Search Results for: blog toddler talk

Ask a Baby Blogger: Dealing with Toddler Back Talk

Question: I’ve heard you say a few times that you don’t allow your toddlers to talk back to you. At first, I thought you meant preschoolers but in one of your posts you even make mention of insisting that your 14 month old doesn’t say ‘no’ to you. How exactly do you accomplish this? I don’t mean to offend you, but you sound horribly strict. If you haven’t yet read the first blog answering this question, you might want to do so before reading this one. In it, I explain why I think it’s so important for toddlers to learn … Continue reading →

Ask a Baby Blogger: Why My Toddlers Aren’t Allowed to Talk Back

Question: I’ve heard you say a few times that you don’t allow your toddlers to talk back to you. At first, I thought you meant preschoolers but in one of your posts you even make mention of insisting that your 14 month old doesn’t say ‘no’ to you. How exactly do you accomplish this? I don’t mean to offend you, but you sound horribly strict. I am going to have to answer this in two parts. First, I’ll give you the ‘why’ of dealing with toddlers and then in another blog I’ll explain how exactly we gain their cooperation. Yes, … Continue reading →

Teaching Toddlers Empathy

One important skill that we as parents can help our children to learn is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and experience the feelings of others, and to respond in helpful ways. No child is too young to begin learning about empathy. In fact, you have probably been modeling empathy for your child since the moment that she was born by being sensitive to her feelings and responding to her needs. As your toddler grows, she can begin to build on the empathy that you have shown her by reaching out to others in a caring way. Of course, … Continue reading →

Toddlers and Teenagers

Oh, the strong will that a toddler can possess! I clearly remember those days of my two and three year olds wanting to do their own thing. Who would have ever thought I would revisit those years when they became teenagers? I have never told my teens that they act like toddlers. But in my mind I am often brought back to that time of the word, “No!” They stand their ground, ready to do battle. And the same can happen during these sometimes tumultuous years. Here is the big difference. It may have sometimes been with some kicking and … Continue reading →

Connecting With Your Toddler

It has been said that a toddler who feels a strong connection with his or her parents is more likely to be happy. Fortunately for parents, there are many ways that you can strengthen the connection that you have with your toddler. Even better, there are not likely to be any adverse effects from nurturing that connection as frequently as you can. Perhaps the essence of building a connection with your toddler can be summed up in two easy to remember words, time and attention. If you are anything like me, you may feel that time and attention are two … Continue reading →

Toddler Road Trip Wrap Up

Last night we returned to our home after a nine day vacation with my parents. Four out of those nine days were spent on the road, driving for many hours. This post is for any parent who is wondering whether it is a good idea to take such a long trip with a toddler (or, as in our case, a toddler and a baby). I am not sure if there was a specific reason that our trip went relatively smoothly, but it did. There were certainly moments where things got pretty intense, but we worked through them. When I stopped … Continue reading →

Toddlers And Sharing

Sharing is one of those things that every parent wishes would come naturally for their child. Of course, sharing does not come naturally to toddlers. The ability to share grows in a person as the ability to empathize develops. Empathy is the ability to recognize and understand what another person is feeling, and empathy is a complex emotional skill that develops slowly throughout childhood. In other words, expecting a toddler to share is not realistic. That does not mean that a toddler should be allowed to hog all of the toys at play group, or to snatch toys away from … Continue reading →

Talking To Toddlers About Major Storms

It seems as though it has been weeks since reports about Hurricane Sandy first started to appear all over the news and all other forms of media. In reality, it has only been about a week since coverage of the storm and its anticipated path started. If you are a parent of young children, you may certainly be concerned about keeping your family safe. However, you are probably equally concerned with keeping the kids calm. When everybody is preparing for a storm like Sandy, things look and feel different wherever you go. Little ones can see and feel the differences … Continue reading →

More Toddler Discipline Part I

There was a time in my son’s early toddlerhood that the threat of a time out in the corner was enough motivation to help keep my son’s behavior in check. When he did act out in such a way that warranted a time out, he took his punishment well without much protest or defiance. Recently, using time outs as a way to curb his bad behavior has become quite ineffective. Instead of going in the corner and waiting quietly for his two minutes to pass, he now whines, hits and kicks, will not stay, or will not be quiet. Instead … Continue reading →

Does Your Toddler Test Your Patience?

Today was a particularly trying day for me. It seemed as if each time I asked Dylan not to do something, he look right at me and did it anyways. Also, he had a couple of tantrums over things that I could do nothing about. For example, he wanted to play with Play Doh and I could not find any in the house. For about forty five minutes he let me know how upset he was that I did not have the Play Doh that he needed. The whole day seemed to flow from one limit testing scenario to another … Continue reading →