14 Tactics for Enhancing Toddler Cooperation

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Guiding determined toddlers through their intricate world can often resemble deciphering a complex puzzle for parents. Maneuvering through the labyrinth of tantrums, selective eating habits, and nighttime battles can be genuinely exhausting, occasionally testing both your patience and repertoire of creative solutions. Yet, fear not, as relief is within reach. Drawing upon the collective wisdom of an online community, fellow parents have generously shared a wealth of engaging and effective strategies for adeptly handling these lively young personalities.

1. Bye Bye Magic

Many parents believe using the simple phrase “bye bye” is magical. One individual shared, “Uttering ‘bye-bye’ to objects has proven remarkably effective in managing transitions. ‘Bye-bye, playground!’ ‘Bye-bye, TV!’ Remarkably, this approach has averted any tantrums!”

“I’ve only recently stumbled onto this hack and it has made life immeasurably easier.” Another user said. 

2. Greet and Extend a Hello to Things

On a similar note to bye-bye, another user shared, “I taught my girl to wave and say “hi” to things I don’t want her to touch or grab, which often includes garden plants, bugs, and garbage, among other things. It’s adorable when she waves and says “hi” in her cute toddler voice, and it’s way better than her inadvertently pulling up plants, squishing bugs, and touching nasty things.”

3. Replacing Lunch With Snack

Turn lunchtime frowns into snack-time smiles. Someone said, “My child didn’t want “lunch” but he wanted snacks. So I broke his lunch in a muffin tin, and he loved it.” It’s a genius hack for picky eaters. 

4. The Wardrobe Surprise

Say no to fashion battles now with this hack. A mom writes, “My kiddo used to reject all the new clothes I’d buy. However, if I don’t tell her and put it in her drawers, she will eventually pull it out and excitedly wear it.”

5. The Bag of Treasures

“I have a small reusable shopping bag I let my kid carry when we walk. All of her must-have rocks, sticks, flowers, and clumps of dirt end up in the bag. The bag stays outside the front door for the next outing when we get home.” A user said. 

6. Emergency Bribes

These are a parent’s secret weapon for handling sticky situations on the go! Someone said, “I keep shelf-stable chocolate milk in the diaper bag for emergency bribes.”

Another added, “So relatable! We buy “monkey Yoo-hoo” as emergency bribes for our opinionated eater.”

7. The Timer Trick

This time management hack turns transitions into a breeze. A user said, “Setting a timer works amazingly well for my 2-year-old to transition from playtime to cleaning or bedtime! She doesn’t even inspect closely what I’m setting it for, so I can say, ok, 2 minutes and then do 90 seconds (shhh!), and when the timer goes off, she’s ready for the next thing.”

8. Toddler’s Wonderland Inside the Box

Is your toddler obsessed with boxes too? A parent shared, “Anything in the box. Big enough for him to sit inside. Crayons always stay in the box, but he can draw on all the box walls. Playdough? In the box. Stickers? In the box. Sometimes we do crayons in the box while he stays in the box while watching a movie. Got two hours to do my things during that one. I love the box. He loves the box.”

9. Salad Spinner

Someone wrote, “A salad spinner is a fun toy that will give you 20 min to make dinner. Put random toys in it and see how fast they go.”

10. Parrot Parenting

Turning protest into cooperation. A user said, “At the end of saying we aren’t doing something, or no to something, I let them protest for a moment. Then I re-explain and say “and you say ok Mama” and the kiddo parrots back “ok Mama” and magically goes about their business about 70% of the time. It’s not failsafe but it is effective!” Cool mommy hack?

11. Use Their Favorite Shows as Examples

Someone said, “Whatever we are doing, Blippi is doing. Blippi is going night night right now! Blippi loves baths! Blippi is eating dinner at his house!” This hack works wonders to get the actions you want. 

12. Play and Clean

A mom shared this clever hack where she takes the role of the needy baby, and her daughter takes on the role of the caring mom. As “the baby struggles” with bedtime because the room is messy, the child happily cleans up the room, making the mom feel like a real baby being cared for. By the end of the game, the room is spotless, and everyone is happy.”

13. Dance it Out

A user wrote, “When a tantrum is looming, switch gears and have a silly dance party. Dancing is a fantastic way to release pent-up energy and turn frowns upside down.” Simply great.

14. Storytime Swap

“When your toddler refuses to do something, take turns making up a story with them. After your turn, they have to do the task, and then it’s their turn to add to the story. It keeps them engaged and motivated.” Said a user. 

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