Why Your Toddler Is Such A Handful

They can be overwhelming. Toddlers have an inventory of behaviors that can try the patience of even the most understanding parent. When your own little whirling dervish is in the middle of a shrieking-whining-head-banging-thumb-sucking incident, it might seem like the right moment to follow suit and lose your cool too, but that won’t get either of you anywhere.

You’re the parent and that means you need to always look at the bigger picture and understand your toddler misbehaves because they are growing up and might be curious, frustrated or even trying out their new little wings of independence. Therefore, staying focused and detached even when your miniature Rembrandt has used the wall for his latest crayon painting is important and it helps to know what to expect. Here’s a few of the notions that can help you put that macaroni glued to the dog in perspective.

Learning Curves

First off, you need to understand toddlers learn with their whole bodies basically because their minds are still developing and they need all the input they can get. Touching is more important for her than listening, doing teaches her more than just thinking. When you begin to understand how their learning curves work on a physical level, toys that are pulled off shelves, carried around for a bit and then dumped unceremoniously on the floor become less of an issue and things that get broken less about a behavior that needs to be changed.
That doesn’t mean you can’t take a few steps to prevent your blood pressure from spiking. It’s good to make sure all the furnishings, toys and other materials within his reach are sturdy enough to drop without breaking.

Learn to anticipate your little girl looking for things to climb on almost as soon as she gets comfortable on her own two feet. As soon as they feel they’ve learned everything about the horizontal world, it’s time to start checking out the vertical possibilities and you can lessen the chances of those future rock climbers suffering an early fall by putting rickety chairs and stepladders away. Avoid putting favorite toys on high shelves and make sure bookcases and wall units are secured to walls.

Defiance

Defiance is a word that every Mom or Dad with a toddler is familiar with, but there’s really no reason to think hearing them say “no,” to you is a clear case for a child psychologist. In fact, these very same experts would tell you to get used to this natural push for self-determination only lasts for a decade or two! Still, there are a few things you can do to lay the groundwork for smoothing over any rough edges between you and your child and learning alternates to using that word yourself is a good start.

Any tot who hears “no,” often enough will eventually tune it out. Arranging things in their environment to minimize the use of that word is a good starting point and that often means keeping items that spell potential trouble.

Read more info like this at All My Children.
Author: Rob Starr