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  • GUIDELINES
  • GUIDELINES
TIPS TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR PREGNANCY GUIDE TO NEW PARENTS IMPORTANT ADVICE ON THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF INFANT HELPING YOUR BABY TO ADAPT TO THE WORLD

ENCOURAGE YOUR TODDLER TO BE INDEPENDENT

As children grow up, parents should encourage them to become more independent.

  • Expect some behavior - defiance and disobedience, or refusing to comply with your requests, are normal parts of your toddler's growth into an individual.
  • Follow your toddler's lead - if they want to cling to you, let them; if they want to do things in their own way, go along with it as far as is reasonable.
  • Use distraction - you may find it impossible to get your toddler to follow orders without getting upset, so use diversion tactics, or allow them to make choices and offer them some control and choice.
  • Avoid orders and ultimatums - lead and teach rather than getting into power struggles.

Mostly your toddler will just do the opposite of what you want. they may run off when you try to dress him/her, for example, or tip out toys you want packed away - they just can't help themselves.
They may also seem to resent almost any form of control by you. They wants to get dressed by themselves and feed themselves - the contrary behavior that results from this is quite normal, even if you find it irritating.
Once your child learns to walk, you'll find it's sometimes hard work to keep up with their as they moves with more and more confidence, and then begins to climb stairs - first by crawling, and later by holding a grown-up hand, and then finally up and down by his/herself, perhaps holding on to the wall or handrail, around the age of two.
By about this age, they'll also be able to kick and throw a ball and by three or four they'll gain the balance to ride a tricycle and run with confidence.
These are also the years in which speech develops. You'll find your toddler uses six to 20 words by around 18 months, and over the next six months or so, they'll put two words together to make simple sentences like "baby go" and "me drink".
From two to three years of age your child's curiosity will show in lots of questions, and you'll be able to enjoy real conversations as they begins to talk in longer sentences, and sing rhymes.