50 Brilliant ‘Child Hacks’ For Babysitters, Parents, Teachers, And Nurses 

9. Offer a choice. Do you want to put your shoes on first or brush your hair first? It short circuits their tendency to fight you and makes them feel like they’re making their own decisions, which they are. Make sure the options listed are ones you’re okay with though.

10. Always count down time to prevent surprises, no matter how much of a routine it is (“15 minutes until pajama time!” “10 minutes until brush teeth!” “5 minutes until bed time”) helps ease them into the shit they hate so they don’t get blindsided by it while they’re having fun.

11. If a certain child doesn’t want to wear their jacket while outside, we’ll usually just slip it on backwards and zip it up the back; it’s harder for them to get off, they always think it’s so silly, and they’ll use the hood as an extra pocket (usually for wood chips and dirt lol).