Toddler Years

Here’s what The Parenting Doctor™ recommends about parenting your Toddler.

ME DO IT! THE TERRIFIC TWO’S!

From one to three years of age, your child becomes a bull in a china shop - trying everything, no matter the consequences. The job of a parent and toddler are diametrically opposed. A toddler needs to experiment, repeat, lose control, challenge and become an individual, asking questions through behavior! One of a child’s main developmental tasks in the second year of life is to demonstrate that they are a separate person with a mind of their own. Parents need to protect, set limits, say no, and allow their children to become independent with constant reassurance.

Your toddler has the impulses they were born with and no control over how they react! They think something and immediately act on it! (That new toy looks great and I want it!) Sharing then becomes the hardest concept to grasp at this age, because toddlers cannot yet reason! And parents cannot reasonably figure out why their toddler doesn’t know better! So, to show you he’s his own person, he resorts to using the only tools he has: saying no, doing the opposite of what he’s told, and throwing a tantrum when his efforts fail.

WHAT WOULD DR. ANN SAY?
Kids learn best by repetition. Even though it drives you crazy, keep telling your toddler how to behave. While your toddler grabs, throws tantrums, and pushes their way around, you need to teach them how to stop! Just as important is teaching the behavior that you want. At this age a child also repeats what they hear. Since most parents find themselves saying “no-no” a lot, toddlers throw that word right back at them. Use simple words and gestures to set clear limits for your child.

Cook With Your Kids…

Watch them learn math, science and social esteem! 
 
There is more cooking over the holidays than any other time of the year.  Kids are out of school, so they need more activities to occupy their time.  Parents need to get holiday cooking done for family visitors, but have less time with the kids’ home.  So […]

Asking for Help Doesn’t Mean You’re a Bad Parent

Parents that ask the most questions about raising their children are the most courageous. 
 
Offering advice to friends and family about what worked for you as a parent is excellent.  Just remember to give the advice ONLY when asked and don’t take offense if other parents don’t take it!
 
If you get unsolicited advice from well-meaning […]

Santa Claus is Scary

Big guy in a bright red suit, with a strange laugh can be too much for some kids to handle. This time of year, it doesn’t hurt to remind yourselves as parents that some things surrounding the holidays that seem fun, normal and non-threatening to you are really scary to your kids.
 
Hair on the face, […]

What Fathers Want to Know about Mothers and Kids

I AM E-MAILING YOU AS A FATHER OF A 2YR OLD.
WHEN I AM WITH HIM ALONE, HE IS A GOOD TODDLER. HE GIVES ME NO PROBLEMS, DOESNT WHINE OR TANTRUM. BUT WHEN HE IS WITH MY WIFE ALONE OR MY WIFE AND I ARE TOGETHER WITH HIM, HE IS WHINEY AND HAS TANTRUMS WHEN […]

Thanksgiving..It’s All About Eating! But, What About Picky Eaters?

Families are all gearing up to stuff themselves with food that has been painstakingly chosen and taken hours to prepare.  Parents take time off work, clean the house and look forward to the whole family showing their appreciation by enjoying the meal.
 
But, what if your kids turn up their noses at it all or at […]

Andrea Yates & Thanksgiving…How Can You Forgive, but not Forget?

Andrea Yates the infamous mother who drowned her five children back in 2001 was in the news again this week.  Her husband, Rusty who is re-married, had another child recently, so the story of their tragedy resurfaced once again.  Rusty still communicates with his wife and mother of his five children that she killed.  How […]

Toddlers Fighting on U-Tube…What are Parents Thinking?

It’s inevitable that kids fight at any age.  Wherever there is a relationship there is conflict.  Siblings will always find something that bugs them about their brother or sister.  Just looking at your sister wrong can bring on a battle or the temptation to poke your brother to see if you will get a reaction […]

Trick or Treat…When Should Kids Start?

One year your child may be happily running from house to house and openly asking for treats.  The next year, they are not so enthusiastic.
That is why it makes sense for parents to be sensitive about what their kids can handle at different ages.
 
Here is the scoop!
 
From birth to around the age of 2 yrs. […]

Spanking Doesn’t Work, it Hurts!

It is so easy to swat your child when they are seemingly disobedient. ABC TV yesterday reported yet another research study shouting loud and clear that spanking used as a regular punishment has long-term affects on children and their potential for violent behavior.

 
Please consider the facts.  The American Academy of Pediatrics says…
Although most Americans were spanked […]

Kids and Cancer

Sometimes kids give the best advice.  I was so struck by this article about a daughter who helped her mom through breast cancer that I wanted to spread the wise words of this 10 year old.
 
Here are her ‘8′ suggestions for kids if someone has breast cancer…
 
1-”If you are worried, scared or frightened, it is […]