Patience comes with time
It’s hard to be patient at this age. Five minutes feels like an eternity and patience is impossible. There are so many new things to try, explore and experience! Over time, the ability to be patient will develop, too. Your baby’s favourite game might currently be dropping things over and over again. It’s simply fantastic to get to watch you pick them up over and over! Your baby also dropped things earlier in their development, but at that time, they were learning a new skill: grasping and releasing – simply opening their hand. At this point, it’s more about cause and effect: what will happen if I let this thing fall? Meanwhile, one thing is for certain: the older your baby gets, the more important entertainment becomes. Simply put, it’s really fun to watch you pick things up. Over and over, millions of times.
Their favourite word is ‘no’
At this age, ‘no’ might very well be your baby’s favourite word. No, no, no to everything – even favourite games and foods. Saying ‘no’ shows that they have their own will and that they are an independent individual. So what should you do about this? You can try to phrase questions so that they can’t be answered with ‘no’, for example by giving two options. Avoid asking questions to which you don’t expect to receive an answer. Be sparing with your own use of the word ‘no’. Show your delight when your toddler answers with a ‘yes’. And keep looking ahead. Most toddlers become significantly more cooperative around age two.
