How to Have a Child Who Listens to You All of the Time!

Robert is a six month old and has mastered the crawling skill, including an impressive level of speed.

He was already used to being spoken to all the time-talking to him about everything that was happening in his world-feeding time, playtime, social interaction time, bedtime and everything in between.  We decided it is time to take him to the next level.

While he is on the floor playing and crawling I position myself four to five feet away and call to him to come and change his diaper.  Obviously, he does not comprehend what he should do.  I repeat it three times with 10 to 15 second intervals and then approach him and physically turn him in the direction of the changing pad and off he goes.  I congratulate him on his arrival.  I repeat this each changing time for the next three days and guess what? At the end of the third day he is crawling to me with no assistance.

The next step is to broaden his understanding and skill.  My first choice is to add in his bottle at feeding time.  He is quicker to catch on to this request, partly because of his earlier experience, and also his natural interest in food.

I simply progress from there to more areas that are practical and accessible for him i.e. a favorite toy, his bed, lunch time etc. I also include my assistant in the process.

Now at nineteen months he is an understanding listener.  He does periodically challenge us, which for us, is a positive as we do encourage assertiveness and independence.

This process was not hard; it required a firm plan, clear directives, respect for him and consistency.

If your child is older, have everyone who is participating in their care on board.  It is especially important that both parents take this approach.  It reduces the probability that the child will challenge or resist becoming an active listener.

Important!

1. Before you begin, explain to your child what is going to happen and what your expectations are.

2. If you haven’t already established clear well defined boundaries, expectations, rules and consequences, do so before beginning the process.

3. Do not say anything you don’t mean.

4.  Follow up on everything you say.

5. Remember to wait 15 seconds between the first to requests, this shows respect for their intelligence and allows time for them to make the choice to listen.

We have applied this strategy to all ages with positive results every time!

My final observation is that if your child does not listen to you, it makes every aspect of parenting not work!

For more easy to follow guidelines on how to ensure your child listens to you at bedtime you should purchase Smart Parent Smart Child here!