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Home › Articles › Development › Toddler Antics

Toddler Antics

Recognizing Age-appropriate Behavior

By Harmony Cornwell

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  • Make sure that the instructions you are giving your toddler are appropriate to his age and understanding. Use small words and sentences. Get down to his eye level to gain his attention.
  • Don't give too many chances. If you allow your toddler one more chance before repercussions you are giving her permission to disobey one more time.
  • Use fun and silliness to get your request completed. You don't have to be (nor should you be) serious all the time. By being silly and making games out of simple tasks like picking up toys or brushing teeth you may just find yourself with a more-than-willing-to-obey toddler.
Tantrums
A mom of three from Las Vegas, Nev., Rebecca Millard's patience is tried by her children's "screaming, getting into things, throwing temper tantrums, throwing food [and] tossing water out of the tub," she says. The reason behind most tantrums is a toddler's inability to express his frustration and anger and can be caused by not getting something he wants or trying to complete a task that is beyond his current skill level.

When Millard's 2-year-old son is in the midst of a tantrum, she gains perspective by "remembering that he is 2," she says. It is well known that toddlers have tantrums, but we can help them gain control or get over them with some understanding of what they are going through and teaching them some coping techniques.

"When she gets what she wants because she cries, we are teaching her to cry to get her own way," says Amanda Schippers, a mother of four from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. When her youngest daughter uses this tactic, the rule in the Schippers household is to ignore the outburst. But if a tantrum is triggered by frustration, Schippers changes her approach to one of understanding and attempts to help her daughter problem solve.

Gauthier also recommends redirection for this age. "t can be hard for toddlers to move away from the source of frustration or anger; try to distract them and move on," she says. As they mature and have more control over the emotions and motor skills, the tantrum stage will be left behind.

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