August 22, 2011
If you insist on measuring yourself, place the tape around your heart rather than your head.
-Carol Trabelle
"Struggles between babies are natural and positive learning opportunities that develop their social and problem-solving skills. If you monitor struggles in safe ways with babies, you provide a natural outlet for the development of their curiosity, effort, and social skills." This advice comes from Beverly Kovach and Denise Da Ros-Voseles in one of the Exchange books on sale starting today, Being with Babies: Understanding and Responding to the Infants in Your Care. Here a just a few of the many suggestions Kovach and Da Ros-Voseles offer when babies struggle... -Carol Trabelle
- Move nearby and watch the babies interact.
- Move slowly and talk slowly.
- Be patient and don't overreact to the situation.
- W hen one baby appears uncomfortable with what is happening, quietly go to the baby and coach him or her out of the situation. One way to do this is to offer possible suggestions.
- Be at the babies' eye level, and close to the ground where the infants are, and identify what you see.
- Avoid leaving the scene of the conflict before one of the babies. Being the second one to leave decreases further conflict from happening.
