How to communicate with 10 month old?

[hehateme]

We are first time parents. Our Son turned 10 months old a few days ago.
He is a very active child. Every diaper change turns into a wrestling match.
He cannot sit still. Unless we distract him with a toy he flips over and takes off. Sometimes it takes 2 of us to just do a diaper change. When we are getting him ready to sleep at night once again he takes off to explore the bathroom or the closet. We usually have to catch him and bring him back 3 times every evening when we are changing him.
At his day care they have also observed that he has the most energy of any kids.
Besides being highly energetic he has a mind of his own. We we try to feed him he refuses to eat. He grabs the food and eats on his own. If his spoon falls down from his high chair he yells loudly for us to pick it up.
This morning when I was feeding him he began spitting up his food. I tried to make it stop but I was unable to do so.
Sometimes when he is trying to play with things he should not play with we tell him no and I think he understands it. He stops for a moment and then continues to do what he wants to do.

How can we communicate with him?
Are there any books we can read that will help?
Can you share any tips with us?
We don't want him to turn into a spoiled brat but at the same time we do want him to be curious about this and explore as long as it is safe.


Thanks

[wellyes]

Sounds like a very normal & happy little boy!


Sometimes when he is trying to play with things he should not play with we tell him no and I think he understands it. He stops for a moment and then continues to do what he wants to do.Yup, that's about right.

I don't think you have to worry about spoiling him at that age. If there's something he's playing with that he's not supposed to, do tell him to stop and explain the reason why - he can understand a lot - but also immediately give him something else to do. Your job is to encourage his exploration and keep his little mind whirling, not to get him to mind you. Trying to get a 10 month old to obey you is, IMO, a recipe for disaster.

Besides being highly energetic he has a mind of his own. We we try to feed him he refuses to eat. He grabs the food and eats on his own. If his spoon falls down from his high chair he yells loudly for us to pick it up.
This morning when I was feeding him he began spitting up his food. I tried to make it stop but I was unable to do so.DD was the same at mealtime. What I've come to realize is that babies/toddler have no control whatsoever over so much of their life, so things that they can take a stand on can become a battleground. If you make meals a confrontation he's likely to thrive on that. It's his way of saying "I will do what I want!" Put food in front of him, feed him, try to persuade him .... but never force it or make it a discipline issue. He won't starve if you let him skip a meal or two, babies self-regulate to make sure they do get enough calories. It's more risky to make it a battle of wills since with stubborn kids (aka almost any toddler) it can lead to *years* of issues (trust me, I know).

[hillview]

I suggest Ames "Your One Year Old" she has a whole series "Your Two Year Old" etc. It is a little dated (lots of more gender specific things/sterotypes) but you can easily ignore this and get a ton out of it.
/hillary

[HonoluluMom]

I'll be watching this thread closely too! I'm a first-time mom and my 9 month old DD sounds very similar.

She absolutely hates getting her diaper changed (tries to turn over and crawl away and toys just don't distract her anymore) and it usually turns into a MMA wrestling match :rotflmao: and a loose diaper. I just tell myself it's a temporary thing since DD just started to really crawl and if I just started to crawl, I would want to explore, not be held down.

Right now, I think that she's into exploring anything and everything that's new/different, i.e., not her toys. It requires constant vigilance and saying "no" quite a bit.

DD has started to throw food overboard now days. I recently decided I'll give her 3 chances and 3 warnings before I pack everything up and tell her that the meal is over.

Look forward to any helpful tips!

[maylips]

Yep, sounds a lot like my 10-month old DS. Diaper changes are really frustrating. DH gave me a tip about holding his hips which helps him not flip (as much), rather than trying to grab his legs and twisting him all up. I have just learned to be REALLY fast!

Distraction is the big key. I don't know if you're a fan of the Babywise series or not, but there is one for this age group that gave me a lot of insight to my firstborn. I haven't looked at it in awhile, but I did gain some insight when I did read it.

[susanasou]

My 9 month is the same. He refuses to be fed. I just cut up his food into small pieces and put them in front of him. He will start to pick them up with his fingers and put in his mouth, I get him to eat more this way and he takes eating seriously this way. As for diaper change, I started changing it with him standing up holding onto something, like the foot of his crib. He loves to stand, since he can't really walk or stand without support, I manage to change his diaper without him crawling away from me.