All You Need to Know About Toddlers (Age 1 to 3 years)

Life can be very exciting for our toddler as they grow rapidly between the ages of one and three!

Few things we never notice as a first mom and we get irritated also as we are not used to it. One of my very good friend told me the time I became a mother with twins that 'Neha you will get irritated and will loose patience also some time' but stay calm and try to understand them and love them. And the same thing has been told to me by my Mother / Mother-In-Law /Sister / Sister-In-Law.

My Lovely Twins.
They both love to get clicked

A toddler is a best and most exciting age for both mother and kids i.e. between 1 to 3 years and they grow to become separate, independent people. and ‘I do myself’ to being very needy and dependent again, all within a short space of time. 

Playing outside with kids.

As a parent, we may be unsure about how to handle these changes. In some ways, toddlers are still babies and they need your love and support. They want to feel safe and free. Knowing what is happening for our toddler will help us to be more patient and understanding. Sometimes when toddlers are on the way to learning self-control, children will say ‘No! No! No!’ to themselves while they do something that they shouldn’t this doesn't mean they disobey us. They are on the way to learning what they mustn’t do but haven’t quite got there yet.

Capture each and everya moment they act.

Talk…and listen…to your toddler 

The way we listen to your toddler is as important as what we say. Talk to a toddler with respect and care and they will learn to talk to us/everyone in the same way. Give a child time to say something without interrupting or thinking about how we’ll respond. Look at a child’s face when she's/he’s talking – it shows we are interested. A/our toddler’s behavior may say more than her/his words - pick up on the cues. Share activities like putting toys away – it’s a good way to talk together. Take time to find out what things are special in your child’s life today. Encourage a toddler, give them time to explore and allow them to make simple choices. They like to test out their independence and will come back to us for comfort. They need our patience and understanding!

Learning to Handle Strong Feeling

As a parent, our job is to help our toddler to navigate the tide of strong emotions she is experiencing these yrs. This is not a small task because the emotional lives/feelings of  2-3-year- olds are complex. In these years they are beginning to experience feelings like sad, happy, pride,  shame, guilt and embarrassment for the first time. Older toddlers are a lot like teenagers. Their feelings may swing wildly from moment to moment. They may be joyful when getting a popsicle and then sad when it drips down.  So toddlers really ned our / parent loving guidance to figure out how to cope with their emotions.

Our Child is struggling with this when:

• He has a meltdown when you can’t understand his words.
• She says no when she means yes (we are offering her a favorite treat)
• He gets so angry that he might throw a toy.
• She cannot settle for a substitute—if the purple pajamas are in the wash, she is inconsolable (even though we have offered the pink ones, the polka dot ones, the ones with the cupcake patch on the front, etc.).
• He acts out when frustrated—will give up or get angry when he can’t figure out how to make the jack-in-the-box work.

Our Child is learning to manage strong feeling when he:

• Uses words or actions to get your attention or ask for help.
• Talks to himself in a reassuring way when he is frustrated or frightened. For example, he might say to himself, Daddy will come back, after you drop him off at child care etc.
• Re-enacts a stressful event, like a doctor’s visit. 
• Tells you the rules or shows that she feels bad about breaking rules. For example, your child might say no to herself as she does something off-limits, like opening the fridge. Or he might tell you at the park, Don't walk in front of the swings. 

Let them do things on their own.

Practicing Self-Control

When we (a parent) see the challenging behavior, it usually means that our child can't figure out how to express their feeling in an acceptable way or doesn't know how to get a need met. What helps our child learns is when our response shows them a different, more constructive way to handle these feelings. 

• TALK ABOUT FEELINGS AND HOW TO COPE.
• OFFER YOUR CHILD IDEAS FOR HOW TO MANAGE STRONG EMOTIONS.
• EMPATHIZE WITH YOUR CHILD.
• GIVE YOUR CHILD A VISUAL AID TO MAKE WAITING EASIER.
• LET YOUR CHILD MAKE CHOICES APPROPRIATE TO HER AGE.
• LOOK FOR WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD “PRACTICE” SELF-CONTROL.

NOTE: JUST SPEND AS MUCH AS TIME U CAN WITH YOUR KIDS / TODDLERS / BABIES. BECOZ THIS IS THE YOU BOTH CAN COME CLOSE AND MAKE A STRONG BONDING FOR FUTURE.

BY:-

Neha G Jaiswal