Toddler

The potty. If there is anything that gives us parents a huge sense of relief, it is when your toddler poops in the potty for the first time. It means we don’t have to shell out for diapers anymore for a start! Not only that, but it is a huge step in your toddler progressing to become a fully functioning human being. It’s huge. But… Why is it so scary for a toddler? How do you get your toddler to poop in the potty?

In this post, I will give you some of the tips I used.

Potty – The Fear Is Real (For A Toddler)

A common problem that parents face when potty-training their kids is the fear of toilets.

For example, a toddler may think that they may be accidentally flushed down a toilet.

Although that’s not possible, they lack cognitive abilities to understand.

5 Tips to Help Your Toddler to Poop in the Potty

1. Diet Check

If you notice that your little one doesn’t poop for a bit, they may be experiencing constipation. It takes only one painful poop to scare your toddler away from using a potty.

Some kids are so averse of pooping on potties they hold bowel movements, and this may cause severe or chronic constipation.

Encourage your toddler to drink a recommended amount of fluid. Pediatricians recommend parents to stick to water or adding a splash of fruit juice.

Milk can cause constipation for some toddlers.

Another option for preventing constipation among kids is ensuring that they exercise regularly. When you get your little one moving, they’ll experience better digestion, and the chances of constipation will be lower.

Ensure that your kid is enjoying fiber-rich foods and whole grains. By doing so, food will move through their digestive system at a steady pace. Some of the best foods include apples, pears, vegetables, and barley.

2. The Position

According to research, the body position is crucial to ensure the optimal release of poop.

The key point here is that your toddler should be in a position where their knees are above their hip. It goes back to thousands of years ago where folks like us used to ‘cop a squat’. We didn’t have anything flash like a toilet to sit on.

Practice this together until your toddler cracks it! Make it fun…

3. Take It Slow

The key message is don’t rush. This will only stress your toddler out to increase their fear of the potty!

Take it easy, and approach the problem with a ‘reward’ attitude. Every time they take a small step, reward them. What steps can you reward?

1. Not wearing a diaper for a day
2. Pooping in a diaper in the same room as the potty (near the toilet)
3. Pooping in a diaper ON the potty
4. Then… pooping on the potty!

Each of those steps scan be repeated as many times as needed. It is vital for your toddler to be comfortable at each stage.

4. Privacy Please?

Usually, parents are always watching their children for signs of pooping and tend to overlook this tip. Most toddlers have already developed a sense of shame when pooping.

Therefore, if you stand close to your toddler while in the bathroom, they may have a hard time getting the job done.

It’s not possible to poop if you’re nervous, right?

You don’t find it easy to poop while someone is watching, do you? The same applies to toddlers.

5. Have an Open Door Policy

By doing so, you will normalize the process for your kid. If your toddler is comfortable, let them in the bathroom with you.

I hated this! But it does work. They will begin to realize that it is a normal activity.

You want to prove to your child that pooping in a potty is something that everyone does.

3 Key Benefits of Teaching Your Toddler to Poop in the Potty

Everyone poops! However, if you are a parent to a toddler who doesn’t want to poop, it may not seem like natural behavior.

Generally, children have daily bowel movements and occasionally experience constipation. As a result, they may a hard time when trying to poop.

Read on to find out the benefits of training your toddler to poop in the potty.

Encouraging Healthy Habits

Usually, kids start potty-training at the same age they start learning personal hygiene.

The training exercise can help them apply similar approaches to activities such as brushing their tooth and bathing.

Opens up New Opportunities

Wouldn’t you want to live without worrying about your toddler pooping or wetting their pants?

Additionally, many child development centers only accept kids that are potty-trained. If you plan on taking your toddler to this kind of place, it’s a relief when they eventually learn how to poop on the potty, right?

Boosts Confidence

If your toddler succeeds in pooping in a potty, they will be as thrilled as a student who just passed their test. They’ll be confident when pursuing other goals.

Finally, one of the reasons why your little one may not show interest in learning how to release their poop in their potty is that they may not be ready for it. Ensure that they are ready for it!

Some of the signs of readiness include walking and sitting for hours, gaining interest in watching others when going to the bathroom and disliking wearing nappies.

Challenges After Success – Be Prepped

One of the main problems that most parents face when potty-training is regression. For example, your child may show eagerness to learn how to use a potty and stays dry for hours. Then one day, they wake up and start having accidents, stops pooping in their potty, or using it altogether.

The problem is common among most toddlers. Regression is usually due to major changes in a kid’s normal routine. Some of the changes include moving into a new school, a new nanny, or other changes in your home. Keep an eye out for these changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

If you want to know how to get your toddler to poop in the potty, then the 5 tips on this page will certainly help you achieve that!

To reiterate the key message again, you have to stay calm, relaxed, and take each day at a time, along with each little win.

Oh, and when you get those little ‘wins’, make sure to make a big deal out of it in front of your toddler.

I remember when my son first peed in the potty. I made such a big deal out of it that he got very excited! Unfortunately for me, he chose to express his excitement by grabbing the potty and throwing it across the room.

Still, a win is a win! I gave him a high five, and cleaned up the mess.

Good luck!

Toddlers have some very annoying habits! Some are easy to break (screaming was an easy one for me), others are not (getting a toddler to stop using a pacifier for instance!). In this post, I am going to take a look at another annoying toddler habit… How do you stop a toddler from biting their nails? Let’s take a look.

Why Do Toddlers Bite Their Nails?

Nail-biting is one of the many nervous habits that toddlers have.

Nail-biting is the most common among these habits and the most likely to continue into adulthood.

If you are wondering how to stop toddler biting nails, then you shouldn’t worry. The good news is, most toddlers will eventually stop biting their nails or at least limit or control the behavior on their own.

1. Anxiety / Stress Relief

Toddlers can get anxious sometimes. They can experience pressures and tensions and find it hard to express them. This usually leads to behavior like nail-biting.

They may bite their nails unconsciously like while watching television or in response to certain situations. It can be your toddler’s way of coping with minor stress so most of the time you don’t have to worry much about it.

You, however, have to worry about it if your toddler severely bites their nails to the point of harming themselves.

Talk to your doctor if your toddler’s fingers get bloody or sore when they bite their nails. This could be a sign of excessive anxiety.

2. Curiosity Or Boredom

Children are generally very curious. They ask a lot of questions and love to discover new things.

Your child may bite nails if they are bored and have nothing to do.

They may also do it just because they are curious and want to find out how it feels to bite their nails.

Whenever your child does this, give them an activity to do to keep them busy.

They’ll most likely forget about biting their nails once they get busy.

3. Acquired Habit

Some children pick this habit from seeing other people doing it. Others inherit this habit from their parents.

Nail-biting parents can pass this habit to their kids.

If you have twins, and one of the twins starts biting their nails, the other twin is most likely going to bite their nails too.

If you don’t want your child to acquire this habit from you, then try to control your habit first before they learn from you.

How To Stop Your Toddler From Biting Their Nails – 5 Tips

1. Reward

If you have read a few posts on my site, you will know that I am big on reward charts! There is no better way to discipline a toddler than by rewarding good behavior.

Create a reward chart and offer a reward when your toddler goes a day without biting their nails. If your toddler performs well, then hand over a reward. I call them ‘toy shop tokens’.

It doesn’t have to be a financial treat. You can reward them with a trip out to a local park to burn off some toddler energy!

2. Cut Nails Regularly

You should cut your toddler’s nails every day to prevent them from biting them.

Cutting their nails short means that there’s nothing to bite. If there’s nothing to bite on, then your child will obviously not bite their nails.

My son hates having his nails cut – so we just cut them while he was sleeping! It was a tricky operation at times, but patience and persistence paid off well in the end.

3. Gloves

Sometimes, these habits just straight up need to be broken. Going cold turkey is difficult for toddlers, especially when their nails are always with them.

I’m not suggesting that you remove their nails by the way! But you can remove access to them until they develop a habit of NOT biting their nails.

You can remove access by getting your toddler to wear gloves during the way. Themed finger gloves are great for distraction AND to remove access to nails.

Sometimes, it is just a case of riding it out, and gloves will help during this time.

4. Substitution

You can substitute your toddlers nail biting with something else.

Be creative, it could be:

• A toy
• Healthy food
• A chew necklace

There is a danger that you are simply replacing one habit with another, which is why you need to be very careful.

5. Nail Spray

A friend of mine used this technique with her toddler when she was concerned about nail-biting. It worked.

There are some sprays available that you can spray onto your toddler’s nails in the morning. It makes their nails taste horrible, which will stop them from biting them.

Now, we know that toddlers are forever rubbing their eyes, rubbing their nose, etc. The danger is that the spray might transfer to these areas, making life a little uncomfortable for your toddler. When you have applied the spray, ensure that you let it dry before leaving your toddler to go about their daily business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Most of the time nail biting goes away on its own and parents don’t have to worry about it. However, if it gets out of control then you should do what you can to stop your toddler from biting their nails!

Do not shout at them or make them feel uncomfortable because this will push them to do it even further. If you stress them out, they are most likely to respond by doing it harder. So be patient.

If you are looking for ways on how to stop toddler biting nails, you should start by observing your child to find out what triggers this nail-biting. Have you changed their routine? Or are they just doing it because they are bored?

Finding out his triggers will bring you a step closer to finding the solution. If you have tried everything and nothing works, then help them control it as you wait for them to outgrow it.

Good luck!

So, your toddler has been calling out for your attention for hours. Now you have the upper hand, now you have found a toy that is capturing their attention, and it is time for you to chill out. Next thing you know, you have a toy hurtling toward your head. You don’t react quickly enough (you are probably tired), and the lands directly on your face with aplomb. Rage engulfs you, so you take a few seconds to calm down. Why did that happen? Why do toddlers throw things? In this post, I am going to give you 5 reasons why, and 5 things you can do about it!

PS – giving your toddler soft toys is not the only way around it, and you can’t simply blame the terrible twos!

Let’s take a look at why toddlers throw things…

Why Do Toddlers Throw Things! 5 Reasons Why

Developing Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are the movements of smaller muscles used to pick things up, grip things, twiddle things between your thumb and forefinger, and hurl a heavy plastic object toward a parent’s head.

Your toddler needs to develop these, and needs to practice:

• Picking things up
• Putting things down
• Writing
• …and more

Ok – so throwing things isn’t technically fine motor skills, they are practicing gross motor skills. However, letting go of the object is practicing fine motor skills.

It is important for a toddler to master these skills.

Developing Hand-Eye Coordination Skills

How far is dad away from me?

How hard do I need to throw this plastic toy to make sure it lands on his unsuspecting face?

These are questions going through your cheeky toddler’s head.

Your toddler will throw an object and will learn whether or not they need to throw with more power, or less power to get it to land on you.

This is your toddler improving their hand-eye coordination skills. 

Fun

C’mon, admit it. If you were your toddler, would it be fun for you to throw something at a parent?

What about the reaction? Kids love it when they make people jump. Imagine how awesome it would be if you landed the toy on a parent.

I’m not sure about you, but I would find this funny as a toddler. Heck, I find it funny now! As long as it isn’t me, of course.

Your toddler throws things because it is funny.

Releasing Energy

I don’t need to tell you that toddlers have tons of energy, do I?

I didn’t think so.

Your toddler needs to get rid of the incredible, relentless energy they have. Running is cool, jumping is fun, throwing things is hilarious.

Anger

Toddlers get angry.

Honestly, at times, toddlers are like an emotionally unstable pint-sized dictator.

First, don’t let your kids get you angry! Learn to deal with it. If you get angry, they will learn from it.

Your toddler might be throwing things because they are angry, and it is one of the ways they know how to take their anger out.

5 Things You Can Do To Stop Your Toddler Throwing Things

Explain Clearly Why It Is Not Appropriate

First and foremost, you need to set some boundaries.

Throwing stuff isn’t on, and as a fully functioning human being, they need to learn and respect that.

Easy, eh? 

Nope. But, you need to sit them down and explain how wrong it is. Use examples like:

‘Imagine if someone threw something and it hit you on the head, would it hurt?’

Give your toddler a real-life working example of why it is wrong to throw things at people.

Deal With Any Anger Issues

If your toddler is angry, then you need to learn how to deal with it. 

Teach your toddler how to deal with anger issues correctly, such as explaining to them that they need to tell you WHY they are angry.

You MUST listen to their answer and give them a good reason why you did what you did.

Sometimes you are going to do something that your toddler will not like, it is unavoidable. Whilst it doesn’t seem right to explain yourself to a toddler, it does help.

Don’t forget about the terrible twos! Your toddler might still be going through this.

Follow Usual Punishment Routine

If you have survived parenting to the toddler years, you must have a punishment routine in place. If you haven’t, then you should implement one ASAP.

The most important part of punishment is that you MUST follow through on all threats. Toddlers will smell your weakness.

Recently, I was in an airport on my way to vacation and I overheard an argument between a toddler and a parent. I heard the parent threaten:

‘If you carry on, we will not be going on vacation’

Ok, let’s face reality here. You are through security, and you are waiting in the departure lounge. Your luggage is on the way to the plane. Clearly you are NOT going to cancel the vacation. Why threaten your toddler with something you are 100% NOT going to carry out?

What happens? Your toddler keeps playing up, and you do not cancel the vacation. What does your toddler learn? Your threats are empty.

You MUST follow up on punishments.

Teach By Example

• Don’t want your toddler arguing? Then you stop arguing.
• Don’t want your toddler swearing? Then you stop swearing.
• Don’t want your toddler getting angry? Then you calm down.
• Don’t want your toddler throwing things? Then you stop throwing things.

Teach your toddler by example. Simple.

Control Throwing

Why do toddlers throw things? Because it is fun.

If you can get your toddler throwing things as part of a game, and not at you, then you have won, right?

Why not get your toddler a throwing game? By controlling what they throw, you are letting them practice the skills they need. Something like this basketball hoop is perfect:

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Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Why do toddlers throw things? The answer is not easy, but I have given you 5 of the most common reasons on this page.

If your toddler has a throwing habit that is getting too much, then you will need to take them down the punishment route, especially if they are not listening to your requests to stop it. Getting your toddler to listen can be a real struggle, but it is not impossible. It takes time, practice, and a lot of patience! 

Good luck.

As a rule, toddlers need between 12 and 14 hours of sleep a day, including daytime naps, so if your toddler has suddenly started sleeping more, it may frustration and worry for parents. It’s much less common to hear dads complaining that their toddler is sleeping too much. Being honest, many parents would celebrate some extended peace and quiet! Instead of an untimely interruption during knife-edge stoppage time, a rare chance to actually sit down to eat dinner or, even rarer, quality time with their partner.

When it comes to toddler sleep, is it possible to have too much of a good thing? If your toddler has suddenly started sleeping more, should this be a cause for concern?

Reasons Why Your Toddler Is Suddenly Sleeping More

A sleepy toddler who is difficult to rouse or takes advantage of longer daytime naps may need more rest for different reasons, so let’s take a look.

Growth Spurt

A sudden need for more sleep is a common sign that your child is doing what all children should: growing.

While this is very true of babies, between 18 months and 4 years toddlers can also have periods of intense growth which, combined with superhero energy levels, mean their developing bodies need additional rest.

Often, a growth spurt is also indicated by a voracious appetite or general aches and pains during the night. Rest assured that a child who suddenly shoots up like they’ve been drinking Miracle-Gro is behaving entirely normally.

Teething

Teething – that monstrous time that all children (and their parents) must tolerate when their first teeth begin to erupt – is most often associated with disturbed sleep patterns, as well as drooling, irritability, crying and chewing on hard objects, such as toys.

But many parents, anecdotally, report that their toddlers actually sleep more during episodes of teething, which can occur any time from 12 months, particularly if a low-grade fever occurs at the same time.

While many doctors argue that fever is not a sign of teething, millions of Dr. Googles (i.e. parents) would beg to differ.

Unwell

As most dads would agree, a dose of man-flu is guaranteed to bring on sleepiness. This is especially true if the alternative is leaving the house at 6.30 am on an icy winter’s morning to tackle the commute to work. 

Seriously though, for children many illnesses will induce sleep, for good reason: while the human body is expert at fighting unwanted intruders in the shape of bacteria and viruses, the immune system takes time to identify the pathogen and figure out an effective way to kill it. 

During this time, a toddler may sleep more, allowing their body to form its defenses, while a temperature spike – the first weapon to destroy the bug – may also cause sleepiness.

5 Things You Can Do If Your Toddler Has Suddenly Started Sleeping More

Bear in mind that sleep is a natural response to different situations in a young child’s life so let your toddler sleep and enjoy the moment! 

However, the demanding routines of modern life rarely allow for such a laid-back approach (unfortunately), so the following tips will prove useful.

Eliminate Health Problems

If your child uncharacteristically needs more sleep, check for basic signs of infection. A fever is often the giveaway symptom that your toddler is brewing something, so take their temperature with a good thermometer and administer painkillers as necessary. 

Avoid the temptation to wrap up a feverish child in a duvet, as this will simply drive their temperature even higher. Check the common places for infection, such as the throat, for obvious signs of ill-health, and ask your child about pain in difficult-to-spot places, such as the ears or when they pass water. 

Ensure they drink plenty of fluid and, if in doubt, seek professional medical advice.

Teething is also a health related issue that might be the reason why your toddler has suddenly started sleeping more.

Change Sleep Schedule

As toddlers rely less on daytime naps, their dependency on a sustained overnight period of sleep increases. If naps start to lengthen, you may find that your child is reluctant to go to bed in the evening, has less restful sleep or wakes early the following day.

In this situation, try to reduce your toddler’s daytime naps as much as possible, even if you must deliberately wake them. 

Stimulation, with attention-grabbing and enjoyable activities, can also help to discourage them from napping. This will help your child to settle more quickly in the evening, at an earlier time, so they (and you) can enjoy a long night-time sleep that has them fully recharged for the next day.

A change to the sleep schedule will mean that your toddler is ready to wake early, so that daily routines can be adhered to, without delaying you or your partner on your way to work.

Check Their Stats

If you suspect your child is experiencing a growth spurt, it can be useful to keep a check on their height and weight. To do this accurately, the measurements should be carried out using a stadiometer and professionally calibrated scales, but the chances are you don’t have these tucked in your understairs cupboard. 

Tons of places have a height and weight check area, or with a bit of clever thinking, you can obtain approximate measurements at home, or somewhere near. As always, if you have any concerns, seek professional medical advice.

A growth spurt is not a long-term change, so just when you’ve got used to your child having longer sleep, she’ll be bouncing around just as the sun rises and you’ll feel that you’re back to square one!

Check Food Intake

When my son is going through a growth spurt, he eats like a horse!

The more he ate, the more he slept. I guess that is because a person’s body slows down if it has tons of food to digest.

I noticed this when he was a baby too. As soon as we moved him onto solids, he slept through the night. Ahh…I remember it well!

If you are concerned that your toddler is suddenly sleeping more, it is worth checking their daily food intake to see if it has changed recently.

Consider Daily Activities

Has your toddler recently started daycare, or any other day changing activities? Have they started exercising a lot more than they usually do?

When my son started going to daycare, his sleep pattern changed drastically. I would lay him down at night and he would go straight to sleep. He no longer woke up to get in our bed during the night. He stayed asleep until a decent time! It was bliss…

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

If your toddler has suddenly started to sleep more, it could be for a number of different reasons. Life is tough at this stage of their lives. They are growing quickly, teething occasionally, running ALL THE TIME. It is tiring, and sometimes a toddler simply just needs to sleep more.

Keeping a toddler sleeping schedule is vital, but sometimes this needs to be adjusted on the fly. You are aiming at a moving target, so roll with the changes.

Sleeping longer is almost always a temporary situation. If you’ve ruled out illness and your child seems otherwise healthy with no signs of developmental delays or growth problems, enjoy the silence!

Because, as most parents know, children are unpredictable. In no time, you’ll probably be wishing they slept that little bit longer.

Good luck!

Are you a concerned dad wondering how you can contain your incredibly active toddler? We know that handling a super-active toddler is a nightmare for most dads. Toddlers have tons of energy, so what can you do with an extremely active toddler?

Kids can be hyperactive, all the time they are awake! But what causes it, and what can you do about it?

On the off chance that you have a hyperactive youngster, these are five reasons why they are battling to contain their squirming, running, and pretty much everything else!

5 Reasons Why Your Toddler Is Extremely Active

1. Emotional Issues

Handling emotional issues can be tough, especially for toddlers. The changes in character relate to behavior disorders among toddlers. A child can be traumatized after facing a scary event.

Such an event can make it difficult for your toddler to concentrate.

Emotional extremes are common among toddlers (terrible twos, etc). Conflicts between toddlers and parents are totally common too!

Generally, kids develop inappropriate behavioral and emotional responses when situations become harder. Great parents know how they can inspire toddlers to go through the process with minimal challenges.

As a dad, it is important to learn different behavior management as well as communication techniques to keep your toddler under control.

2. Physical Health Issues

An overactive thyroid is among the physical health issues that can make your child hyperactive. It is worth considering that it is a health issue, even though it is very likely.

If you feel like you need to, then speak with a pediatrician.

3. Lack Of Exercise

Children need to exercise to remain active. In this life we lead, it is far easier to let your toddler sit down with a tablet for hours on end. I have done it in the past. I’ve changed now.

Children who do not get enough time to run around and play can be very hyperactive. Get your toddler outside. Take a ball to a local park. Get some exercise! You will both benefit…

Just be a good dad and let your children play and have fun.

4. Stress

Have you noticed a sudden change in your child’s character? Well, children are affected by different things, including stress.

Acts such as your child struggling to spend time with other toddlers can be an indicator that they are stressed. The stress can originate from relationship to financial issues in your family. Things that stress parents can also affect toddlers in various ways.

A stressed parent is more likely to have a stressed child.

Ensure his or her routine is predictable so that you can easily notice a change in behavior. A child needs extra support and reassurance during stressful moments.

5. Dietary Problems

Certain foods can make your child hyperactive. While some experts attribute too much sugar to hyperactivity, others insist that the two do not correlate. Some researchers also argue that artificial colors and preservatives could cause an increase in the sensitivity of an individual.

If you feel like the dietary issues are affecting the behavior of your toddler, then you should change foods until you find out what it is.

5 Activities You Can Do With An Extremely Active Toddler

Hyperactive toddlers need attention all the time. Us dads can create a daily routine that accommodates an extremely active child.

Here are some of the activities that dads can engage their extremely active toddlers in…

1. Singing

Music has endless benefits for toddlers. You can help your child unwind after school. Besides the body, singing also helps train the brain.

Through song, children will learn to improve their multi-tasking skills. Singing also assists children to learn the benefits of team players.

In fact, singing offers therapeutic effects to those with ADHD and other signs of being extremely active.

2. Drama/Acting

An extremely active child can make amazing actors and actresses. Engage your hyperactive child in acting to help them become more confident.

Theatre arts improve one’s memory as well as coordination. The activity improves toddler’s public speaking skills while at the same time, improves their coordination.

3. Mind Games

Mind games make children better thinkers. Extremely active children can play different mind games such as matching pairs, chess and scrabble, to mention a few of them.

Your toddler will sit at a designated place to play the games hence making it easier to handle them.

4. Swimming

Do you know that hyperactive children can benefit from swimming?

As it happens, swimming can help those toddlers who are over active.

Take your active child for swimming classes to burn out all of that energy. Constant movement assists a toddler in burning extra calories to keep them under control.

Your toddler will become self-disciplined if they hit the swimming pools.

5. Karate/Martial Arts

Dads can channel the energy of their children to martial arts or Karate. Your toddler can undertake different poses during their martial arts/karate training. The activity not only keeps kids active, but it also offers them an opportunity to channel their energy to the right place.

Martial arts will also calm your toddler and help them concentrate. Take your overactive toddler to a martial arts class near you so you can take advantage of:

• A confidence boost
• Improved focus
• Improved coordination
• Discipline

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

If you are looking for what to do with an extremely active toddler, then I am sure the 5 things on this page will absolutely help you!

An extremely active toddler could be okay, or they may not be. Us dads need to be closer to our kids to understand them.

Common causes of high levels of activity include stress, lack of sleep, and diet issues.

The remedies to these problems include mind games, drama, singing, and martial arts, among other types of sports.

Good luck!

Having their 3-year-old running away in public is something that most parents must endure. What is it that makes running away from their parents so much fun for these toddlers? They rarely do this when out with other people! Why are they tempted to do it mainly when they are out with their moms and dads? Running away in public is not necessarily a sign that your toddler’s behavior is out of control, but it keeps you on edge nonetheless!

The following 5 reasons are why your toddler would run away from you in public.

Why Your 3 Year Old Runs Away In Public

Boredom

Spending a couple of hours shopping for groceries or whatever, might be fun and exciting for you. To your toddler, it’s probably the most boring thing ever!

Put yourself in your 3-year-old’s shoes and imagine having to sit in a shopping trolley for a few hours!

Not the best way to spend playtime, that’s for sure!

It Is Fun

Your toddler wants to have some fun and will make a game of running away from you and have you chase after them.

When you do manage to grab hold of your toddler, they will get that impish look on their face and make a dash for it again!

This is a game to your toddler that’s making being out with you a whole lot of fun! Maybe not for you, but definitely for them!

Hide and Seek

To your 3-year-old, those shopping aisles were made for toddlers to play hide and seek from their mums and dads! As you enter the shop, it’s an open invitation for them to run and hide from you.

It doesn’t enter their little head that they are giving you the fright of your life either.

As long as you are running backward and forwards from aisle to aisle looking for them, the shopping experience to your toddler is a major success!

Attention Seeking

At home or in the car, your toddler has all your attention and more-than-likely isn’t happy with the fact that the items on the shelves seem more appealing to you than they do.

To get around this, your toddler will run away from you. They will love having you calling their name and try to grab hold of them.

Of course, since this gets the attention your toddler wants from you, they will do it over and over again until they have had enough.

Your Toddler Is Tired

Shopping is tiring for adults, so you can only imagine what your little 3-year-old feels like after a couple of hours of strolling through a mall.

One way to show you that they have enough of things is by running off on their own.

In their little mind, they are probably hoping that when you run after them, you will make your way out of the mall, get in the car, and go home again!

5 Things You Can Do To Help Stop Your 3 Year Old Running Away In Public

Having your 3-year-old running away in public is exasperating, especially when you have repeatedly told them not to. However, there are several things that you can do to stop your child from running off when you’re out in public.

These include:

Get Them To Help

Ask them to push the trolley for you so that you have both hands to find and take the things you want to buy, off the shelves.

Apart from making them feel terribly important because they are “helping” with the shopping. You know exactly where they are all the time because they will be holding onto the trolley!

Make sure that you talk to them all the time so that they know they are playing a big part in doing the shopping with you.

Be Understanding

There’s a good reason why your toddler is misbehaving and going all out to give you a really hard time.

Try to see things from their point of view. Did they not want to go shopping and is taking out on you? All because you are forcing them to do something that they do not want to do? Have you recently had another baby that they feel is getting more attention than they need? In other words, if there’s a good reason why they are misbehaving, try to be understanding and speak to them.

Tell them that you understand what they are unhappy about and that if they are good, you will make it up to them when the shopping is over.

Remind Your Toddler About Safety Rules

When your toddler runs off, it’s not just irritating for you, but dangerous for them as well.

Have a good talk to them and tell them that you want him to stop running away from you because it’s not safe for them to do so and that you worry that something bad will happen.

Be Consistent

As long as you’re consistent you are with the rules you lay down for your toddler, the more they will understand you and take you seriously.

For instance, if you tell them that if they keep leaving the children’s area at the library, you are going home. If your toddler doesn’t listen, simply go home.

If you insist on holding their hand when you cross the road, then apply this rule all the time. Hold their hand even if there is no traffic around. In other words, your rules must apply to all situations where your toddler is concerned.

Get Rid Of Energy Before Going Out

All children have tons of energy and are only happy to be still when they are sleeping.

Make a point of spending at least a half-hour doing plenty of physical activities before taking your child to the mall.

By doing this, you will be helping them to get rid of some of that energy. They will be more satisfied to spend an hour or two sitting in the trolley. Maybe even walking up and down the aisles with you as you do your shopping.

All this without having the urge to run away from you at some point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The above hints and tips will help to stop your 3-year-old running away in public. For you, it is all about making what should be a simple shopping trip, an absolute nightmare!

We know that taking kids out can be a challenge, we know that we need eyes everywhere. But, we signed up for this, right?

Good luck!

As a parent, seeing your toddler not going to sleep until late might be a major concern and a source of panic for you since you are used to them dozing off as early as 8 P.M. You might be thinking of visiting the pediatrician but there are other reasons why your toddler is not going to sleep until late. And it isn’t always because they are sick! But, what are the main reasons why your toddler is not going to sleep until late?

Check out the reasons below, along with 5 tips to help you!

Reasons why your toddler is not going to sleep until late

Routine soothing

It is natural and very okay for you to want to rock your baby to sleep every night, sing them a lullaby or read a bedtime story to them.

It is fine, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

This is a verified method of putting them to sleep but what happens when you come home late or go away for work or business trip? The reason why your toddler is not going to sleep until late is that they were used to you being their sleep aide and now that you have stopped, it becomes hard for them to find any sleep till late when it comes knocking heavily.

Fatigue

This might seem a little bit ironic since toddlers fall asleep quickly when tired. However, this is not always the case. If he or she is over-tired, it might be hard to have a sweet and smooth sleep or even get any sleep at all.

The brain processes sleep and if fatigue is being a constant obstacle, you will need to address it pretty quickly, or it could lead to a habit.

No established bedtime routine

There is nothing that works perfectly for kids such as a well-followed routine.

The body, especially at a young age is very disciplined at following a set routine and this includes a bedtime routine.

Doing the same thing night after night helps your toddler and their body know its bedtime and respond accordingly.

With no bedtime routine, your toddler may take a nap late in the evening and wake up as you walk into the house from work or as you watch the 9 P.M news bulletin and from here, it will be hard to go to sleep till late.

Asthma, allergies

Toddlers are very vulnerable to allergic reactions, asthma, and other health conditions. These may make it hard for them to fall asleep easily. Medical conditions such as asthma make toddlers very uncomfortable and as much as they want to sleep, the discomfort does not allow them the luxury to go to sleep till late.

Some drugs such as ADHD drugs used as interventions for these and other conditions contain some elements that deprive your toddler of sleep making them stay awake till very late in the night.

Unconducive room

It is common for parents to pimp and over decorate their toddlers’ room as a way of making it cool and giving them an awesome childhood. Unknown to you, this might be the reason why your toddler cannot fall asleep till late in the night.

A room full of cool toys and gadgets with new ones bring brought in often will be telling you, kid, to stay up and feed their curiosity and urge to play.

How to help if a toddler is not going to sleep till late

Develop independence

It’s in a parent’s nature to want to be present for their toddlers. It is not wrong to soothe your toddler or rock them to sleep once in a while. You should slowly desist from this and let them become independent when it comes to falling asleep.

Put him or her to bed when sleepy and let them fall to sleep on their own. Within no time, he or she will become a self-soother and it also becomes easier for them to fall back to sleep when they wake up in the middle of the night.

Bath your toddler

A good shower or bath is a catalyst for quick and deep sleep. Fatigue is part of their growth process as they spend the entire day jumping up and down and being toddlers.

As a good parent, give your toddler a warm bath in the evening after dinner and watch them peacefully fall asleep within no time.

I have some tips too if your toddler has started to hate baths!

Establish a bedtime routine

Old habits die hard and this is what you need to workaround. Developing a bedtime routine for your toddler will see them through years of falling asleep early without any struggle.

The brain of toddlers is the best at responding to routine and you need to take advantage of it. Depending on the time they take dinner, make them go to sleep as early as four months.

After a month or so of repeating this every night, your kid will have no problem going to sleep early. If you are lucky, it might be every night! No matter the occasion.

See a pediatrician in case of any illness or a sleep-depriving prescription

Once you notice that your toddler is having a hard time going to sleep, consider any medication they may be on.

Toddlers are not the best at communicating exactly what they feel or what their bodies are going through. Their habits and body language will always alert you.

Visit a pediatrician an ask them to change the dose or diagnose the condition making them hard time falling asleep.

Create a sleep conducive room

Do not stop spoiling your toddler with cool toys, dolls, and gadgets but know where to keep them when it is time to go to bed.

The curiosity that kids have can only be matched to that of cats and constantly feeding their curiosity will not let them go to sleep early.

Consider confiscating these toys when its bedtime everyday or also controlling the number of gadgets they get access to.

You need to consider going easy on the interior deco for his or her room if it’s the reason he or she is not falling asleep till late.

If there is one thing I thoroughly recommend for helping to get your toddler to sleep earlier, it is a light projector!

Conclusion

There are potentially many reasons why your toddler is not going to sleep until late. In this post, I have identified the top 5. There are also 5 things you can do to improve it!

Seek to establish the cause for their lack of sleep first before seeking an intervention.

Good luck!

There are several causes of sleep disturbances in toddlers, and children in general. It could be as a result of the changing body and mind. Nightmares, night terrors (my son has these), separation anxiety where they may want to cuddle all through the night.

There are so many causes of sleeping disturbances depending on the child or the type of disturbance they are experiencing. This post will take you through what causes sleep disturbances in toddlers, different types of sleep disturbances and how you can help to overcome them.

Ultimately, you want a good night’s sleep, right? I mean, that is the crux of the issue! It is for me…

5 Types of Sleep disturbances in toddlers

1. Nightmares

Nightmares are common. For everyone. Ok, so they upset toddlers much more than they would upset a fully grown man but still, I don’t think they ever stop.

At the toddler stage, their imagination level is very active. Nightmares are all about frightening dreams that disrupt the child’s sleep.

When nightmares happen, the toddler becomes aware of their surroundings and may wake up their parents seeking comfort. Nightmares occur during rapid eye movement (REM), which is a sleep stage that happens approx. every 90 minutes. There is nothing you can do, except be wary about what they are watching on TV, or a tablet!

2. Night Terrors

Night terrors are more intense than nightmares and could scare the entire family.

They are very common in toddlers and cause them to suddenly wake up from sleep agitated or scared. In most cases, the baby wakes up yelling, crying or even sleepwalking in some cases. They do this without knowing and they are in most cases not actually awake so they may not even remember this episode when they wake up.

Night terrors occur from 90 minutes after the child falls asleep. This period is known as non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. There is no actual remedy for night terrors but you could minimize their chances of occurring by sticking to a certain sleep schedule.

My son has night terrors, and they scare the hell out of me!

3. Hypersomnia

A child with hypersomnia experience excessive daytime sleepiness.

Hypersomnia is caused by a condition known as Narcolepsy that causes frequent daytime sleeping, hallucinations or temporary loss of muscle control.

Excessive daytime dozing is also a sign of epilepsy, concussion or other medical conditions. The child needs to be carefully diagnosed to identify the best hypersomnia treatment.

4. Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a very frightening occurrence because your child stops breathing for 10 or more seconds while asleep. The child is unaware of this in most cases.

When your toddler has sleep apnea, you may notice excessive dozing during the day, loud snoring, and breathing with their mouth while asleep.

It is important to see a doctor immediately you notice this happening to your child. Sleep apnea can lead to behavior and learning issues or even go as far as causing heart issues.

5. Restless Leg Syndrome

It was believed that restless leg syndrome used to be an adult problem but research has it that sometimes it starts at an early age.

Your child may complain of having the sensation of bugs crawling on them and may twist and turn in bed seeking comfort.

Some children may not even notice that they are uncomfortable but they experience poor sleep as a result. In case your toddler experience this, go see a doctor asap for treatment.

How to help a toddler with sleep disturbances

There are a number of ways you can help your toddler have enough sleep. When you are setting up their bed routine, make sure you do the following:

Stick To The Daily Nap Time

Stick to the same sleeping and waking time every day. Make sure that you also stick to the daily nap time. It should not be too short and neither should it be late in the evening.

The two could deny your toddler a good sleep at night.

Create and Maintain a Schedule

Make sure you stick to a consistent sleeping schedule each and every day. Introduce an enjoyable activity to do 30 minutes before sleeping time. It could be bathing the child, singing a song or soothing them down with bedtime stories.

It is also worth investing in a night projector! This really helped my son drift off to sleep each night.

Check The Room Temp

The bedroom atmosphere should be cool, quiet, dim or dark and comfortable to sleep in. It is okay to have soft smooth music playing in the bedroom as well.

Do not allow the child to use the bed as a platform for playing; it should be used for its sleeping purposes only.

Any kind of watching or gaming should not be encouraged in bed.

Shut down all the devices such as TV, smartphones or iPad and keep them far from the bedroom. Such devices could keep the child from sleeping.

No Food Or Drinks Before Bed – Especially Sugar!

Food and drinks before bedtime should be limited especially those that contain a lot of sugar.

Keep in mind that a lot of drinks contain sugar. It is good to check the label before giving any drink to your toddler.

Teach Them To Self Soothe

Teach your child to fall asleep on their own. You may tuck them in bed in a sleepy but comfortable state. This helps them fall back to sleep on their own in case they wake up at night.

Toddlers learn to self-soothe over time. It is a long journey, but they do get there in the end!

Give Comfort

For preschoolers, in case of nightmares or sleepwalking, they should get the parents to comfort immediately they call for it.

Return them to bed once they fall back to sleep. Use a soft blanket, stuffed animal or soft pillows to surround the child for comfort.

This may assist them to fall back to sleep again without having to call out for the parents.

I also know (from experience) that is is very tempting to pick them up and take them into your bed. It is a great idea to get back to sleep again, but it could lead to your toddler always wanting to sleep in your bed.

Conclusion

Sleep is very important to everyone, more so to the little beings that require quality and adequate sleep for their healthy growth. Parents should familiarize themselves with the causes of sleep disturbances in toddlers and how to deal with them.

It is therefore crucial that sleep disorders be addressed immediately they are noticed. Once you spot any of the above-mentioned problems, try to make adjustments, seek doctor’s treatment, advice or therapy to have these problems sorted out once and for all.

Good luck!

According to recent studies on child behavior, today’s children are more self-centered and less empathetic than was the case years ago. It is vital that we correct this by learning activities to teach selflessness to your child!

With narcissism being the order of the day, it is quite unfortunate that self-focus is the first value that toddlers learn while growing up.

Often, as a parent, you are caught up in teaching a toddler how to read and write, how to use a fork and knife, or even how to walk that you forget to teach them how to be selfless.

Research shows that teaching a toddler how to be selfless has an overall effect on their health, academics, and social life. It is, therefore, very important to teach your toddler how to be kind!

This article highlights the importance of teaching selflessness to a child and the various toddler activities to teach selflessness.

Selflessness in a Toddler: Why It Is Important

Teaching kindness to a toddler comes with numerous benefits, including the following;

1. A Happy Toddler

There is a good feeling that comes with expressing an act of kindness or selflessness amongst both children and adults. Psychologists explain that this good feeling is produced by neurological hormones known as endorphins.

Endorphins are responsible for the activation of parts of the brain that are linked to trust, social connection, happiness, and pleasure. This means that a toddler is bound to living a happy life as long as they are selfless and kind to other children or adults.

2. Enhanced Concentration and Creativity

As earlier mentioned, selflessness is a fundamental ingredient in making a child feel good about themselves.

Science also explains that selflessness boosts the release of serotonin, a neurological chemical that is essential in digestion, health, sleep, memory, and learning.

With these aspects and a positive outlook of things, toddlers tend to have greater spans of concentration as well as enhanced creativity.

3. Enhanced Feelings of Gratitude

It is essential to have your toddler participate in projects that help others. Not only does this help them stay away from self-focus, but it also triggers a sense of appreciating what they have.

Also, whenever a toddler shows an act of kindness to another child or adult, they are often appreciated with a ‘Thank You’ response.

This way, they learn to acknowledge gratitude as an essential aspect of life, which is factually correct.

4. Enriched Sense of Belonging

Studies show that toddlers that are selfless and kind have an enriched sense of belonging. Selflessness gives way to heightened optimism and self-worth.

For example, when a toddler is involved in tree planting in efforts to beautify a region, their sense of belonging to a community is reinforced. Their self-esteem is also boosted, knowing that they have participated in an activity that will cause a long-term environmental impact on the entire country or region.

It is said that toddlers engaged in hands-on experiences absorb more information, creating a positive learning environment for them.

5. Improved Social Life

Teaching selflessness to your toddler fosters behaviors and attitudes that create friendly and sociable environments.

For instance, when a toddler participates in charity work or shares a meal with other people, fundamentally, the child grows connected to individual social networks.

5 Toddler Activities to Teach Selflessness

Here are some activities that can help your toddler to be selfless.

1. Care for Animals

This is one of the most natural acts that can see your toddler grow to be a selfless child.

This is because most toddlers love activities that revolve around animals, especially their own pets. You can have your toddler choose a special treat for your family pet! You can even volunteer in an animal shelter to assist in some chores.

This activity teaches the child to place the need of other creatures above theirs, which is what selflessness is all about.

In terms of activities to teach selflessness to your toddler, caring for a smaller living thing is right at the top!

2. Tree Planting

Having your toddler involved in tree planting is quite an exciting endeavor.

Tree planting is a great opportunity for your family and toddler to beautify your community. You can walk with your toddler to a garden center or a local store where you can buy some tree seedlings.

You can also allow your toddler to have a say on the type of tree that you are to plant.

From planting to nurturing, and seeing the tree grow, your toddler will be proud to be part of the community and its ecosystem.

3. Make Donations

When a toddler gives freely, especially items that belong to them, certain values are reinforced in them. Values including generosity, gratitude, and compassion.

You can gather some of their toys gently and walk with your toddler to donate them. Pick a local orphanage or a needy home.

Talk to your child about the toys or items you intend to give. Tell them where you are donating them to, and the need to donate them.

It would be better if your kid picked the items to be donated willingly. You can make donations of other things such as clothes, food, snacks, or some books.

4. Community Clean-up

Most children grow without knowing how lucky they are to play, school, and live in a safe and clean environment.

As a parent, you want your toddler to appreciate this aspect by having them participate in a community clean-up.

Not only does this make them express their gratitude towards their community, but it also enables them to place their environment above their ‘selfish’ acts that pollute the same environment.

Identify a location and have your toddler collect litter with your help.

Make them understand what litter is and why it is vital to have the environment clean.

5. Visit a Children’s Hospital Regularly

It can be quite uncomfortable to be around the sick, especially for a child. However, visiting ailing children is one of the ideal ways to teach your toddler to be compassionate.

You can consult the coordinator in charge of the children’s hospital to see whether there are opportunities for your toddler to interact and play with the sick kids.

If your child is uncomfortable with such a visit, there are other ways through which your toddler can express compassion to sick children. Such ways include hair donation to cancer patients or help to prepare a meal for the sick kids.

Speak with your local hospital to see how you and your toddler can help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

It is important to instill good virtues to your kids at a tender age. The 5 activities to teach selflessness on this page will give you a head start!

Teaching them how to express kindness in different ways will go a long way into shaping their personalities when they grow up.

Your kids will end up being compassionate and responsible adults when they learn selflessness at a young age.

Sleep is incredibly important for a toddler. Every parent faces the problem of getting their little one to sleep! There are some tips on how to get a toddler to sleep fast.

Get Your Toddler To Sleep Quickly!

Here are some of the techniques I use to get my toddler to sleep fast:

1. Tickle his arm, or back. This is my go-to technique
2. Turn on his light projector
3. Make the room as dark as it can be (I need to stay with him)
4. Put on a relaxing meditation playlist
5. Tuck him in tightly

One of these will work! It is a guarantee. However, I do not use these most nights, only when I need him to get to sleep quickly.

That is the list, but there is some prep work that you can do to make sure your toddler gets to sleep quickly in the future. So the rest of the post is going to guide you through this!

How To Get Your Toddler To Sleep Fast – The Groundwork

Create a Bedtime Routine – Takes Time

Most toddlers thrive when their world is consistent. The smallest change can mean the difference between getting your little one to settle down and being up for hours past bedtime.

Creating a consistent bedtime routine helps your child know what to expect so that when it’s time to lay down and go to sleep, they are ready.

Your routine could be a warm bath, a bedtime story and then a short snuggle before turning out the lights and leaving the room. You should also schedule in when you’ll come in to check on your toddler so they aren’t calling out for you repeatedly instead of going to sleep.

Use a White Noise Machine

The term sleeping like a baby is misleading. After all, babies and toddlers don’t always sleep all night and some of them wake often. If noises from outside are keeping your toddler awake, put a white noise machine in the bedroom.

This will provide a soothing backdrop that will help lull them to sleep, while also masking outside sounds that could be waking them up over and over again.

Avoid Food and Drink

You don’t want your little one to go to sleep hungry or thirsty, but food and drink too close to bedtime can make it hard for them to fall asleep.

Provide a filling supper and a couple of sips of milk or water before bed, but otherwise, avoid allowing your toddler to eat a snack before bed.

Put Your Toddler to Bed Awake

It might be easier to rock your toddler to sleep before laying them down, but this will ultimately backfire on you.

You want to put your toddler to bed while they’re still awake so they learn to soothe themself to sleep. That way if they wake up later in the night, they’re able to put themself back to sleep. It is better than relying on you to come to rock them back to sleep.

Allowing your toddler to self soothe may take a bit of time to make it work. Stick with it and you’ll enjoy the results when they come.

Use a Light Projector

One of the solutions for how to get a toddler to sleep fast is a light projector. If your toddler is afraid of the dark or has frequent night terrors, or nightmares, using a light projector can make bedtime easier for both of you.

The light offers the comfort your toddler needs to fall asleep in their bedroom and keeps you from having to camp out until they fall asleep.

A light projector can also create a soothing visual on the ceiling that helps your toddler go to sleep. Some can be programmed to change color or turn off to let your toddler know they can leave their bed in the morning.

Don’t Play on the Bed

Toddlers are naturally inquisitive and are able to turn anything into a toy.

However, you should refrain from playing on the bed.

By using it only for sleep, it tells your child that when they are in bed, it’s time to sleep. They won’t be distracted with activities from earlier in the day that can keep them awake.

Tell your toddler that their bed is only for sleeping and then show them how to enjoy playing in other parts of the house instead.

Time Naptime Well

Most toddlers still need a nap during the day, but you’ve got to time it right. A nap shouldn’t happen too late in the day or your toddler may be too wide awake to go sleep at bedtime.

At the same time, naps shouldn’t be too short or too long as that can interfere with your child’s natural sleep rhythms. It might keep them awake at night.

The right nap should ideally occur not long after lunch and shouldn’t last more than two hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The tips on this page will help you get your toddler to sleep quick! Toddler sleep is vital for proper growth and development. Setting the stage for healthy sleep habits now will serve your child well as they get older.

A smooth bedtime may not happen immediately. Stay on track and pretty soon, getting your little one to bed at night won’t be such a hassle. It might even be something you both look forward to.

Good luck!

When infants grow and reach the toddler stage, the causes of their crying varies, changing their crying behavior. Are you feeling like going nuts because your toddler wakes up crying EVERY morning?

Find out the reasons why and what you can do as a parent to change this behavior.

5 Genuine Reasons Why Your Toddler Wakes Up Crying Every Morning

Anxiety Awakenings

As babies grow and reach the toddler stage, they may develop an unusual feeling of fear when they wake up in the absence of their parents. It gives them an insecure feeling, and that explains why they cry after waking up and realizing their parents are not present.

Although it may look like it is taking forever, for most toddlers, the hysterical wake-ups are a phase in their developmental stage, and eventually, they will outgrow this behavior.

They overcome this insecure, anxious feeling as they grow old.

Sleeping Discomfort

Sleeping discomfort is one of the common causes that make toddlers wake up crying.

There are several reasons why they might feel uncomfortable. It can be because a toddler is not getting enough sleep or adequate continuous sleep, and it might make him not feel refreshed in the morning.

Other reasons might be they are feeling too warm or cold, wet, or unwell.

These reasons might make your toddler wake up crying because of discomfort or pain.

Sleep Inertia

Though it is a common problem in adults, most toddlers also suffer from sleep inertia. It is a state where your toddler wakes up feeling groggy or half asleep.

Sleep inertia mostly occurs on toddlers that experience disturbance in their sleep. And, when they wake up, they get a feeling of wakefulness at the same time feeling sleepiness. This kind of feeling makes them feel disoriented and can make them cry because of the weird feeling it can give you.

If you think this may be the cause, it is worth confirming your suspicions with a medical professional.

Inappropriate Sleep Onset Associations

It is a sleep disorder that is brought about by introducing certain conditions such as pacifiers in a toddler’s mouth to make them fall asleep.

When the toddler falls asleep under these conditions and then finds that they are not present as they wake up, they will cry out.

For instance, if you are used to holding or rubbing your toddler’s back while nursing him to sleep, and then wakes up in your absence, he will cry until you go to pick him up.

Too Much Time In Bed Syndrome

It occurs in old toddlers whose sleeping schedule remained the same even as they need less sleep with age.

Some parents keep the same sleeping schedule they had set previously even when the toddler needs less sleep time. For instance, sleep schedules that were set at age one may be too long to sleep at age three.

How You Can Help If Your Toddler Wakes Up Crying Every Morning

As a parent, you can actively help your toddler cope with difficult mornings by applying these tips.

Establish A 30-Minutes Earlier Bedtime

Because one of the reasons toddlers wake crying is because they are still tired, pushing the bedtime earlier will make them get the sleep they need while they still wake up at the set time in the morning.

To accommodate their needs, bedtimes may be moved earlier so that they don’t wake up feeling exhausted due to lack of sleep.

If bedtime is 8 pm, push it to 7:30 pm, earlier by 30 minutes.

Talk To Your Toddler The Night Before And Tell Him To Wake Up Happy

It may sound strange, but wait until you try it!

Messages are powerful and can affect your toddler’s sleep behavior.

Without threatening them, try to talk to your toddler how they will wake up the following morning happy, and finally, you will plant an idea to their mind that they can indeed wake up when feeling positive, excited, and content.

Check your facial expression and tone while communicating so that you don’t express frustration.

Ease Your Toddlers Wake Up Time By Cuddling

Instead of waiting for your toddler to wake up cranky, hug them while they are still asleep. Most likely, when a toddler wakes up and finds that there is no one in the bed, and the room is dark, and all the others are in the dining taking their breakfast, they may get upset thinking they have been left behind.

This feeling will obviously kick start the crying!

Include Your Toddler’s Wake-Ups In To Your Daily Plans

Your toddlers wake up time may feel like a significant disruption to your mornings. If you don’t plan it well, any misstep can mess the whole day.

Plan the day factoring in that your toddler will wake up crying.

Waking up early to deal with your toddler’s crying behavior will allow you to concentrate on what they require without having rigid and fast-paced mornings.

Provide Your Toddler With Tools To Cope

Remember that your toddler is learning how to manage big emotions and cope whenever these feelings arise.

So it is up to you as a parent to show them how to deal with their feelings.

You can begin by labeling and describing their feelings like ‘sad or ‘mad.’

Then give them a plan of action. You can achieve this by giving them things to do when they wake up, such as playing with toys as they wait for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

It is not easy to start a day as a parent hearing off your toddler crying. Especially when your toddler wakes up crying every morning! The tools we have discussed on this page will definitely help you, and your toddler.

The good thing is that children outgrow this crying behavior, and so can your toddler.

Good luck!

If you have a kid, chances are you certainly know exactly how difficult it can be to get them to go to bed during the night. Many toddlers will look for excuses, some of which are pretty inventive, to stay up much longer. As a guardian or parent, it is essential that you control this defiance as quickly as possible.

A significant reason is that getting sufficient sleep is tremendously important, especially in the early stages of childhood development.

Besides, a loose sleep schedule is proven to be a precedent for loose discipline later in the kid’s life.

Why is it Important to Design a Sample Sleep Schedule for 2 Year Old?

Want your toddler to cooperate and stay calm at night? A set sleep schedule could be your secret weapon.

As a first-time parent, it is common to make the mistakes of not starting a child’s sleep schedule early.

The importance of having a schedule goes beyond just parents’ convenience or inconvenience, and here are the reasons why you need one.

It Improves Children Health

According to NCBI, two-year-old kids who go to sleep late are at much higher risk for language, motor, and social deficits.

Late bedtime is also proven to affect your child’s attentiveness.

As a result, your child’s school performance will be negatively affected. In addition, researches indicate that toddlers who go to bed later tend to possess a high BMI (body mass index) and poorer dietary habits in comparison to those who get to bed much earlier.

The most important thing here is that an early, age-appropriate bedtime can meaningfully affect your kid’s health mentally, physically, and emotionally.

You Will Eliminate the Bedtime Battles

Kids may resist going to sleep for a couple of reasons. As some of you have realized, poor sleep can undoubtedly lead to increased conflict and resistance at bedtime the next night.

When your kids have poor sleep patterns, you may notice poor behavior, power struggles, and temper tantrums in them.

Children with regular sleep schedules tend to sleep longer and fall asleep easier than children who don’t have a regular sleeping routine. This is because once your young one gets used to a particular sequence of events, the kid will settle down and get ready to sleep.

It Allows the Child to Sleep Much Faster

A consistent sleep schedule alongside an early bedtime can create an emotionally secure feeling for your toddler, which will eventually them him to go to sleep much quicker.

Also, this preparatory time also flags to your toddler’s mind and body that it is time to go to sleep. The production of melatonin hormone – the body’s natural sleep-inducing chemical- can start, and your toddler will nod off to sleep quickly and effortlessly.

Besides, toddlers who have a well-planned sleep schedule do not rise early unnecessarily and do not wake at night.

This aspect enables them to sleep for long hours, which is what they possibly need.

Sample Sleep Schedule For 2 Year Old

Perfect wake times should be between 6 AM and 8 AM while the ideal bedtimes should be between 6 PM and 8 PM. Kids usually fall into a day-to-day rhythm that is similar to when the sun rises and sets.

An early bedtime schedule can indeed play a crucial role in children falling asleep effortlessly and rising rested. This is because children sleep the deepest between 8 PM and 12 AM. Thus, it is vital to protect this time effectively for a happy toddler.

My recommended toddler bedtime is 8 PM with a 7 AM wake up time.

This schedule creates a ballpark estimate of around eleven hours of nighttime sleep. Since most 2-year-olds require twelve to fourteen hours of sleep in a twenty-four-hour period, this routine leaves one to two hours for an afternoon sleep.

Your toddler will be delighted if you include an afternoon nap in their sleeping schedule! I am sure you will also find use for the extra time!

Sample Toddler Sleep Schedule 1 – Replica Of My Sons

• 6:30 AM – wake up time, make the bed, and get dressed
• 7:00 AM – take breakfast and clean up the kitchen area with the parent
• 7:30 AM – play with toys
• 8:30 AM – perform simple chores
• 9:30 AM – take snacks and go for outside play
• 10:30 AM – independent play
• 11:30 AM – lunch and clean up
• 12:30 PM – sleep time
• 2:00 PM – wake up
• 2:30 PM – go to the park and exercise
• 4:00 PM – TV time and then cook dinner
• 5:30 PM – dinner and family time
• 6:30 PM – bedtime routine
• 7:30 PM – go to bed and sleep

Sample Toddler Sleep Schedule 2

• 7:30 AM – Wake up, read, play, or enjoy the quiet time together
• 8:15 AM – Breakfast
• 9:00 AM – Outdoor play, outings, errands, activities, etc.
• 12:00 PM – Lunch
• 1:30 PM – Nap
• 3:00 PM – Wake up
• 3:15 PM – Snack
• 5:45 PM – Dinner
• 7:15 PM – Get ready for bed
• 7:30 PM – Reading with parent or guardian
• 8:00 PM – Bedtime

Sample Toddler Sleep Schedule 3

• 7:45 AM – Wake up, eat breakfast, and get ready
• 8:30 AM -Activity lesson
• 9:15 AM -Park time
• 10:00 AM -Playtime at home
• 12:00 PM – Lunch
• 1:30 PM -Naptime
• 3:30 PM -Wake up, and take a snack
• 6:00 PM -Dinner
• 7:30 PM -Bath
• 8:00 PM -Bedtime routine, read books and pray together
• 8:30 PM -Bedtime

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Children who sleep early do not substantially rise earlier than usual. Most parents usually set a late sleeping time routine so that kids will not rise early, but they need to stop this habit.

Kids that sleep much early tend to sleep for more extended amounts of time, and this enables them to wake up later and even lower the number of sleep they consume during the day.

It is thus essential to follow a regular schedule for your kid for their eating, sleeping, and other activities.

Kids love continuity!

As they grow older and require less sleep, make some changes to their schedule progressively.

Many parents take their children to preschool hoping that they will be able to learn social skills fast and interact well with other kids.

However, sometimes this is not the case. In their first few days, they start observing more aggressive behaviors, defiance and even increased rudeness.

These behavior problems are brought home by your otherwise faultless kid!

The good news is that this is common! This article will help you understand why your child is acting in this manner and ways to deal with 3 year old behavior problems at preschool.

What Causes 3 Year Old Behavior Problems At Preschool?

To tackle a problem, you first need to understand its root. Some of the common causes of behavior problems for preschool kids include:

Effects of Early Day-care

According to the NICHHD (National Institute of Child and Human Development) report on a research that studied the adaptability of children under 5 years to preschool, kids who spent as low as 3 hours in day-care experienced a high-level behavior problem once they got enrolled in preschool.

It may be because of being away from a familiar environment, but the study is yet to reveal what the effect is for kids at day-care, which makes them grow more defiant.

High-Stress Levels

Just like adults, kids too get stressed over different environmental conditions. If a kid feels as if they are not in a safe place, some will resolve to defensive behavior which includes lying, throwing tantrums, or even resolving to baby talk.

If a parent or guardian is away and the kid gets away with such responses to stress, then it is likely that he or she will always use it to handle their stress even after they are past the pre-school age.

Copied Behaviour

Kids learn quite fast thanks to their growing brains. Also, it is not easy for a kid to tell if the behavior is wrong. As long as someone is getting away with it in school, then they too can get away with the same.

If a teacher is not able to correct a different child who is misbehaving, then chances are that other kids in the class will adopt the same behavior.

Ever notice when kids are put together, the moment one starts crying, it is likely that another will? Given that kids cannot always think on their own, they will just follow what seems to be okay at that moment.

Effects of Early Parenting

As a parent, you need to understand that you play a big role in how your child grows to behave. A child should be trained to behave well from the moment they start noticing things in a room.

If a child is never taught how to tell right from wrong, then they will carry a deviant behavior to their preschool.

At times, absent parents may contribute to negative early parenting since house helps may not always be in a position to teach kids better behavior.

Unconcerned Teachers in the Classroom

Another encourager for bad behavior among preschool kids is a school environment that does not have enough room for a supervisor to control or manage poor decision-making skills among kids.

A good training ground for kids under five is an environment that encourages intimate interactions between the teacher and the students. This helps teachers to quickly respond to uncalled for tantrums, fighting kids and those who won’t simply obey.

Ways to Combat Behavior Problems At Preschool

Now that we know the likely causes of bad behavior among 3-year olds, we can now see some of the ways that help solve the problem.

Some of the highly recommended solutions include:

Be the First Behaviour Tutor for Your Kids

The first place that shapes a kid’s behavior is at home. If a kid can master the right responses to different experiences from home, then they are likely to use the same skills in school and other social gatherings.

As a parent, being caring and supportive will help your kid understand that they have nothing to fear. Hence, they will learn to respect adult decisions and wishes.

They grow to be obedient and also mindful of other people’s emotions and needs.

Enroll Your Child to a Small Class

Smaller groups or children are easier to control and get intimate with. It is therefore not easy for a teacher to miss a child’s need when the numbers are few.

It is also easier for children to learn good social skills from fewer friends.

Make Sure That the Teacher is Competent

Just because a classroom is small does not mean the teacher is competent enough to handle how children behave. Make sure that your child is enrolled at a school with a good record of handling kids and good performance.

This way you can be sure that the teachers and the school’s administration are part of your team in bringing up a well-behaved kid.

Give Children Time to Play

When a kid is not allowed to play and have fun, not only in the house but also with other kids, they tend to grow up distant from other kids and sometimes very possessive.

When kids play, they release excess energy from their body and so have more positive responses when corrected.

Work on Communication Skills

There is so much you can do for your 3-year old to make sure that they behave right. If you do not teach them how to communicate better, your work will be harder.

A child needs to know how to ask politely, exercise self-control when wronged and decently approach a disturbing matter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Mastering the art of parenting is not a walk in the park. You will have to put in the effort and intentionally work on your child’s response skills.

Thankfully, with a guide like the one above, you will be better placed to make better decisions in line with your kid’s behavior.

Good luck – you will need it!

For a parent, it can become overwhelming and frustrating when your child’s behavior suddenly starts to get out of control.

It’s hard for many parents, both first-time and seasoned parents to deal with arguments, outbursts, and daily calls from the child’s school.

However, it’s possible for you to make things better and improve the situation.

In this post, I am going to take a look at what you can do if your 3 year olds behavior is out of control.

What Causes 3 Year Old Behavior to Be Out of Control?

There are numerous reasons why 3 year old behavior is out of control. But given that bratty behavior comes in different forms, each behavior will have its underlying cause.

The following is a look at common bratty behavior, and why the three-year-old could be doing it.

Hitting

For many children, hitting happens to be a common phase that occurs as part of their development.

Traditionally, this is a behavior that will start to manifest itself when the child is about two-years-old. But just because the behavior is common does not mean that parents should overlook it.

Parents need to tackle the aggressive acts head-on and inform the toddlers that hitting is bad. While at it, try and teach your child how to govern their impulses. I know, easier said than done, right?

Whining

The main reason why a child will start whining is that he or she knows that it works. As a parent, when your kid starts to whine, it immediately starts to grate on your nerves.

You, therefore, find yourself giving in to the child’s demands without even giving it a second thought.

Deviant Behavior, Bedtimes, and Tantrums

Kids talk a lot but do not actually tell us much. As such, when they become frustrated, scared, or angry, they resort to shrieks, tears, and other maneuvers commonly associated with toddler meltdowns.

Preschoolers can also choose to behave in the same manner, especially when their parents are not willing to give them what they really want. It’s common for tantrums to occur when a child is tired or hungry.

Resisting Bedtime

This is one of the simplest bratty behavior to explain: the reason is simple—the child would rather stay up with you or keep playing than go to bed.

Kids between the ages of two and three will frequently want to try and affirm their independence.

During this phase, the kids do not want to be asked to go to bed.

Acting Defiant

When your child reaches ages two and three, the former angel who was quite easygoing now becomes handful, sassy, and stubborn.

The child will no longer follow or attempt to listen to your requests. Their favorite word slowly morphs into a firm “No!”

It’s not uncommon for you to start wondering what is happening to your child. The reality is that your child has slowly started to learn that they do, in fact, have a certain amount of control when it comes to their environment.

They will, therefore, try and do everything they can to gain some independence from their parents.

Ways to Combat A 3 Year Old Whose Behavior Is Out of Control

It’s not easy getting your three-year-old child to start behaving. But there is a trick to it: learning to pick your fights and practice consistency!

The following techniques can help with this:

Pick Your Battles

Choosing to battle your kid for every misdeed means that you will always be at war. Instead, what you need to do is come up with a list featuring the behaviors that bother you.

This list should contain the behaviors you consider annoying, uncivil, and dangerous. For the ones that you consider forbidden, make sure to set specific and concise rules, including their logical consequences.

Make it a point to follow through on the discipline measures that you have decided.

If you lack consistency, the child is likely to become confused, and this will only act to enhance their rebellious streak.

Practice Prevention

As a parent, you already know everything there is to know about your child. You should use the knowledge you have on your child to prevent unnecessary blowups. For instance, if your kid likes to clean the kitchen cupboards in the morning when you’re preparing breakfast, and you don’t like it, just purchase some new cabinet locks.

You will be surprised at how well childproofing works in reducing family blowups.

Stay Calm

If you are not in a position to prevent bratty behavior, then make sure to face it in a calm manner.

The best approach will be to use a voice tone that is unruffled and quiet.

Apply words that are positive and neutral, and be sure to use suggestions as a way of promoting cooperation, as opposed to issuing commands.

Listen Carefully

Your child will normally feel better when they know that you are listening to what they are saying.

It will be crucial to frequently try and repeat the concerns raised by your child.

Repeating and addressing the concerns raised, especially when in public spaces may not satisfy their urges, but it does go a long way towards defusing conflict and reducing the kid’s anger.

Explain the Rules

It’s never obvious to a child as to why they should stop engaging in actions they consider to be fun, e.g., grabbing toys from other kids, hitting, and biting others. However, teaching them empathy may help them see that the actions they are engaging in are directly affecting other people.

In the process, you will be training your child to think about how their actions may affect others before they even engage in them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Having looked at what causes and possible solutions to when a 3 year old behavior is out of control, it’s important to note that you can always ask for help.

Trusting your instincts is a good way to determine whether you require outside help to combat child behavioral problems.

When the child’s behavior starts to become overwhelming, the best thing you can do for both of you is to ask for assistance.

And remember, asking for help is not an indication that you are doing something wrong.

Good luck!

At the age of two, your baby is on the way to enjoying a diet quite similar to yours. At least, you hope so, right?

This period marks the pivotal moment in your toddler’s feeding life. At this point, you should now be considering the variety of flavors you should be introducing to your toddler.

This is a great way of helping our kids develop a taste for healthy foods. At this age, your kid should be able to eat three meals a day plus two extra servings of snacks. Why not introduce some awesome kitchen toy ideas to help them understand food a bit more?

This post, we are going to take a look at some key areas concerning why your 2-year-old refuses to eat anything, and how to get your toddler to eat a variety of foods.

Reasons Why your 2 Year Old Refuses To Eat Anything

Toddlers being picky or fussy about eating or not wanting to eat entirely is not something out of the blue. In fact, it is completely normal for kids at that age but it can be very frustrating!

If you find that your kid isn’t quite ecstatic about eating, these could be the underlying reasons.

1. You have a picky eater

Kids between the age of 2 and 6 could easily be picky eaters and it is not uncommon.

At this age, your kid is exploring the options that are available, backing up their pickiness with their newfound ability to say no to whatever you are feeding them. It is common for picky eaters to generally avoid any vegetable foods and have a liking for tasty ones.

They can be triggered by shying away from certain foods because of their smell or appearance.

2. Your kid is probably feeling pressured

Some recent studies have proven that kids who feel pressured to take an additional bite, or pressured into finishing their food are more likely to be troublesome to try out new foods offered to them increasing the chances of the kid generally develop poor feeding habits.

Understand the more you pressure your kid to eat, the more they will refuse to eat anything!

3. Probability of a food allergy

There are numerous food allergies that can affect toddlers.

Watch out for any food allergy symptoms and be quick to act.

If you think your toddler has a food allergy, it is important to take them to see a clinical expert. Your friends and family will be quick to offer advice, but my tip is to totally ignore that in favor of the advice from a medical professional!

4. Your kid is probably eating a lot of snacks

The problem could sometimes be that your kid is filled up with something else other than what you are trying to feed them.

If you notice that the baby becomes troublesome while eating, it may be time to look at the bigger picture and find out what exactly he is feeding on to make them uninterested in what you are offering.

If they are filled up on snacks, their appetite during meal times will definitely be curtailed.

5. Your toddler is highly distracted

Kids are easily distracted by anything around them including their toys and TV.

Therefore, if you are employing the distraction technique to lure your kid into taking a bite, you may be actually doing more harm than good.

Distractions are not good when you want to effectively feed your toddler.

How You Get Your 2 Year Old to Eat a Variety of Foods

Trying a new meal or a variety of meals for your toddler could prove more of an uphill task than you might have earlier anticipated.

This does not have to be overly so because here are some tips that should get you started.

1. Give your toddler time to get hungry

If you notice that it is becoming challenging for your kid to try out new foods, try pulling back some snacks and let them feel a bit starved but not so much. At this point, your toddler would almost eat anything to get rid of the hunger.

This is the opportune time to sneak in a new meal in the form of an appetizer and watch them dig in.

2. Offer new foods in smaller portions

A child could easily disregard anything unfamiliar to them especially if it is offered in huge portions.

Try breaking down what you want your kid to try into smaller portions. For instance, if you want him to try out some yogurt, start with just a spoonful first.

3. Do not push it

Just like adults, some toddlers will definitely push back if they feel pushed.

Be smart about it and let your kid decide how much to it while you decide what he is going to eat. If they push back, let it rest for a bit.

Don’t get frustrated when they do not want to eat some things.

4. Consistency is key

Introducing new food to a toddler should be considered a long-term objective. Your toddler may take up to 15 tries to actually get used or accept what you are offering.

Keep setting the table with more fruits and vegetables and watch them try them out without you even mentioning it.

5. Add some flavor to it

Kids are not dumb. Although, sometimes they do dumb things, right?

Keeping it simple and expecting that they will just eat will probably blow up in your face.

It would be unwise to underestimate your kid’s palate.

Switch it up a little bit especially when serving vegetables. Adding a bit of flavor to your offering might be just the gateway to enabling your kid to learn to eat plain meals. Let them decide what they like.

FAQs

Conclusion

If you have a 2-year old that is refusing to eat anything, then I am certain these tips will help you win this battle!

You should never take it to heart if your toddler proves to be a challenge during meal times! Just find the right way to help your kid eat healthily.

That is the most important thing, right?

Getting your kid to behave the way you wish is not the easiest thing to do as a parent. You already know that, right? However, you have to try as much as possible to bring up a child that will be not only good disciplined for your sake but also the good of society. It is one of the various ‘fine lines’ of parenting that you must toy with.

DadGold recommends…

1-2-3 Magic: 3-Step Discipline for Calm, Effective, and Happy Parenting

This is the perfect book for learning how to deal with toddler discipline!

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The good news is that there are resources that can guide you on the best way to train a child.

Here are book suggestions for toddler discipline that will help you communicate with your children and direct them on how to behave well both at home and in public.

Top 5 Book Suggestion for Toddler Discipline

1. 1-2-3 Magic

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This is a practical guide for parents inspired by the conventional way of using the counting down approach to make their children stop misbehaving in public.

Dr. Thomas Phelan promises that the guide is simple, quick and contains scientifically proven methods to get your kid’s behavior in check. This is one of the best toddler discipline books.

Some of the benefits you will get from this book includes:

• A practical way to handle kids who love throwing tantrums, whining, pouting, talking back and picking up fights with their siblings. This is majorly for little kids, pre-schoolers and also those in middle school.
• A drama-free method of instilling discipline to your kids, especially in public. It helps you use a time-out method in public and know how to handle a situation where your kid does not comply with your time out.
• Build follow-through routines when getting children to bed, getting them to eat their dinner or do their homework. The routines are positive and have proven to work for many parents facing the same challenges.
• Establish a good relationship with your children and help them communicate in an admirable yet authentic way. You will no longer have to struggle to get your children to listen to you or share their feelings.

2. No-Drama Discipline

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Daniel Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson came together to write a book that explains the neurological development of a child and how parents respond to unwanted behavior. The book is meant to help parents find a road map that helps them deal with tears, tension and children’s tantrums in a drama-free way.

It also helps parents understand the discipline word and come up with ways to turn a meltdown into a time for growth and wisdom instillation.

By the end of the book, parents will have:

• Methods of identifying their understanding of the discipline and how to communicate their lessons and expectations to their children.
• The truth about a child’s brain, its development and the best approach to teach them how to be disciplined. It is a constructive approach and works with children of all stages and ages.
• Ways of communicating and calmly connecting with their children even when the child is an extreme case. This will help them work through the process while setting definitive and consistent boundaries.
• Strategies that will help them take their children from an episode of tantrums to a moment of empathy, insight, and repair.
• An understanding of the 20 mistakes that parents make when disciplining their children and how to avoid them. This will help them be more focused on principles that develop the entire child’s brain while parenting.

3. How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen

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This is a work of exclusive wisdom from Joanna Faber and Julie King. The book was written from the understanding of challenges and people who work with kids face as they try to communicate with children. Its target is parents with children from the age of two to seven.

Joanna is Adele Faber’s daughter, the author of ‘The Parenting Bible’, who has written the introduction of this book. By the end of the book, parents will be able to:

• Have tips on how to developing outstanding and lasting relationships with their children. They will know how to get their children to eat their vegetables, seat appropriately in the car, brush their teeth, get to bed and know how to manage them when they are throwing tantrums, even in public.
• Understand children with autism spectrum and sensory processing disorders and how to communicate with the same kids.
• Bring up kids that are connected with their parents and are cooperative when asked to carry out typical house tasks. The kids will also have an amicable relationship with their teachers, peers, and siblings.

4. The Montessori Toddler

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In this book, Simone Davies helps parents to turn their two-year-olds from terrible kids to kids who are curious, respectful and hungry to discover new things.

It is full of practical advice on how to handle different aspects that a toddler may bring up and feed them with a natural curiosity instead. By the end of the book, parents will have learned how to:

• Keep their cool as they teach their kids to set limits and keep them without having to punish them all the time or use bribery to teach a behavior.
• Maintain a home that is chaos free and keep the peace.
• Come up with Montessori practices that will work just right for their kids between one to three years of age.
• Bring up a child who asks appropriate questions and always on a learning mission.
• Understand how their children think and imagine and find their perspective captivation.
• Celebrate every step their children take and cheer them on as they grow and learn new things.

5. The Happiest Toddler on the Block

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This is the right guide for parents with kids between the age of one to four. It is written by Dr. Karp Harvey, a well-known child development expert.

Dr. Karp promises that by the end of the book, parents will find ways to help their kids learn patience, self-confidence, and cooperation, as they adopt disciplined behaviors.

This book will help a parent to:

• Appreciate and encourage their children’s progress and good conduct.
• Deal with indiscipline cases and stop unacceptable behaviors.
• Deal with unwanted tantrums both at home and in public.
• Note when an outburst is about to take place and stop it immediately.

Dr. Karp’s techniques will help you save time needed to control your child, especially for parents who feel they are too busy or come back home from an overwhelming day at work.

The parents will be able to enjoy happy children who love spending time with them.

Conclusion

Sometimes raising a child needs more help than you thought you needed. There is no shame in admitting that you ought to know more about the best way to deal with an annoying child.

The book suggestion for toddler discipline, as listed above, will come in handy.

They are tested and proven by thousands of parents, and you too can gain a lot of insight from them.

Gone are the days where accessing our parents’ bedroom was prohibited let alone sleeping in their bed! These days, the number of toddlers sleeping with their parents has skyrocketed. We are breeding toddlers who are afraid of sleeping alone! The trend is unlikely to buck in the near future. It is too easy to say yes, right?

As much as it might be annoying to you, the feeling of saying no to your little angel or prince is even worse, which is why most parents give in and within a short time, a month, 3 months, a year has passed with your bed having three occupants every night and no visible hope for change.

We cannot overlook that there might be a serious reason why toddler wants to sleep in parents bed, but either way, it needs to stop as soon as possible. Check out this handy guide below to learn more about why your Jack or Jess, shares the warmth of your tiny or huge bed and how to correct this.

Reasons why your toddler want to sleep in your bed

There are a number of reasons why toddler wants to sleep in parents bed and they include;

It’s a routine

A good number of parents feel it is safe and appropriate to doze the night off with their newborn next to them which is understandable for bonding and watching them.

The problem comes in when trying to define at what age should the toddler move to their baby cot or their room and give you and your significant other space to be.

This age is a grey line, which is why it remains a routine even past the moving face and the toddler grows knowing that this is the right thing to do and the only way to go.

They are scared

The dark is always frightening for toddlers and there is no safer place to be than in the arms of mommy or daddy.

The calm and quiet invites mysterious noises and scary thoughts which is why he or she will seek protection at your side.

A nightmare or night terror fresh in mind could also be the reason why your toddler seeks protection from you every night.

Nursing

Depending on the sleeping patterns of your toddler, nursing might be the only thing that lures him or her to sleep. Research done shows that the biggest percentage of toddlers find sleep when breastfeeding.

When this becomes a routine, it is automatically registered in the toddler’s brain that they will find uninterrupted sleep with you beside them and since the majority of breastfeeding mothers do it on their beds, they end up spending the night with the toddler.

Lack of sleep

If you have made it part of your toddler’s life cycle to take a nap every day especially in the afternoon, there is a high probability that as they grow, they will start lacking sleep at their expected bedtime.

Children are not wired to stay put, thus, leaving them on their bed without any sleep or having slept is a waste of time. Expect to see them walk into your room and hop onto your bed for a bedtime story.

We all know what transpires next.

Compensating for time lost

Parenting is a lifetime career and you need to allocate ample time to spend with your children.

Toddlers are needy people in nature, which is why they will always look for ways to compensate for the time you were away at work or on a business trip. Is there a better way of doing so compared to listening to a bedtime story or chit chat your way to sleep?

I don’t think so.

How you can stop your toddler sleeping in your bed

Make their room sleep-friendly

As you seek to take stern action and insisting your child sleeps in their room, you need to make sure that their room provides a safe and soothing environment for sleep. A room free of any objects such as toys and unnecessary noise that could brew into a nightmare.

Each child has their unique idea of a soothing environment and you need to establish this first. Take time to study your child. What toys or dolls do they feel secure around?

What extra accessory in the room such as a radio with some soothing music or a rocking bed sooth them to sleep easily?

These are some of the questions that you need to ask yourself as you seek to make their room a haven for uninterrupted sleep.

Use a light projector to settle your toddler

This is part of making your toddler’s room friendly. Kids are quite curious and very much fascinated by new stuff especially that which is bright and attractive.

There are different types of light projectors and you need to establish your toddler’s taste before you shop for one.

A good light projector should keep your child occupied during those moments when they lack sleep or suddenly wake up at night and get tempted to match into your bedroom and join you in bed.

Take it slow

Rushing things with children more often than usual turns out to be disastrous. If your kid has been sleeping at your side for some time now, or perhaps all their life, he or she will need time to adapt to the changes you are introducing in their lives.

Come up with a plan that is will take your toddler a step at a time towards the ultimate goal of sleeping in their rooms at night.

For example, you can begin by sleeping in their room with them and as the days go by, sneak out at night for a while and then come back until they are completely comfortable to sleep through the night alone.

Be consistent

Once you begin the process of transitioning your toddler to stop sleeping in your bed, do not take a step back. Not even once. It takes a strictly followed routine to make a habit and this is what you need to work on with your kid.

You will have to send a clear and consistent message to your kid that the time to sleep in your bed is gone.

Establish an effective bedtime routine

A healthy routine will be of much help getting your toddler ready for bed. As you begin, you can take part in the routine as a motivation to the kid and over time, let go for them to do it on their own.

Helpful bedtime routines include reading books and taking a bath before going to bed.

FAQS

Conclusion

As a parent, you might feel the urge to spend the night next to your kid, even for a lifetime, due to the bond that ties you together, but, it is important to let them go at the right time for him or her to grow to be independent and confident to get things done without much or any help at all.

Good luck!

All you need is one full night of sleep, right?

Your toddler’s inability to sleep on their own is now becoming a drag. Lack of sleep, and dare I say a reduced chance of ‘mommy and daddy time’ is beginning to take its toll on your life.

If this is you, then you must be desperate to know how to get your toddler to sleep alone! I’ve been there, and in this post, I will give you some tips for overcoming this issue.

Reasons Why Your Toddler Does Not Want To Sleep Alone

Toddlers should be able to fall asleep on their own and alone. The reason why most toddlers develop a chronic pattern of dependency is due to how their parents respond during those anxious nights that happen here and there.

Naturally, our children should develop the capacity to master their fears and soothe themselves.

Despite this, some toddlers are just afraid to sleep alone, even after reassuring words and checking under the beds. So, why is this happening?

Transitioning to Toddler Bed

Toddlers may go through a stage where they realize their separation from mommy or daddy and the fact that they need to sleep on their own. This usually happens when a toddler is transitioning to a bigger bed.

As they learn to push boundaries, they will go through phases of not wanting to be alone.

As a result, they may want to climb out of their beds and seek proximity or closeness to their parents at night.

Negative Sleep Associations

Between the age of 2 and 5 years, imagination begins to develop in a toddler’s mind in earnest.

At this stage, magical thinking and things such as fears and nightmares or night terrors start to emerge and may be challenging for parents who are looking for ways on how to toddler to sleep alone.

Since the toddler is not able to separate imagination from reality, they may become very unsettled hence resist sleeping alone.

Anxieties

Toddlers feel safe when close to those they love and tend to cling around all the time. Clinging happens especially in times of stress of uncertainties that result in bedtime fears.

When fear develops, it’s natural to find them needing comfort from those they are attached to, like parents or babysitters. It mostly develops in toddlers who get separated from their parents during the day.

Unhealthy Habits

Some parents are not aware that the bedtime habits they allow or encourage can lead to sleep problems on their children.

It becomes challenging to make changes later once these habits have developed. Though not impossible, it’s worth making an effort.

It will be easier for a toddler and parents if ground sleeping rules and routines are set earlier to avoid problems later.

Bedtime Resistance

Mostly, toddlers above two years may refuse to go to bed and sleep while watching TV with their parents.

A mild resistance of bedtime refusal is when a toddler delays his bedtime with open-ended questions, unreasonable requests, crying, protests, and temper.

These are unjustified attempts to test their parent’s good nature and limits, and not necessarily bedtime fears.

How You Can Encourage Your Toddler to Sleep Alone

Getting a toddler to sleep alone is enough of a circus, and you need to figure out how you are going to tackle bedtime.

If your toddler is struggling to sleep alone, some decisions may help to cope with the situation, which comes with some challenges.

First things first, you need to be firm and tell your toddler why they need to stay in their bed and sleep.

Once a parent has set that expectation, it’s time to apply some bedtime routines on how to get a toddler to sleep alone. Some tips may help.

Communicate Effectively

When a toddler is feeling insecure, he will tend to cry as you are leaving the room. You can verbally reassure him that you are going to tend to something, and he must stay in bed. If he gets out of bed, take him back to his bed and physically put him back in.

Do this without arguing or talking. He will get to the point that it’s time to sleep, and you mean business. Most likely, a toddler may want to test you, so keep taking him back and back again until he stays.

Remain Persistent But Be Calm

If your toddler follows you, try sitting on a chair in the room. Reassure him of your presence by sitting close to his bed. Tell him you are going to sit right there, only once, and no more talking!

Don’t get into his bed or allow him to be out of bed or sit in your lap. When he is asleep, leave the room.

How to Deal With Crying

The toddler stage is full of emotions, and some days can be full of all the extremes of emotional response a toddler can have.

Many of their roller coaster ride experiences are groundless and unjustified. As you try to break the unhealthy sleep associations, your child may cry, be present, and responsive.

Your presence as he sleeps shows you are responding but teach him how to cope with difficult emotional situations. Show him even if he cries, the fact will not change.

Have a Daytime Talk

As you are helping your toddler to cope with the difficult task of sleeping alone and becoming more independent, create some time during the day and talk about it with him. Show him some love and express how proud you are of him that he can now sleep on his own.

Take time to listen to your toddler and remark on his progress.

Teach Your Toddler to Self-Soothe

Self-soothing is an art that a toddler can learn through some self-made strategies to soothe themselves to sleep. It involves useful, yet straightforward self-managed tools like sucking a dummy or a toy, swaddling, or self-exploration.

You can also use soothing strategies like a light projector to settle your toddler.

FAQs

Conclusion

Parents may get a night of good sleep when their toddler is in another room, but toddlers may only feel safe in the presence of a parent. But, the good thing is that falling asleep is a habit, and children can learn it.

While some may have some difficulties falling asleep than others, all children eventually start to learn how to fall asleep without the presence of their parents.

It may take some time to learn the habit, but children will finally learn to put themselves into sleep on their own eventually.

Good luck!

How can such a tiny person create so much noise?? Sure, we all know kids can be noisy, but screaming! Why?

When my toddler son was going through a screaming phase, at first, it scared the hell out of me! I leaped off of my seat like a cat and burst through his bedroom like the special forces. He was fine.

My heart was beating through my chest!

After a while, it became a normal behavior, and that worried me more. What if he screamed and I didn’t react when he really needed me?

In this post, I am going to take a look at the best ways you can get a toddler to stop screaming.

How To Get A Toddler To Stop Screaming

Ask Your Toddler Why They Scream

It might seem a bit too obvious. In fact, it is damn obvious. Sometimes the obvious works.

It is simple, if you want to find out why your toddler is screaming, then why don’t you ask them?

Sure, it might not get you anywhere. You might get nothing back, or you might get a small pause, followed by a louder scream… but you have to ask.

Oh, and when you ask, make sure you do it nicely. Don’t shout back, don’t act angry. Keep calm, and ask them.

Follow these tips if your kid makes you angry.

Work On Communication

Your toddler is not the best communicator. My son could bearly string a sentence together when he went through the screaming phase. I am certain that his lack of communicative abilities lead him to scream when he didn’t know the right words to use!

Sit down with your toddler and speak to them. Let them listen to the words you use. Your toddler will learn to communicate better simply by listening to the way you talk.

Even better, bring in a slightly older child for your toddler to communicate with. Research has shown that children learn to communicate better when talking with another child.

Give Some Attention

It is possible that your toddler is craving your attention.

Ask yourself if you are giving them enough attention. When I say ask yourself, I mean drop the pretense and decide whether or not you are actually giving them enough attention.

It is difficult to question your parenting abilities, I understand that. But needs must, and if you want your toddler to stop scream, you need to get back to basics.

Occupy Your Toddler

If you want your toddler to stop scream immediately, then you had better get some awesome distraction techniques under your belt.

You need to put aside a few distraction ideas for a time when your toddler is causing some embarrassment by screaming in a public place.

Consider carrying one of their small toys in your pocket or bag. Bring it out when the screaming begins. It worked for my son every time!

Reward Good Behavior

I truly believe that rewarding good behavior is one of the most powerful things that you can do as a parent.

Be careful though, there is a fine line between rewarding good behavior and bribery.

Bribery is bad, rewarding good behavior is good.

The key difference is that you do not offer a reward before specific good behavior is shown. Sure, you can offer reward if behavior is good over a period of time. Use a rewards chart for this. Bribery is offering a reward for good behavior immediately, or over a short period of time.

Why Does Your Toddler Scream?

Your Toddler Finds It Funny

Let’s face it, what is funnier than watching your parents jump out of their skin?

Kids love to see your reaction and find it extremely funny when you jump. The result is that your toddler wants to do it again, and again, and again. Until they get bored of it…

…kids never get bored of scaring you, by the way.

Your Toddler Is Scared

It could be that your toddler is genuinely scared, and this is the worst think about your toddler screaming.

If your toddler is scared then you need to find the reason why.

It Is Just A Phase

Damn, in your time as a parent to a toddler, how many times have you heard the phrase:

It is just a phase

Says everybody when a child is acting up!

Is it true though it is likely to be a phase that your toddler is going through, and riding it out might just be the only way you are going to get through it.

I know, it is easier said than done.

Frustration

This is very similar to your toddler not being able to communicate properly.

It is not just communication though, it is everything.

Your toddler will be looking at everyone, wanting to do everything they are doing. Does your toddler have older siblings? It is possible that they are looking at their older siblings and the frustration is creeping in because they can’t run as fast, speak as well, jump as high.

Reassure your toddler that they are doing well. Help them achieve what they want to achieve.

Conclusion

There are many reasons why, but this post will help you understand how to get a toddler to stop screaming.

The most important thing is that you communicate with your toddler, and teach them how to communicate effectively. You are their role model, and they will learn from you.

Be less angry, be less frustrated, and your toddler behavior will surely follow.

Good luck!

It was a huge challenge for me, and for my toddler son! I was woken up most nights, sleep was slipping away from me. In this post, I am going to take a look at some toddler self-soothing behaviors to make sure you get enough good quality sleep!

In fact, it was not just me going through it. I have a friend who was going through the same thing. So I asked them for some advice, and here it is:

Toddler Self-Soothing – Layla’s Story

Throughout Lala’s infanthood, she had problems sleeping. I spent months poring through research journals and interviewing pediatricians. Very little changed; my toddler hadn’t learned to self-soothe.

Neither of us was getting the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep at night.

Before long, my blood pressure started going up and Lala began complaining of recurring headaches. I became desperate for a permanent solution to our sleep challenges. I saw a therapist who suggested that Lala learns to self-soothe.

Child therapists suggest that self-soothing is an important phase in every toddler’s development. To cope with discomfort and other stressful situations, toddlers adopt habits that make them feel secure and calm.

Self-soothing was—and still is—a life-long skill my toddler had to learn so that she could rock herself to sleep in my absence.

Here, I’ll share the self-soothing hacks that worked for Lala and me.

Common Toddler Self Soothing Behaviors

As children mature, they adopt different strategies and techniques that help them stay calm enough to sleep on their own. These repetitive activities often seem funny and weird to uninformed adults.

However, child therapists have revealed that these behaviors are basic signs of neural development. Toddlers adopt self-soothing behaviors to help them regulate their emotions and moods.

When Lala eventually learned to self-soothe, she had fewer episodes of tantrums, had better moods. She also showed more signs of self-control. With her newly acquired self-soothing skills, she coped better in stressful situations. What’s more, she began sleeping for longer hours and my blood pressure dropped to a healthier range.

Listed below are all the socially-acceptable self-soothing behaviors I taught Lala.

Stroking Blanket Between the Toddler’s Little Fingers

This is top of the list for toddler self-soothing behaviors!

Toddlers especially like this self-soothing strategy. The warmth of the blanket gives them a calm womb-like comfort. Lala absolutely loved her pink blanket. Now Lala is almost four. And whenever she wakes up in the middle of the night, she clutches her favorite cotton blanket to her chest and fiddles with it until she drifts back to sleep.

According to child therapists, toddlers love comfortable things and they associate current events with pleasant memories. Lala loves fiddling with her blanket because it reminds her of the warmth of my womb.

The blanket also reminds her of the skin-to-skin contact she experienced in her breastfeeding days. This soothing activity is definitely worth considering.

Humming that induces gentle vibrations in the chest.

Humming is another comforting sensation that toddlers love. With each hum, the toddler’s chest vibrates a little. A sense of calm suddenly washes over the child. It’s quite easy to teach a toddler to hum. All you have to do is show by example.

Children learn very fast.

Teaching Lala this self-soothing behavior was quite easy. At bedtime, I laid her on her bed and hummed rhythmically. Soon she followed suit and began humming herself to sleep. It was almost magical.

Because humming involved many repetitions and chest vibrations, her brain calmed down enough to induce sleepiness.

Shaking Head From Side to Side

Bodily movements help to soothe toddlers. While some children rock themselves while standing, others do this from a lying position. According to experts, forming neural pathways cause repetitive rocking and other self-soothing behaviors.

This self-soothing strategy worked quite well. I shook my head from side to side and encouraged her to follow suit. But I must admit that we often wound up rocking the entire body. But even that isn’t a completely bad idea.

Shaking the head repeatedly helps the toddler self-soothe from a sensory level. It’s definitely worth a try. 

Belly button twiddle

My best friend has a two-year-old son. His name is Jake. And when little Jake started daycare, he forgot almost all the self-soothing behaviors he’d learned. He began twiddling his navel whenever he felt sleepy. No one knows where he learned this.

The first time the daycare teacher noticed Jake fiddling with his navel during naptime, she almost screamed in horror. She clamped her mouth shut, I think because she didn’t want to wake the other sleeping children.

Apparently, none of the other toddlers in the class showed signs of weird self-soothing activities.

Fiddling with the belly button probably reminds toddlers of all those months when they curled up in Mom’s womb. This behavior reflects expert’s theories of toddlers adopting behaviors that bring them pleasant memories. Lala didn’t need to try this. I only included it in my list because I realize that it might work for another toddler.

How To Help My Toddler Self-Soothe

If your toddler is having problems learning to sleep on their own, do not despair. You’re not alone. All over the world, toddlers struggle to sleep without the help of an adult.

To make your job easier, I have outlined and explained five effective ways to teach your child to self soothe.

Set up a fixed bedtime

Toddlers are creatures of habit. They learn faster when they are made to work with a fixed schedule or timetable. In matters of sleep, toddlers benefit more when there is an established consistent bedtime schedule.

Lala got used to the bedtime rituals very quickly. It started with a warm bath, a bedtime story, and lights out. Sticking to this pattern helped her fall asleep in her warm and cozy bed. Occasionally, she hummed and hugged her favorite pink blanket. Sometimes, she rocked her stuffed animal to sleep as well.

Help your child cope with the dark bedroom

If your toddler is afraid of the dark, you can leave on the lights in the corridor, especially if its silhouette filters through the cracks in the bedroom doorway. A toddler or baby night light projector is an awesome idea to help your child stay in bed!

Because Lala had formed the habit of imagining monsters in the dark, I provided a warm, natural-looking light in the adjourning rooms. Later on, I installed a nightlight bulb in her bedroom. This went a long way to help her overcome her sleep challenges.

Handle mid-night episodes wisely

When your toddler wakes in the middle of the night, pay attention. Listen through the door and wait for five to ten minutes. Your child needs adequate time and space to practice the self-soothing strategies they’ve learned. If they keep crying, calmly walk into the room and soothe them.

Ask them what the problem is. Reassure your toddler of your love, care, and protection. Be wary of night-terrors in toddlers!

When Lala woke up in the middle of the night, I kissed her and encouraged her to hum and rock her stuffed animal or her blanket. The self-soothing techniques calmed the brain. She always fell asleep after a few minutes.

Be consistent

Don’t give up after a few nights. If you maintain a regular bedtime routine and a smart mid-night intervention strategy, your toddler will adjust. With time, your toddler will develop the skills required to sleep independently. What’s more? They will also cry less.

It took Lala about one week to learn to self soothe. However, children learn at different paces. Your toddler might take less than a week to learn, but they might also take more than two weeks too. Studies by educational psychologists suggest that there are individual differences and that children learn at different rates. Be patient with your toddler.

Recommended Purchases For Self-Soothing

Teaching your little one some toddler self-soothing behaviors is a challenge! Often, you will need to purchase helpful tools for your child. Below is a list of purchases that worked for me and some that worked for other parents I interviewed.

• Stuffed animals
• Soft warm baby blankets
• Self-held feeding bottles
• A warm nightlight that has a natural glow
• A stereo and nature music mixed tape. The tape features birdsong, the hiss of rushing waters and the swishing of forest trees and desert sand dunes
• A white noise machine for toddlers and babies

What age should you start self-soothing?

Very few babies are born with flawless sleep patterns and habits. Yes, some babies sleep for 6 – 8 hours throughout the night, but these are the exceptions.  In most cases, newborns wake up regularly for nightly feeds until they reach their third months.

At six months, 65% of babies sleep throughout the night. Once your baby reaches this stage, you can start teaching them to self soothe.

Research has shown that early self-soothing lessons benefit children in the end. According to this 2002 study, babies who had learned to self soothe by the age of one were unlikely to develop sleep challenges in toddlerhood and middle childhood.

Toddler’s sleep patterns and associations are a lot more difficult to adjust when compared to a baby’s sleep habits. That makes it more of a challenge to build in some toddler self-soothing behaviors!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I teach my toddler to self soothe?

The first step is to make your toddler’s bedroom warm comfortable and cozy. Declutter the room. Place objects and toys that bring pleasant memories. Consider investing in self-soothing tools. Blankets, stuffed animals, self-held bottles and birdsong are fantastic tools.

Establish a bedtime ritual and timetable. Choose rituals that are effective on multiple levels. Warm baths and (oil or water) massages soothe and comfort toddlers. After baths and massages, proceed to the bedroom, turn down the lights to a warm, soft glow.

Yellow candle-like flames are natural and soothing. Avoid the harsh glare of white LED or fluorescent lights. Read a bedtime story, pray (if you want) and then encourage the child to hug a warm blanket or a stuffed animal. These activities create feelings of comfort and security.

When your toddler wakes up at night, get up and press your ears to the doorway. Listen for five minutes. If the child hasn’t gone back to sleep, open the door and pacify the child. Ask what the problem is. Listen to what your child has to say. Afterward, hug them and encourage them to hum and to rock their favorite stuffed animal, blanket or self-held bottle,

Don’t linger in the room for too long. Leave after five minutes. You can wait outside and monitor the child’s progress from there. Often, the child will drift off to sleep without your help. If, however, your toddler continues to cry, wait for seven minutes before you intervene. Be willing to give your toddler adequate room to practice the self-soothing techniques they’ve learned.

How long should a toddler cry it out?

Every child is different. And in matters of self-soothing, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all guideline. Some experts say it’s okay to allow your toddler to fuss and cry for about five to eleven minutes before you intervene. Other experts recommend a longer duration.

Whatever you do, be sure to apply the law of moderation. Don’t let your toddler cry for too long especially if he or she is ill.

Monitor your toddler. Ensure that they aren’t harming themselves while they are crying.

Can newborns self soothe?

Experts believe that newborns are capable of self-soothing when they cross the three-months milestone (or when they turn twelve weeks).

However, it is important to note that newborns have very small stomachs and are unable to take in sufficient amounts of food at once. Often they have to wake up every one to three hours to feed. Obviously, babies who cluster feed are not capable of soothing themselves to sleep when they are hungry.

Before you start swapping self-soothing stories with other mothers, bear in mind that parenting tactics differ. Bottle-fed babies eat less than breast-fed babies. And breast milk is more easily digestible when compared to baby formula.

In other words, breast-fed babies are more likely to wake up more often for nightly feeds.

By the sixth month of life, two-thirds of babies are capable of ingesting more food at a time and of sleeping for longer hours. When they attain the six-month mark, you can teach your baby to self soothe.

Conclusion

Many toddlers struggle to sleep on their own. Often, toddlers insist on being held, rocked or patted to sleep even when they wake up in the middle of the night.

Not only does this deprive the entire family of quality sleep, but it also robs the child of the opportunity to learn an important life skill.

Toddlers who learn to self soothe are more likely to:

• Regulate their moods
• Cope in stressful situations
• Concentrate in a formal school setting.

You can help your child self-soothe if you create a comfortable and cozy space for your child to sleep in. Fill your child’s room with soft blankets, stuffed animals and other tools that are reminiscent of pleasant experiences. Establish a bedtime ritual and stick to it.

Tuck your child into bed and encourage them to rock their stuffed animals and or blankets. Hum to them and encourage them to hum as well.

Do not despair. Like Lala and I, you and your toddler will overcome your sleep troubles.

the key point is – you should teach your little one some vital toddler self-soothing behaviors!