As soon as he could, our son said “bye bye” and waved when parting with things – all things. It might sound silly to suggest waving bye to inanimate objects, but it serves a real and practical purpose to your baby and toddler.
For one, asking your baby to say “bye” or waving to something is a test of willingness to conform. If your toddler willingly says “bye” or waves, he’s saying that he’s willing to part with it. If he hesitates or won’t, you know he needs more warning before parting. In this scenario, you haven’t prepared your baby with the next move and his surprise produces disappointment. It’s pretty simple to work with toddlers once you understand the rules! If your toddler routinely throws fits when parting with things or activities, then you might need to provide more advanced warning.
Saying “bye” or waving is a great way to warn your baby that it’s time to move and gives your baby some control and predictability back to their lives. While you’re getting ready to move on, it’s all in your head. You need to talk to your toddler and give him time to adjust to what’s coming next. Surprise is the enemy of toddlers so be careful not to shock them with bad news – ease him into it instead. The more predictable you can make things for your toddler, the happy he’s going to be. This isn’t to say that you can’t toss in some surprises (we all live with some randomness), but a fair warning goes a long way.