CDC has Advice for Parents of Toddlers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has some positive parenting tips for parents of toddlers. Some of the advice is for toddlers who are 1-2 years of age, and some is for toddlers who are 2-3 years of age. Toddlers 1-2 years of age Read to your toddler daily. Ask her to find objects for you or name body parts and objects. Play matching games with your toddler, like shape sorting and simple puzzles. Encourage him to explore and try new things. Help to develop your toddler’s language by talking with her and adding to words she starts. For … Continue reading →

The Many Ways that Toddlers Play

Toddlers are very interested in exploring their world. They haven’t yet developed the social skills that preschools use to play with other kids. Parents might wonder what their toddler is thinking when he or she starts playing with “boring” household objects. Here is some insight about what’s going on. Parallel Play One of the earliest ways for toddlers to be social with each other is through parallel play. One toddler sits on the floor next to a huge pile of cars and trucks. She selects one, and starts rolling it back and forth on the floor in front of her. … Continue reading →

When Your Baby Boy Reaches Out to You

Today, my baby boy had to have some exploratory surgery. It was nothing serious. He had a UTI. When boys have them, doctors want to make sure all the pipes work correctly. Anyway, when we were in the room waiting on the doctor, he asked me to lay in his bed with him. Of course, I jumped right in there to cuddle with him. He said he was scared, and just wanted to hug me. When the nurse came in to get him, he started to cry. I picked him up, hugged him, and he clung to me. I knew … Continue reading →

Tech Savvy Toddlers

According to the research firm In-Stat, about 65 percent of the U.S. population, or more than 200 million people, will have a smartphone by 2015. Currently, there are more than 400 million smartphone owners on the planet. I am not one of them. My friend’s toddler is. And by is I mean the kid doesn’t just share Mommy’s mobile, he’s got his very own phone to play with and do goodness knows what else, including gnaw on when he gets bored. Unbelievably (to me anyway), a new study shows that my friend’s tot is not alone when it comes to … Continue reading →

And You Thought Your Kid Was Smart

Most parents are constantly trying to educate their children. They read to them, sing to them, and expose them to visually stimulating environments. In some cases it pays off and the child becomes a voracious learner always ready to take on a new challenge. Other kids, not so much. Then, there are the rare occasions when the child surpasses all expectations and reveals that she is smarter than her parents… before she is potty trained. Such is the case with Elise Tan-Roberts of Edmonton in North London. The 2-year-old girl has an IQ of 156 and is rated in the … Continue reading →

Walking Around with a Sippy Cup

In the past two days, I have witnessed two “sippy cup incidents” and I thought this might be a good place to discuss them. The first one, I was taking a cross-town bus and there was a two-year-old (or so) sitting in front of me(or standing, actually) alternating licking the condensed and foggy bus window and pouring juice from his sippy cup into the ridges around the window and down the wall. The second was last night at a fairly swanky art gallery show opening for three local artists. I quickly assessed that one of the artists was a twenty-something … Continue reading →

Teaching Impulse Control To Toddlers

One of the things I remember most about Tyler’s toddler years was how impulsive he was. The constant grabbing of items within his reach. The climbing on objects to grab items that was not within his reach. Toddlers have little impulse control. They see something they want and they feel they should have it. Or they are simply curious about an item and want to touch (and taste) it. I remember keeping Tyler inside the shopping cart much longer than I probably should have. However, whenever I allowed him to walk besides me he would grab whatever tickled his fancy. … Continue reading →

A New Kind Of Family Cell Plan

There’s a new family cell plan and it’s not being offered by Verizon, Cingular or any of the other major providers. No, this cell plan places toddlers behind bars so that they can bond with their inmate parents. Family cells are being used in Spain and they are the only ones being used in the world. The units have cribs, Disney characters adorning the walls and access to a playground. The idea is to allow kids and parents to bond before the children truly understand the “reality of prison”. The Spanish prison currently has 32 kids, basically, incarcerated. The units … Continue reading →

A Messy Nature

Why is it that some children are just messier than others? Is it some genetic trait that they are just born with? Do some children just naturally leave a trail of messes wherever they go? The answer of course is YES! Some children truly are born with that inquisitive and messy gene. They are curious about everything. As a result they get into everything. My youngest is one of those naturally curious children. Before she could even walk she was off and exploring. She would get into everything that was at her level. Starting when she was about eight months … Continue reading →

Taming Tantrums

Tantrums are something that most parents experience some more than others. Unfortunately I have had my fair share of tantrums. There are two important things that I have learned: first that when my child is having a tantrum I need to control my own feelings, and second that I need to teach my child correct behavior. One of the hardest things to deal with as a parent is a temper tantrum. It is so easy to allow your child’s behavior to influence you. So you need to develop your own stay calm techniques. I like to count to ten before … Continue reading →