How to teach/encourage "waiting"

[newmothermary]

I'm sure I'm not the only whose little one waits for no one when it comes to anything. Wanting a certain, toy, food, drink etc.

It has to be NOW and NOW. 

How do you encourage your wee ones to wait?

Thanks!

[pranava]

I started saying "Oh, Oh, Have Patience!!!"  In a very excited tone with a suprised  excited look on my face.  Then I say "I need 5 seconds of patience.  Let's count them!"  and I count to 5 while stirring dinner or washing a dish, and then give what was requested.  Of course 5 seconds isn't very long so you have to pick appropriate things to start this with that can be given in 5 seconds.  Eventually, DS learned to be quiet and listen to my counting.  He knew when I got to 5 he would get what he wanted. 

Then I started increasing my number of seconds.  I'm up to 30 seconds now.  It took a few months to get to where I am now, but it usually works.  The added benefit - DS can now count to 20 because he's heard it so many times :)

[crunchy_mommy]

We did a combination of the counting thing (practiced this when I was finishing up my shower, for ex. -- "Mommy will be out in ten seconds... 1... 2...") and doing "one minute" along with holding up one finger. The visual of my finger up really seemed to help, and I slowly extended how long our "one minute" lasted (starting with just a few seconds, and now it's closer to an actual minute, if not a bit longer)... It also seems to tell him YES. "Yes, I am going to pick you up, I just need to put down this basket first," or "Yes, we will [nurse] after you brush your teeth, c'mon let's go brush them!!" Sometimes he seems to think that waiting means "no" so we try really hard to acknowledge what he wants and tell him it IS coming.

[Amber Lion]

What drives me crazy is that she will repeat herself over and over and over and over until I am done doing whatever had to happen before I could meet her need.  Even if I say yes after everytime, she will keep repeating her request. 

[cyclamen]

DD repeats alot when she wants something too.  It dawned on me today that I do it to her.  Instead of asking her once, "DD please get your shoes," and waiting, patiently... I ask her like four times.  She does it whether I ask her a million times or not, so not sure why I do.

But regarding patience, we have been working on, "Waiiiit...." started out making her wait 1 second, and then making a big deal out of it.  Now she can wait probably 30 seconds.  Occasionally she forgets and wanders off!  (Probably temperment tho.)