Toddlers keep moms on their toes. With some helpful parenting advice, you can successfully navigate the worst temper tantrums and the terrible twos.
Moms can do it all. While little ones keep our hands full, some parenting tips and tricks can keep you on track. Here is some helpful advice for raising your toddler.
Show Unconditional Love
We all know that there are times when being a mom gets tough. Our little ones are the center of our world, but they call it the terrible twos for a reason.
However, it’s important to remain as calm and loving as possible, even during frustrating times with your child. Using harsh language to critique their behavior will lead to hurt feelings and damage their self-esteem.
Instead, do your best to defuse temper tantrums. You can try redirecting the behavior by taking them to another room and engaging in an activity they love. Of course, there are incidents where a time-out may be necessary. Remember to praise them when they are behaving well to encourage them to do the good behavior again.
Implement Hands-On Learning
Toddlers benefit from practical lessons that they can actively participate in. Since they don’t have a sizeable vocabulary yet, it’s nice to back up those lessons with physical reminders.
For example, you might want to start teaching your little one about shapes. You can try doing this with food in the kitchen. Cookie cutters can be used on sandwiches, such as stars or hearts, making mealtime fun.
They can learn other important facts while keeping the lessons exciting. In order to implement hands-on learning about germs, try showing how far a sneeze can go with the help of a physical reminder, like flour. Your child will remember it flying everywhere, making them more engaged in the lesson. Just be sure to follow it up with how to contain a sneeze and prevent the spread of germs.
Make Bedtime a Priority
Your little one is doing plenty of growing, so they need 11-14 hours of sleep every night. Did you know a child’s early bedtime is scientifically proven to benefit both moms and kids? This makes it important to set a bedtime now, so it’ll be easier to follow when your child is older.
However, we realize this is easier said than done, as some toddlers’ napping needs may change, which can mess up their sleep schedule. Keep an eye on your little one and decide if you need to get them down to one nap a day to ensure they sleep at night.
The key is to stay consistent with your bedtime rituals. One helpful parenting tip for raising your toddler is eliminating the screentime and opting for a bedtime story. This gives you both more time to bond and less sleep interference from blue light. With good quality sleep, your toddler will have fewer tantrums and feel ready to take on the day.
