Parenting Tips for Toddlers

I still remember the day when my son took his first steps and spoke his first word. It was a glorious moment for the entire family. But then the running all over the place started….. ☺. The incessant talking, though tiring, made me smile ear to ear. I loved it all. So parents, toddlers are quite a handful. We need a lot of patience and tonnes and tonnes of energy to keep pace with them.

Babies aged between 14 months and 36 months fall into the category of toddlers. Yes, these years can be quite challenging for parents. But we can make our lives easier if we adhere to a few key points:

• Yes, our little angel has a mind of her own, so let us allow her to use it. We need to help our toddler become responsible. Let us begin with the basics….cleaning her own mess. For e.g., if while eating, the bowl falls off the table, please do not get irritated. Try to respond in the following manner; ” oh, we dropped our food. It is fine. So now let us get a sponge and clean it”. Get a cleaning cloth for yourself and your toddler. It is fun and aids learning.
• Acknowledge kindness in your child. Try to help her realise that kind words and gestures can work wonders. For e.g., a warm hug can make you feel loved and happy.
• Allow your child to help you in your daily chores. For instance, my son loves to fold washed clothes and he does a wonderful job of it. He feels important doing it because he realises that this is his contribution in the house work.
• Allow your child to make decisions, at least the simpler ones. Instead of shouting out orders, ask her what needs to be done next. For e.g. before going to bed, ask her if she needs to do something important; more often than not, she would rush to brush her teeth. Allow her to choose the amount of food she wants to eat. Let her decide what to wear, it is fun☺.
• Allow her to learn social skills. Never impose expected responses upon her. If she reacts adversely to a situation, allow her to calm down and then ask her to identify how she could have responded differently. For instance, if she becomes aggressive with a sibling or a friend, take her away and ask her to relax. Then communicate with her…..listen to her…understand her….respond to her.
• Allow your child to deal with her problems, instead of rushing to help her. This would help her become independent and responsible for her own actions.

We love our children and we all want them to grow up into bright, intelligent, successful and healthy individuals. But we also need to inculcate in them the simple quality of being happy. They need to enjoy the process of growing up; they need to have fun; laugh; scream; jump. They need to live their childhood ☺

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