What Are the 3 Most Important Toddler Parenting Tips?

With your toddler's growing independence and skill of maneuverability, toddler parenting is quite challenging!

You must watch your thoughts, words, and actions more as you raise your child to be rich. It is oh, so easy to say "Stop that!", "NO!", "You'll hurt yourself!", but parenting toddlers requires more wisdom...

Have you prepared yourself as outlined on the family planning page? Then, the challenges during the toddler parenting phase will not be as great. However, they are still challenges and the following 3 parenting tips for toddlers will guide you.

Toddler Parenting Tip #1

Allow your child to experience the bumps and bruises of learning to walk and relate to others.

If you are too quick to pick him or her up, he or she will believe him or herself to be helpless and a victim. Allow your toddler the pride of being able to overcome obstacles and setbacks. Unless, of course, it really is a major physical problem, give your little one some time to analyze what just happened, to look him/herself over to see the damage, and to decide the best course of action.

Parenting toddlers requires lots of patience.
If and when he or she begins to call/cry for you, certainly come to your child. However, refrain from being overly emotional, do your own survey, and tell him or her calmly what you are about to do: wash the wound, put salve on it, or kiss it.

Also, remind your toddler that he or she is a strong person and this will be all better very soon so he or she can go back to doing whatever he or she was doing. I like to kiss the boo boo.
This would also be a good time to elicit help from your child in cleaning the wound and other activities. The more you can help your toddler learn to take care of him or herself, the greater his or her sense of self.

Toddler Parenting Tip #2

Keep the environment safe for your toddler.

The expanse of the environment is growing, of course, so you have to think further than one room. Certainly put barriers around a pool or any other deadly attraction. Do what you can to prevent your child from harming him or herself if you are not around since they can move very quickly even when you think you know where they are.

But, as with the infant child care phase, during toddler parenting your attitude is best to encourage exploration and experimentation. Don't instill fear - that will come naturally enough on its own, without your help. Teach safety tips (looking both ways), but resist adding the words "or you will get killed!" They don't know what "getting killed" means, but they do know the sound of fear in your voice.

Always speak in the positive: "Look both ways before you cross the street so you will be able to cross safely". They don't know what "safely" means either, but again, they hear the sound of your calm voice.

Toddler Parenting Tip #3

Most of all, practice what you preach.

YOU look both ways before you cross the street. YOU wear your seat belt at all times after putting your toddler in the car seat. YOU eat the proper foods & play physically. After all, your toddler continues to watch you and tries to copy you because you are the epitome of who your child wants to be.

Next: Parenting Preschoolers >>

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