Toddlers

Children are so innocent when they are babies, but you know, all babies grow up.  While children at young ages will always be pretty cute, it is pretty amazing how quickly their behavior will develop.  It is during this pivotal stage of a child’s life that their unique personalities will emerge and reveal themselves to the family.  While this stage of a child’s life can be difficult for a parent, it is also a great time to enforce certain life and family values that will help build success in your child’s life in the future.

Our family experts have grouped toddlers as being between 13 months old and 4 years old.  Think about how much your child will go through in that age and develop during their toddlers phase.  There are so many issues that you are going to face during this time, but one of the biggest keys is to establish rules for your child to follow.  It’s a common misconception that children don’t like boundaries, when in fact they actually really need boundaries to feel safe.  By establishing rules that your child will understand, you will help develop good values and behavior in your child.

One of the biggest concern facing parents of toddlers is having to tell the child that you are expecting another baby.  Toddlers are so used to being the center of attention from their time as a baby and often act out in negative ways when they find out that there is going to be a younger brother or sister on the way.  While it can be frustrating dealing with an angry toddler, it is important to remember that they are acting out because they are afraid that they won’t receive your love.  By reassuring that this won’t be the case and all of the ways that they can help by being an older sibling, you will ease this sometime painful transition.

As your child develops as a toddler, it is amazing to see how much more confident they become.  However, it is important to make sure that they don’t become overconfident.  A great way to keep your child amused and ease their eventual transition to going to school is to meet up with other parents with toddlers.  By creating a social group for your child, you will facilitate your child’s social development.  Also, a child is just like an adult, they enjoy being around the company of friends.

Raising a toddler can be an exciting part of parenting but it definitely has its challenges.  There are going to be times when you are going to want to scream or cry.  However, you have to remember that this time is the only time where you will be able to spend time with your child before they have to go to school.  Enjoy this time because it will go away so quickly.