Bad habits in a child: varieties, methods of struggle and prevention

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Bad habits in a child is a problem that almost all parents have to face. It is very difficult for children to control their actions. Therefore, adults should help them to properly coordinate intentions and actions. What are the bad habits in children and how to get rid of them, the publication will tell.

Types of childhood bad habits

First of all, it is worth figuring out what bad habits a child may have. Conventionally, they are divided into two categories. These are pathological and non-pathological habits.

The first group includes those rituals that are developed due to a lack of parental affection, attention, or very strict upbringing and cruel punishment. Pathological habits include the following actions:

• Sucking fingers, own clothes, bedding, etc.
• Bite nails, cuticles, cheeks or lips.
• Picking at the navel.
• Shake your head.
• Twisting or even pulling out hair.
• Manipulation with intimate parts of the body (childish onanism) and more.

Non-pathological bad habits arise from improper upbringing. That is, parents do not instill cultural and hygienic skills or demonstrate undesirable behavior by their own example. Non-pathological bad habits in a child include the following:

• Champing.
• Picking your nose.
• Shuffling feet.
• Slouching.
• Excessive gesticulation.
• Very loud speech.
• Interrupting others while talking.
• Foul language.
• Reading while using the toilet or while eating and more.

Reasons for bad habits

You need to understand that bad and good habits in children are formed by people around them, primarily parents. As they act, so the kids will behave. Bad habits most often develop in children in those families in which there is a dysfunctional environment. Adults do not take care of the child or give him little time, so he may acquire unpleasant tendencies.

Also, neurotic behavior can occur in a baby from a prosperous family. In this case, the cause of bad habits is most often mistrustful relationships with parents. The child does not share his problems and does not discuss topics that concern him. Such a cold emotional atmosphere forces one to console oneself with bad habits. In addition, their development is facilitated by constant conflicts infamily, which the child is forced to observe. Toddlers are more sensitive than adults to negative emotions. Therefore, due to regular scandals, they easily develop neurosis, which can manifest itself in the form of a bad habit.

Prevention of bad habits in children

It's easier to prevent trouble in the first place than to look for ways to solve it in the future. With the advent of a child in the family, experts recommend adhering to the following line of conduct:

Love for baby. Some parents try to raise their offspring in severity. In general, this is the right decision, but it is important not to go too far. After all, bad habits often occur in those children who are notorious or intimidated by the aggressive behavior of adults

Breastfeeding. Children who receive mother's milk for a long time, as a rule, do not develop pathological bad habits. This is proven by experts and numerous studies. Such children will intuitively look for the mother's breast and not perceive the nipples, which can be very difficult to wean

Pacifier rejection. This must be done very correctly, with the help of affection. Even a three-year-old baby cannot be forcibly taken away from a pacifier. Otherwise, the child will independently find a replacement for her. He may begin biting his nails, sucking his thumb, or pulling his hair until adolescence

Etiquette training. This point in the prevention of bad habits in children is also important. Even the smallest children need to be taught how they can and cannot behave insociety. Some parents do this in a playful way. For example, you can invite your baby to play with an imaginary friend who knows how to behave correctly. However, it is important not to overdo it here so that the child does not get into the habit of constantly lying

Avoiding stressful situations. Psychologists, after conducting a series of studies, came to the conclusion that after a strong mental shock, many children develop pathological habits. This may be excessively active gestures, shaking your head, winding your hair around your finger. To prevent this, parents and other adults need to monitor their behavior and not sort things out in the presence of children

Personal example. It is foolish to scold a child for what the parents themselves do. If they smoke or drink alcohol, then their children will develop this habit over time. Only a personal example will show how to behave correctly, and will be more effective than hypocritical lectures. Therefore, parents should first of all take care of themselves: do not slurp at the table, do not slouch, do not shuffle your feet, express yourself culturally, and so on

Ways to deal with bad habits of children

Psychologists say that children can still correct any negative behavior. There are several common ways to wean a child from bad habits. They can be used when the reason for the negative behavior is unknown.

Fair punishment. In no case should you ignore the harmful addictions of your child. But the punishment should not be cruel, otherwise it will only aggravateproblem situation

Full load. As the people say, a bad head does not give rest to the feet. This wise saying can be applied to some childhood bad habits. So that there is no time left for them, you need to make the most of your free time

Relaxing massage. This method will help eliminate problems such as thumb sucking, sleep talking, somnambulism, and more. Experts first recommend that the child take a relaxing warm bath with lavender or chamomile. After it, you need to stretch your shoulders and back muscles. This is best done by an adult. Movements should be gentle so as not to injure the child's body

Positive association. Fighting bad habits in a child helps not only the personal example of parents. Many children have at least one favorite animated character, artist, hero from computer games. Then you should convey to the child that his idol does not approve of the bad habits of his fans

A funny example. Psychologists recommend introducing their children to instructive stories from "Bad Advice" by Grigory Oster. Funny and sarcastic poems are best read with the child and at the same time explain to him the cultural and moral norms of behavior accepted in society

Encouragement. Children need to be rewarded every time they overcome their weaknesses a little. For example, after such a small victory, you can offer to go to a cafe or to your favorite movie. But in no case should you give money, because the child can be assignedconsumer behavior

Unity in education. To avoid double standards in a child, parents should demand the same from the child. Most often, antisocial bad habits occur in children and adolescents who skillfully manipulate adults. Therefore, the prankster must be scolded by both mom and dad so that he realizes the wrongness of his act

Consultation with a psychologist. It can be both an addition and the main way to solve a problem. If the case is serious, it is better to immediately contact a specialist. A good psychologist will be able to competently organize the work and help get rid of a bad habit without injuring the child's psyche

Also, experts identify private recommendations that need to be applied in a particular situation. Here are some of the more common cases.

Finger sucking

As a rule, such bad habits are most common in preschool children. To a certain extent, this is a physiological need, which weakens over time. If a baby over five years old is still sucking his thumb, then parents should pay attention to this. This may be a sign of low self-esteem, excessive anxiety, or emotional distress. Doctors note that prolonged sucking negatively affects the process of growth and formation of teeth. Therefore, this problem must be fought.

Psychologists recommend that parents try the following effective method. Every time whenthe baby falls asleep, the mother needs to sit next to him, take his hands and calmly, gently talk to him. Such rituals will help the baby calm down and become balanced. If the child is still trying to drag the fist into his mouth, then you need to calm the nervous system in advance. An hour or two before bedtime, you can exclude active games, bathe the baby, give him a relaxing massage or read fairy tales. In no case should you hit the fingers and grab the child by the hand - this will only aggravate the habit.

Nail biting

Usually this bad habit in a child is born at a time when his teeth begin to erupt, and he often keeps his fingers in his mouth. Another reason may be constant childhood experiences. Biting nails or cuticles distracts from problems and calms.

Psychologists recommend paying attention to the emotional atmosphere in the family, perhaps this is the reason. It is necessary to rid the baby of the problem calmly, demonstrating respect and love. You need to talk about the impact of bad habits on the he alth of the child. Emphasis should be placed on the fact that many diseases are transmitted through dirty hands. Therefore, they need to be washed more often and not put in the mouth.

You can offer your baby to gnaw pumpkin seeds or dried fruits instead of nails. Some kids just don't know how to take care of their nails. In this case, it is worth explaining how the procedure goes. Older girls can get a beautiful manicure. Most of them feel sorry for spoiling such nails, and they stop biting them. If the matteroccurs during a long trip, it is better to glue the fingertips with colored adhesive plasters. You can also take the child’s hands by offering to mold figures from plasticine, play with the designer, and so on.

Nose picking

This bad habit occurs in children of school, preschool age and even in some adults. It is not very pleasant to watch how another person is operating in his nose, so this behavior must be disposed of. First of all, parents and other adults should look at themselves. Perhaps they themselves are engaged in cleaning the nose in public, and the child simply repeats. You can’t yell at a child or beat his hands, especially if the habit has appeared due to some kind of fear, anxiety or self-doubt. It is better to occupy the baby's hands every time he reaches for his nose. You can give your favorite toy, nuts, dried fruits or pumpkin seeds. It is also important to teach the child to blow his nose, then there will be no reason to climb into the nose.

Hair Curl

Hair can be called a built-in stress reliever because it is silky and pleasant to the touch. Therefore, some kids curl their own or their mother's curls to calm down and focus.

How to rid a child of a bad habit? You can give him a hair band to wrap around his fingers, or a piece of string to tie knots. Beads on a string that can be sorted out with your fingers will also fit. If the girl constantly touches her long hair, she can be offered a short haircut.or wear hairstyles where the curls are completely removed.

Sometimes this habit develops into trichotillomania - a pathological desire to pull out one's hair. At the first signs of this psychological illness, you need to urgently contact a pediatrician to prescribe treatment.

Baby masturbation

This bad habit in a child's life begins to form when he is released from diapers. During this period, babies actively touch all parts of the body with their hands, including the genitals. Previously, they were not available, so they are of interest. Psychologists in this case suggest following several effective recommendations:

• Communicate more with your child.
• Don't leave him alone in the crib. If the baby refuses to sleep, then you need to try to persuade. If that doesn't help, it's best to put him to bed a little later.
• Do not wear tight clothes on the crumbs and observe hygiene. This will relieve itching of the genitals, and the baby will not need to touch them.
• If the baby was seen masturbating, then it should not be rocked on the knee of an adult.
• Don't let your child sit on the pot for a long time. Therefore, it is better to prevent constipation.

Eating with an open mouth

First of all, it is necessary to convey to the child that the sight of a chewing and open mouth is unpleasant and even scares some people. Because of this, they may lose their appetite, so they no longer want to sit next to such an uncultured person. After the conversation, you can come up with some funny phrase with the child, withpronouncing which you need to stop chewing with your mouth open. For example: "Caution, open porthole!" Our ancestors got rid of such bad habits of school-age children in the following way. A mirror was simply placed in front of them during meals. Over time, the child realized that he was behaving ugly, so he began to chew with his mouth closed.

Interrupting adult conversation

Perhaps all parents experience this childhood habit. Toddlers are very curious and emotional, so they tend to immediately ask a question or share some kind of discovery for them. Most parents usually shrug off the familiar phrase like "Get off!" or "Stop tugging at me!" But they immediately fulfill the demand of the child. This is a mistake, because the baby sees that his method gives a result.

It's better for kids to make their own rules. If the child needs something from the parents while they are talking, let him touch with his hand. This must be answered with a similar gesture. So the child will understand that he was heard, and can be a little patient.

Parents should understand that all bad and good habits are formed at an early age. For this reason, it is important for children to arrange small lessons on cultural behavior in society. So they will understand how you can and how you can not behave in public. And of course, the personal example of parents is also important, because kids constantly copy the behavior of adults. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the emotional atmosphere in the house. After all, often bad habitspathological nature are developed due to an unfavorable family environment.