The Price of a Toddler Haircuts

Some of you may have already read my post on the many values of candy with toddlers, but my bribery technique goes far beyond candy these days. I learned early on that there are 3 main things that can be used to get just about ANYTHING you want from your toddler:

1. jelly beans
2. goldfish
3. M&Ms

No need to retell the jelly bean uses so I'll skip to the other 2 winners for you. For the Biscuit, goldfish are an excellent bribe for fingernail and (sometimes) toenail clipping sessions. I will caution, though, that you have to be very careful on the second hand's fingernails that you clip because they are often soggy from the goldfish eating that's been going on during the first hand's fingernail clipping, and if you're not careful you may clip too much (ouch).

Chocolate makes the Biscuit go nuts so I try not to give it to him too often. (Even in the womb, I had chocolate 2 times and each time I did, the Biscuit would start kicking and acting up.) The Biscuit just loves chocolate though so I could probably get him to do anything for an M&M. These little tasty treats came in handy when the Biscuit desperately needed a haircut recently. The deal was 1 M&M each time I clipped. Worked like a charm.

Now, I know it's not the best idea in the world to negotiate and bribe your child, so I will go ahead and say that if any of you have a better idea, by all means: enlighten me. Else, I will continue to use my little tricks to keep him well-manicured (and full-bellied).

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💗A note from the Author: I'm opening up the archives of Taming the Toddler to share the real, unfiltered moments of grace and humor that defined my early years of motherhood. If you enjoy these stories and are navigating the journey of parenting or pregnancy, check out my devotional work in my Prayers through Life book series: Prayers through Pregnancy or explore my faith-focused apparel: Seek God's Grace.

Got a toddler story of your own? Leave it in the comments. I'd love to connect.

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