Tip 165: Motivating a 1 year old

From age 1 year old, parenting begins to be fun when you get responses from your baby and know that your baby understands you. It is a joy to see a baby learns and is able to understand reason and even knowing between good and bad little by little each day. Parents have an important role to play to be involved in communication as much as possible, since the child values communication with the parents the most. Even if the child communicates with the baby sitter, grandparents or pre-school teacher, they learn the most from their parents as they have the strongest bond with the parents. That's when daddies can motivate the baby by knowing what would interests them. Communicate with positive words or signs that interest the baby such as the words play, teddy bear, food, going out, butterfly or dolphin.

Of late, many child psychologists encourage parents to communicate with the baby when the baby starts to have interest to communicate starting from 6 months or even earlier. They advise parents to use sign language of common needs of the baby. They also mentioned that besides common needs like pain, eat, drink or sleep, the baby also has other interests. When daddy can understand these interests, they are powerful motiviting influences on the baby towards the baby's behavior.

For Haruka, food that she likes offers the strongest motivating influence to her. Second most motivating word is going out. Haruka may not get as excited if I tell her that I would take her to see the sea lion, dolphin or butterfly as she knows that it may not happen instantly or she may not have the mood for that particular animal at that moment. Yet, food satisfies her craving immediately and she would listen immediately to what I would tell her.

On Saturday night, when daddy and mummy were preparing the snack for Haruka to bring to Sunday school, Haruka was so excited. I asked Haruka what would be inside her bag and she says "oishi oishi" (delicious). I told her that she has to sleep early so that tomorrow she can wake up early to go to church. She immediately lay down on her pillow. Then, later she pestered mummy to turn off the lights. When the lights were off, she continued playing with her toys and singing and laughing in the dark. But at least, she listened and tried to obey for a single second.

The next day, I was constantly telling Haruka not to cry when I send her to the playroom while I would leave her to attend the church service. I told her she can eat her snack. She did cry last week for a shorter period when she had snack in her bag for the first time.

When I came to pick up Haruka after the church service was over, I asked the helpers and they said Haruka did not cry today. The motivation worked! All this while she would cry when not accompanied, but she decided to make the best of the playroom that day. She could do it if she wants to. With a little bit of motivation from daddy as well.

Have you tried motivating a 1 year old baby? Try it. Positive words make this world a better place.

(Photos show the Bridge of Sighs, Oxford Castle, Oxford city, Worcester College and a cemetery along Queen's lane which completes my Oxford photo collection).