Toddlerhood is the time of immense growth and development in all areas – physical, cognitive, and language. Your toddler loves to experiment physically, trying increasingly difficult acts of strength and skill to see what else their bodies can do.
Parenting a toddler is no less than a herculean task. It is emotionally and intellectually draining and is often challenging for parents. Because so much is new for both parents and the child, knowing why your toddler behaves a certain way and how to help your toddler can make your parenting journey easy.
About toddlerhood
Toddlers are no longer babies. They start growing rapidly, learn new skills and will start interacting with the world in their own ways. In this stage, the overall development of the child occurs, and it encompasses several areas, including cognitive development, physical development, language skills, and social development.
Toddler behaviors & changes
During toddlerhood, your child will:
- be more passionate about exploring, discovering, and learning
- be curious to explore things
- love to try things on their own and will be demanding
- show temper, tantrums as they are learning to control their emotions
- learn fine motor skills
- be picky food eaters
- experience a “word spurt” as they add new words to their vocabulary.
Parenting at this stage plays an important role in the growth and development of children. It is exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking age for parents. It is undoubtedly a herculean task to be a parent of a toddler.
Tips for parenting a toddler
- Behavioral changesToddler behavior can be surprising, frustrating, and often out-of-control. Parents play a major part in framing child’s behavior. It can be difficult as well as rewarding.The best way to improve child’s behavior is to give them a lot of attention when they are trying to do something you like and do not pay attention when they are doing something you do not like.
- Talk with your toddler: It is important to talk often, openly, and honestly with your child. Talking will help them to start using words to express his or her feelings. A good communication between parent and child will encourage better behavior from them.
- Offer choices, when possible: Involving your child in making their choices really helps in modifying their behavior. Give your child the freedom to pick out a pair of pajamas or a bedtime story.
- Take ‘no’ in stride: Whenever your toddler says no, be patient and calmly repeat your request. If you get irritated, your child is likely to get frustrated. Instead, do some fun activities to distract your child or make a game out of good behavior.
- Keep routines: Practice routines to help your toddler with regular activities and to plan for demanding times of the day. Schedule play time and rest times.
- Set good examples: Toddlers learn appropriate behavior by watching those around them. Keep in mind that your little one is watching you and you set an example for them. Show them the behavior you want to see in your toddler.
- Praise good behavior: Tell your toddler what you like about his or her behavior and appreciate it. Do not forget to give your child lots of kisses and cuddles to reinforce the praise.
- Diet and nutritionToddlers have a reputation for being picky eaters. They show strong food preferences and dislikes. Their tastes and likes can change rapidly as they are dealing with teething, growth spurt, or another developmental milestone. As a parent, choosing right foods according to the child’s eating preferences and balancing their nutritional requirements can be challenging.Tips to tackle your picky eater:
- Offer new foods one at a time and give them time to adjust.
- Make food simple, plain, and easily recognizable.
- Try to maintain regular meals and snacks time.
- Give enough time for your toddler to eat.
- Use your imagination and get your little ones to try more healthy foods.
- Use attractive child-size plates, cups, forks and spoons.
- Cut foods into small pieces and watch your child while they are eating.
- Speech and communication By entering toddlerhood, baby typically begins to use words in meaningful ways. Each child tends to follow a natural progression for mastering the skills of language and communication. Though every child learns to speak at his or her own pace, these milestones can help doctors and other healthcare professionals to identify whether your toddler need extra care. You can encourage your baby to start talking by:
- Asking questions; be attentive and patient with the replies.
- Letting your child lead the conversation and helping them expand on their thoughts.
- Giving your child lots of opportunities to talk, with plenty of time to answer your questions.
- Using facial expressions and gestures to communicate the meaning of words.
- Expanding your child’s vocabulary by building on the words they already know.
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Potty training
Potty training is a huge milestone for toddlers and is one of the everlasting parenting challenge. The purpose of toilet training is to teach your children how to recognize the sensation they feel in their bodies before they need to use the toilet. But before deciding to take the leap and potty train, you should get your child familiar with using the toilet.
Reference:
- Toddler health. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/basics/toddler-health/hlv-20049400. Accessed on: 28-09-2020.
- Nine steps to more effective parenting. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/nine-steps.html . Accessed on: 28-09-2020.
- Toddler. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/default.aspx . Accessed on: 28-09-2020.
- Toddlers (1-2 years of age). https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html . Accessed on: 28-09-2020.
- Toddler safety. https://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/home/articles/topic/toddler-safety . Accessed on: 28-09-2020.
- Toddlers. https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers . Accessed on: 28-09-2020.