Please Help! How do you deal with SPITTING? (2yr olds)

[LoveMyGirls]

I'm at the end of my tether with this problem and I have no idea how to solve it, so please help if you can?

My mindee has a habit of spitting, he used to spit his food out but he's coming along with that now but I really don't know how to deal with spitting once and for all? My dd2 is now copying him and thinks its funny What is the best technique to use to get them both to stop it?

Today mindee started doing it while i was walking with the pushchair I asked him to stop (he didnt) then dd2 joined in and they both carried on even once they were in the car.

Telling them to stop seems to make it worse but if i ignore it they spray spit absolutly everywhere, plus don't they need to know it is wrong to do this?

Tia

Hi LMG . Spitting is something they all go through, especially when the two of them are egging each other on.

Ignore ignore ignore would be my line on it, it's hard I know. It's the old trick of positive reinforcement for you. Try not to get caught in the cycle of attention for the spitting.

They are spitting all over the house the car, other children, me, its just not good ! How can i possibly ignore it?

They do it for attention, plus they are pressing your buttons big-style.

Distract and divert like mad. Come on here to vent if all too much

LMG I have put out a call for our fellow CMs to nip over here with their thoughts.

The Calvalry are coming !

Spitting is my absolute bugbear and I couldnt ignore it when dd did it - she did it once in anger during a tantrum (spat at me) and I told her that I found her behavious disgusting and dirty and that I was more cross with her than I had ever been. Put her on the naughty step and told her if she ever dared do it again she would stay in her bedroom for a week (obviously not true!!)

Probably the wrong approach but I was livid - my dd will not grow up dirty and disrepectful likd those foul people who spit in the street!
It makes me retch and seethe!!!

Thats so much, some days i feel like packing it in and today is just one of those days, this is the icing (rather spit) on the cake for me.

So many days i love doing ym job but today I feel like I'm getting nowhere fast. While mindee has always had behavioural issues my dd2 was fine (infact i'd say she was well behaved) Now she is copying the spitting and also playing up at meals times because she see's he is doing and getting lots of attention while he is moving forward she is being dragged back and now i've got 2 of them misbehaving most of the time I feel very fed up today.

I would make them wipe their mouths on their favourite toy but then I do lose normal parenting rationale when it comes to spitting - it is just foul.

Not sure I'm the cavelry, but I'm here anyway!

Sounds like its gone too far to ignore, so we need to think of a way to turn a negative into a positive How about, when they spit you say someting like, 'I've got an idea (lively and happy of course!) why don't we see if we can whistle instead of spit? Its much nicer than spitting!' They won't be able to do it, but at least it makes a game out of it and they might decide you attention on whistling is better than spitting.

I can't really help mate as only time a mindee ever was really bad, it was sooo bad (i.e. they were dangerous) that I gave notice and they never came back.

I definitely couldn't do ignoring after everything you've been through with this one, I think it's beyond that. Maybe try what Mo said. I wish you luck, the parents definitely need to be doing something too!

Bump for any more advice?

bumping this cos im havng the same prob with dd. it drives me mad

sellotape their mouths!!!

only joking before you get the flame throwers out

sounds like good advice from Maureenmlove

law i like ur idea do u think i would have to take it off for her 2 eat or is starving er till she stops an option 2

yeah why not!! lose the lids of felt tip pens sellotape them to they hands, get up of the naughty step, sellotape, dont sleep, sellotape.

Who needs supernanny, when we have sellotape!!!

i like the way ur thinking. if that mad woman (cant remember her name) can tell u not to hug ur newborn surley we could make a fortune with the sellotape method

Bumping for LMGs, don't think sellotaping mindees mouths would be allowed but I'm liking your style

[looney reminds herself she must not selloatape mindees mouths]

bumping for the evening crew

Bump for poor LMGs, it started again before 8am this morning!!!

looney - what is LMGS, sorry had to ask, fairly new!!!

short for LoveMyGirls

looney - right thanks is that someone's name on here??

Does she need some sellotape

If you scroll to the bottom you will see she's the OP (original poster)

As for sellotape, if only us childminders could use that method!!!

looney - oh yeah, der!!!!!

My dd started doing this a few months back, bizarrely it seemed to be at times when she felt embarassed or awkward!? She would spit as an act of defiance. After she had been told (and understood) it was wrong, i started ignoring it so long as it wasn't at me or other people; in which case i would remove her from the room. It seems to have stopped now, apart from very occasionally, she will spit at at me if she's having a tantrum and is absoloutely furious. If anyone has any tips on how to deal with these instances i would be very grateful! I agree, it's so foul and disgusting.

milky - dare i say it sellotape!!! no seriously spitting at you in temper, is pretty much the same as hitting you in temper during a tantrum.

I would ignore it and just put her in time out, the same as if she hadnt spat. Its done to annoy you, its a bit like adults when they argue, they sometimes end up saying things they didnt mean, just to annoy the other person.