Top Tips for Toddlers 2018
Raising children in early childhood can sometimes seem like less of a rewarding experience than a daily awakening and getting into battle. We’ve written a lot about toddlers this year, and as we wrap up 2018 it seems like now is the time to go back and collect all of our favorite toddler posts in one place.
For your survival, we have peanut butter on a spoon, a toothbrush in the car, a nipple inside a bear … and everything in between.
Hack for games
Need a few minutes of rest? Let your baby’s toilet paper be your home .
Babies and toddlers love to spin, rip and, in fact, destroy any space with it. I resort to handing over a bun in moments of pure despair, for example, when I need 5-10 minutes to call urgently, deliver something to the oven or take it out, or just turn off for a moment.
Other household items mentioned in this post that you can throw to your toddler for moments of independent play are plastic food storage containers, cloth napkins, sheets, buckets, and a metal mixing bowl. When my son was young, he also liked empty cereal boxes. (Oh, by the way: here’s a whole post on how to entertain your little one with Cheerios .)
Food hack
The child is screaming because he is hungry, and you still need to cut his food, and every second counts? Don’t take the knife; take a pizza knife .
When there is a hungry child around you, you can use a simple pizza knife to slice everything from pancakes to quesadillas and fried chicken cutlets into perfect-sized slices. Slice, slice, slice, slice, slice, done . So fast. Try.
Hacking clothes
Is the process of putting on every sock or shirt with a tag or even a pair of pants a problem in your home? Go in search of sensory clothing .
If a child says that his clothes “hurt”, “bite” or “burn”, this cannot be an exaggeration. Instead, she may have had a sensory processing disorder (SPD). Neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, who was a pioneer in sensory processing, explained that SPD is like a neurological plug that prevents parts of the brain from receiving what is needed to correctly interpret sensory information. Children with the disorder cannot “just deal with it”.
This post has suggestions for several clothing brands that are more comfortable for kids with these sensitivities, as well as some additional tips on what to do when just changing clothes isn’t enough.
Journey
Are you planning to fly with your baby for the first time? Here’s what you need to know about airplanes and car seats .
One of the traditional advantages of flying with children under 2 years of age is the savings in the cost of an additional ticket when the child is held in their lap. (Of course, those of us who have ever traveled this way might argue that it didn’t exactly feel like cocky at the time, but it makes travel more accessible for families.)
However, for safety reasons, more and more parents choose to buy tickets for their little ones. And this is really the safer option . Attaching them to a secure car seat not only provides additional protection in the event of an accident, but also ensures safety during unexpected turbulence.
Hacker before bed
For those nights when you’re out before bed and you just know your child will fall asleep in the car on the way home, keep a pair of pajamas and an extra toothbrush in the car.
If you have a baby, the preparation of the child for the night before you hit the road, runs without problems – if he falls asleep on the way home, you usually can move it out of the car in his bed, so he did not notice. Even if your kids are older, a little preparation still helps. Our family often dines with friends, and right before leaving, all preschoolers always brush their teeth together, put on their pajamas and do one “pajama goodbye dance” before heading home. (Yes, that’s delicious.) Then, when we get back to our house, my daughter will be able to jump from car to her pillow directly in less than 20 seconds.
Your hacks
I believe that no tricks for raising (managing?) Toddlers are not enough. So I asked the members of our Offspring Facebook group if they had any other hacks we should be aware of. And they did not disappoint:
- Is your toddler going to hit you? One parent offers to hug them before they can make contact, saying, “We’re not hitting.” Or, as the other parent suggested, give them a five before they can punch.
- Use the “everything has its place” strategy to teach the little ones how to clean. Team member Carrie says, “I used to have toy containers that just kept everything, but my daughter just didn’t know how to put things. Now each basket contains certain things … for example, one basket is just symbols, one basket is balls, one basket is books, one basket is tools, etc. After we did this exercise once, she started to fold things. “
- Trying to give up nipples forever? Team member Jenny says Build-A-Bear will put it in the bear for you so your child can say goodbye without completely letting go.
- All those Amazon boxes that come to your home this time of year can be fresh fun for your little one. If it’s a big enough box, toss the child inside with a few crayons and you’ve bought yourself 20 minutes of free time.
- Need a quick phone call? Here’s Austin’s advice: “A small spoonful of peanut butter can give you 5 minutes of silence!”