Tag Archives: toddler development

Is Your Toddler Nutritionally Deficient?

Trying to get a toddler to eat is sometimes like…well, I can’t even compare it. There are no words. As a result, we parents seem to always worry about our little ones getting enough to eat. Conventional wisdom tells us to just relax, continue to offer new foods and allow our toddlers to eat when they are hungry. But is there ever a danger of our toddlers becoming nutritionally deficient? While it isn’t likely that your toddler is nutritionally deficient, it is a good idea to know the signs, just to be safe. First of all, if you are all … Continue reading →

Fostering Pretend Play

Pretend play is very important for toddlers. As their language skills grow, they become more adapt at telling stories and pretend play. At this stage, having the opportunity for make believe will help them grow and develop to the best of their abilities. As they get a little older, toddlers can benefit from different “props” that help them explore jobs and activities that adults do. Copying the adults around them is a way for them to explore the world, gain confidence in themselves, develop more language skills and try new things in a safe environment. For pretend play, simple toys … Continue reading →

How to Pick a Potty 2

When you are focused on potty training your child, one of the last concerns you might have is picking out a potty. But not all potty chairs are built the same way or are easy to use. Yesterday I shared some tips on choosing a potty, including safety and stability issues. Now let’s look at some other factors. Having a potty chair that is easy to clean will make a big difference, trust me. With your little one trying to chair out several times a day, the last thing you want to do is to spend all of that time … Continue reading →

Even More Ways to Get a Toddler to Eat

Do you have a picky eater in your house? Some days I used to think that my children would waste away to nothing. But I refuse to be a short order cook or to serve them food that isn’t nutritionally balanced. So, here are more tricks and tips that have worked for my family and the family of some of my mom friends. Hopefully there is something in here that you can use if you have a picky toddler. Rabbit Wants His Carrot In the last post, I talked about how having Wall-E plate really helped get dinner devoured by … Continue reading →

Curbing the Gimmies

Is your toddler or preschooler having a bad case of the gimmies, where she wants every toy, snack or object in the store. Shopping with a young child can be tough, especially if the child has a melt down whenever he can’t have everything he sees. Here are some techniques for curbing the gimmies and setting limits. The both of you will be happier for it. Delayed gratification is tough for a toddler or preschooler. They don’t have the emotional maturity to handle all of the temptation, and they don’t understand why they shouldn’t have something. One way to cut … Continue reading →

The Importance of Routine for a Young Child

As a person, I usually thrive more on the spontaneous rather than the routine. I tend to get inspired and follow those inspirations rather than doing the same things at the same time on the same days. That said, even I can recognize the benefit of a routine, especially when there are certain things that just need to be done. Even within a routine there can be some flexibility and spontaneity, but having a routine can make life with little ones much easier for everyone involved. Why is a routine so important for young children? Well, for one thing, a … Continue reading →

My Toddler Empties Everything – Everything

It can be very frustrating for some moms when their toddler goes through what is called an empty out phase. The empty out phase is very serious development work for your little one despite how frustrating it is. Emptying out means your toddler likes to turn things over and dump them out. Toddlers learn how to empty things long before they learn how to put things back in or even want to. Demolition Experts Toddlers are demolition experts. When my daughter went through this phase, it was hilarious – at least for us. We would set up her playpen every … Continue reading →

Deciphering Toddler Eating Habits

Toddlers are notorious for their very unique eating habits. They are at the cross roads of a very important time in their lives: in between infancy and independence (relatively speaking). Frequently, toddlers have unique eating habits that can sometimes present a challenge to parents. The trick is to take it all in stride. Check out these tips to handling feeding your toddler! I Love Green Foods! Just Green Foods! Do you have one of those kids that only eats one thing? They decide that they like one particular type of food and they stick with it. They reject all other … Continue reading →

Parental Concern: Does my Toddler have ADD?

With so much published information out there on attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it’s understandable that parents will have concerns when nothing seems to hold their toddler’s interest for more than a few moments. In fact, when their toddler never seems to sit still and goes from toy to toy, activity to activity without seeming to slow down – concerns may grow and when your helpful co-worker or friend suggests that your toddler is ADD or ADHD – you may panic. It’s Okay It’s very normal for typical toddlers to have short attention spans. In … Continue reading →

Television and Your Toddler

When you have a toddler, you are faced with a lot of choices. So after you are done wrestling with the let them or not let them watch television, then you have to wrestle with what shows are good for toddlers or at least appropriate – and with the plethora of programming available out there – this can be a lot more difficult than just electing to put the television on PBS and calling it good. Not that I am knocking PBS, I was weaned on Sesame Street and the Electric Company. While the former is still available, the latter … Continue reading →