Today’s Parenting Tip:

Decide:     Your child can learn the difference between needs and wants.

Practice:     Today and for the next seven days, repeat the Daily Parenting Tip from 8-3-13.  Notice if your child gets better at asking for the right amount.  When he is accurate, tell him you are glad you can count on him to know what he needs. Know that in the beginning he may often over state or under state what he needs.  Once he realizes he will get what he needs, he will stop asking for too much.  Use these ideas to help him get better at checking in with his tummy and telling the difference between what he needs and wants.

• If he says he needs one of something, show him how small that amount is. Agree to let him try that and ask for more, if he needs to.
• If he says he needs lots of something, give it to him with an agreement that you will help him check in with his tummy halfway through. When you think he has had enough, you can tell him that and suggest that he save some of his helping for a later time that day or for the next day. Put it away with his name on it.
• If food is often leftover from what he has asked for, point out that a smaller amount would have been more correct about what his tummy was telling him. For young children, set some limits ahead of time. For example, for finger foods tell the child he can take what he needs, but not more than what he can hold in both hands.

See tomorrow’s Daily Parenting Tip (8-5-13) for more on teaching the difference between needs and wants.

Let us know which tips you like the best or any others you think of that you want to pass along to others.

Today’s Decide and Practice daily parenting tip was inspired by our featured picture book, KATIE AND THE PUPPY NEXT DOOR.  Read the book to a child in your life each day as a reminder of what you are deciding and practicing that day.

Come back each day for another good parenting decision and how to practice it. (Each day’s activity will also be posted on Daily Parenting Tips page for easy access.)

Read the whole story at Kids and Sharing.