Smart Rewards for Babies

• Understand the difference between rewards and bribes, so that your child understands them too. If your child is doing something wrong and you tell him that you will give him a candy or a toy for not doing it, you are bribing him but if you tell the child beforehand that if he keeps all his toys in their places and keeps his room clean too, he will get a trip to the amusement part at the weekend, then it is a reward.
• You may minimize the opportunities of your child being naughty by planning ahead, so that you don’t have to offer her rewards or bribes to stop her from being fussy or cranky. Children may start crying and wailing, if you are doing more than two errands at once or may like to go certain doctors who seem rude to them. In such cases, you may leave the child at home with a babysitter or do only one errand at a time, so your child doesn’t get bored. You may also take a break between two errands, at a place your child likes, such as McDonald’s for quick fun, so that the child also gets to enjoy somewhat.
• Offer rewards only for tough and difficult situations. If you offer them too often, the child will learn to expect something for every little thing they do, such as successfully tying their shoelaces or bringing you the newspaper or even opening the door. It can be quite an irritating habit too. Just appreciate the child’s efforts, smile and say ‘Thank you’, hug and kiss the child instead.
• Don’t offer food as rewards or the child will learn to binge on snacks and unhealthy stuff. Smart rewards often constitute fun time with you, which is also the great strategy for parent-child bonding. You may offer to play with the child in the backyard or take him to a carnival.
• Older children can be given points as rewards, which they can collect and when they have collected certain points, they may get something they ardently wish to have such as a soccer ball or a bicycle or even the latest video game on the block.