How to teach them to be cautious
My LG is 15 months and has no sense of survival. She's constantly bumping her head on toys, tables, you name it, but she hasn't learned to be cautious yet. When is it developmentally appropriate for them to be more cautious? Is there anything I can do to guide her without making her question her ability?
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Following mine is 15 mo and like to sit under my desk or the table and then stands up but he is much taller now and bumps his head all the time
A 15 month old has lived for approximately 456 days... Give them grace. They will eventually learn , if you are there to guide them
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They don’t really have much spatial awareness or concern for self-preservation at that age, but you can start teaching them to be more aware of their surroundings. Use descriptive language to explain the risk and how to avoid it. Try not to say “don’t” because it’s not an instruction. Tell them what to do rather than what not to do. E.g., child is sitting under a table. Instead of saying “don’t stand up, you’ll hit your head”, get down to her level and say “see the table? If you stand, you’ll bump your head. Crawl to mommy, then stand up.” Also try to avoid using the words “be careful.” A toddler won’t know what risk you’re referring to or how to be careful of it. E.g., child is running close to the road. Instead of saying “be careful, don’t run onto the road!”, you could say “stop! Notice how close you are to the road? Let’s keep our feet on the sidewalk where it’s safe.” Making sure they understand that stop means freeze is also key.