How to Take Your Toddler to Church

It's a feeling of doom -- walking up the church stairs with your toddler. Please Lord -- get me through the next hour. Try as you might, sometimes it takes a little more than a prayer to get your child to behave in church.

Prepare to take your toddler to church by starting an hour beforehand. Settle toddlers down by turning off the television or refrain from doing any activity that gets them wound-up. For children six to twelve months, try a feeding prior to going, as this may help the child with a nap during the mass. A sleeping youngling is a happy youngling equals a happy mass experience.

Select a seat near the aisle. If your church doesn't have a "crying room," the aisle becomes prime real estate in case of a needed departure to the back of the church.

Sit in a row where your child can see the priest. It's not necessary to sit towards the front, but pick a row where your toddler can view how the mass proceeds from one part to the next. If you constantly pick the next to the last row, there's no possible way to see and learn anything.

Rest your toddler on your lap. This helps your child see what's happening in the front of the church. Explain to the toddler some of the parts of the service, for example, this is when the preacher tells us a story or when we sing a song.

Whisper some key words to the toddler, such as Jesus, prayer, love, etc. and explain what they are and what they mean.

Prepare for restlessness by bringing coloring books and paper for drawing. Leave the sound-making books and toys at home.

Bribery is the pathway to a toddler's heart. While bribery understandably cannot be used in all situations, it serves its purpose to help avoid unruly behavior during mass. Have that special, inexpensive something waiting for little Johnny once you arrive home.

Take a time out. Sometimes, that break is needed because toddlers won't always be quiet when you want them to be; it's a simple fact of the parenting process. When you have to bail out, communicate with your child that church is quiet time and behaving is necessary. It's only through growing that your child will learn to behave in church and eventually, your words will take shape.

Work on good behavior with your child during the following week. After a miserable experience at mass, prepare your child in the leading days up to the next Sunday by asking Johnny -- how are we going to behave in church? Continue with reinforcement, teaching, quiet activities and bribery. Then say a prayer.