Being a baby sitter is not the easiest job in the world and yet many people still make a living out of it. Why? Because even though there are some kids who are not easy to deal with, being around children can always be a wonderful experience. Not to mention, there are many tricks of the trade that you can make use of just in case you end up caring for a child that is difficult to deal with like someone who throws tantrums all day long or goes into endless crying sprees. Here are 3 baby sitting tips to help you care for a difficult child.
1. Be gentle but firm. Kids can sense fear and weakness right away. If you let them see that you are afraid of them, they will use this to torment you all day long. Be sure to show the child that you are not a pushover that he can step on or make fun of. But of course, you have to show authority in a gentle way. When making a command, speak firmly but never shout. You want the kid to know that without scaring him off.
2. Distract the child. Just before the kid throws a fit, lighten the situation by offering distractions such as baby sitting stories and games. For example, if the kid is about to get angry because you did not give him the chocolates that he saw in the cupboard, you can pull him into one corner and ask him a question that would rouse his curiosity like, “Did you know what happen to the Spider-man when he ate a lot of chocolates?”
Then go on to tell him that if he wants to hear about this story, he would need to wait until his mom and dad go home before he can ask for those chocolates again. This trick usually works even with the most difficult child just as long as you are able to get his attention by including his favorite character or any other thing that he is very interested in.
3. Keep the child busy and occupied. No, it is not a good idea to prop up the kid into the couch for a whole day of television watching. Watching television more than two hours a day is not healthy. This makes children passive observers instead of active and bright learners as what they are supposed to be.
Keep him busy using creative and educational activities like coloring books, building models of cars or airplanes, crafting clay sculptures, and so many more. As long as his skills and intelligence are being honed and his safety is not jeopardized, you can make use of these activities to keep him busy and occupied the whole day. This way, he won’t have to be reminded about being a bratty kid that he usually is.
The trick here is again to find what makes him tick. Offering activities that he won’t enjoy will not do both of you any good.
It is actually not that difficult to care for a bratty or spoiled child just as long as you are able to discover his favorites and interests. This way, you can offer activities and distractions that will keep him busy and occupied.
