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In order to ensure defined behavior when dealing with inheritance and method overriding in C, you can follow these guidelines:

1. Use virtual functions: In C++, you can ensure that a child class always uses the parent class's method by defining a virtual function in the parent class and then overriding it in the child class. In C, you don't have virtual functions, but you can use function pointers to achieve similar results.

2. Use encapsulation: By keeping the inner workings of your classes private, you can ensure that changes to one class don't accidentally affect another.

3. Use const-correctness: Marking certain parameters and functions as "const" can help prevent accidental changes to objects that should not be modified.

4. Document your code: By documenting your inheritance hierarchy and method overrides, you can help other developers understand the intended behavior of your code.

5. Test thoroughly: Before releasing your code, thoroughly test all inheritance scenarios and method overrides to ensure that behavior is consistent and predictable.