</strong><br /><ol><li>Hold out item #1 for her, "Would you like this?"</li><li>She takes it. "You're welcome."</li><li>Hold out item #2 for her, "Would you like this?"</li><li>She takes it. "You're welcome."</li><li>Repeat for about 10 items.</li><li>She now has the items in a pile next to her.</li><li>I hold out my hand, "May I have one, please?"</li><li>She didn't give it to me at first. I take one. "Thank you!" I sing-song the phrase and sign it.</li><li>I hold out my hand, "May I have one, please?" </li><li>Eventually she gets it and hands one to me. "Thank you!" I sing-song the phrase and use sign language to say "Thank you!" at the same time.</li><li>Once I have all 10 items, I hand them back to her, one at a time.</li><li>I did the back and forth process about three times every day. My wife got sick of constantly hearing, "May I have that please?" "Thank you!" "Would you like this?" "You're welcome!"</li></ol><p><strong>Eventually, a lot of cool things started happening:</strong></p><ol><li>My daughter learned how to share, beyond what was normal. When another toddler dropped his hat, she immediately picked it up and handed it to him. She constantly looks for her baby sister's pacifier, burp rag, and bottle, and hands those things to us or to her sister, because she knows those belong to her sister.</li><li>She learned how to be entertained with us doing a simple game of handing things. Even when she is with herself, she will be entertained by picking things up and making a pile.</li><li>She learned how to sign Thank You before all her older friends.</li><li>She learned how to say Thank You before all her older friends. The sing-song tone was catchy.</li><li>She began eating like this, only taking one thing at a time. All her friends stuff their faces. She eats sequentially. This allows us to give her smaller portions at a time so that we don't waste food.</li></ol><p>All of those are very cool effects, but I still get people who are blown away by #5. I trained her on a habit that carried over into her eating habits.</p><p>Is it magic? It's Daddy Magic.</p><p></p><p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a></p>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241032246866321131.post-84024740444141442362007-02-19T17:25:00.000-08:002007-02-20T13:55:01.383-08:00Daddy Magic: The Pacifier is only for night timeThe pacifier is only for night time!<br /><br />Well, first you train your infant to love the pacifier. Then you slowly take it away from her. Only give it to her during naps and at night time. Only use it otherwise after you tried everything else.<br /><br />Train your toddler to hand you the pacifier when she wakes up. Hand it to her when she goes to bed. You are teaching her that the pacifier is only for bed.<br /><br /><br />Why is this important?<br /><ol><li>You can get her to smile more.</li><li>She isn't walking around all the time with the pacifier.</li><li>You won't have to worry about her dropping it or losing it.</li><li>She will talk sooner because she is able to practice.</li><li>It will be easier to ween her off of it.</li><li>It teaches her discipline.</li><li>It teaches her obedience.</li></ol><p>Pure Daddy Magic.</p><p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://daddymagic.blogspot.com/2007/01/disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a></p>Ed Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739362351104757313noreply@blogger.com0