Actually, parenting is one of the most playful, challenging, tricky, and heart-opening experiences in life. Every child will have moods. Big moods! Lots of them! So, how do parents deal with all these ups and downs moments? What can we really do to help our toddler feel better?

If a toddler is screaming and upset, the only number one point of focus should be on keeping ourselves calm. Focus on us first. Obviously we love our child and we want him to feel better. But in order to be the most effective at doing this, we must feel better about ourselves. Children are emotional magnets and pick up on moods easily. Body language and tone of voice speak volumes, and kids are especially open to these things.

After we manage to be calm, take many times of inhaling and exhaling, and feel open-minded about our beloved child. Try some methods to make everything easier and fun for both the parents and toddlers, try these following below when your toddler won’t listen:

Singing your own funny song. You don’t have to be Barney to entertain your toddler with cute and laughable song, just be relax and flexible will make every song is funny enough for kids – “Let see how this naughty cute sweater warm and hug you …” or “I’m going to wash those elephants right out of your hair …” or a parody of your own making. The more nonsensical and outrageous the lyrics, the more likely your toddler will be distracted by them. Use the same silly song each time you perform that related to the activities your toddler should do, like shampooing, dressing, etc.

Acting very silly. Put the mittens to the dog when your toddler refuse to don them, or struggle pretending wearing your toddler’s coat when he resisting wearing it. With any luck, the game will not only yield giggles, but results, too: “No, my mittens !! My coat !!”

Showing your funny face. Again, you don’t have to be Jim Carey to entertain your toddler with funny and ridiculous face. Puffed out cheeks, a scrunched-up mouth, a protruding tongue – improvise until you tickle the funny bone and make your toddler forget what it was he didn’t want to do.

Uncharacteristic strange sounds. Any strange funny sounds would always cheer your toddler. High, low, squeaky, creaky, mouse-like, clown-like, animal-like, are all sounds that amuse all kids. If you’re one of those talented parents who can produce realistic sound effects (a buzzer, horn, siren, animal imitation, or what have you), use them to amuse and catch resisting toddler off guard.

Setting an imaginary lay out. A toddler who’s resisting a pair of shoes may relent if you play “shoe store”. Line up a few pairs that are obviously not toddler-size and suggest “Let’s try these on” after giggling his or her way through a couple of wacky misfits, your toddler may relish trying on a pair that’s “just right”/ Likewise, play “beauty shop” at bath time, “clothing store” at dressing time, “restaurant” at meal time

Playing with character. Shampoos are much more fun when Big Bird dies the sudsing, shoes are much less of a bother to have buckled when Dumbo does the honors. Becoming one of your toddler’s favorite story book or television characters can make it easier to get almost any unpleasant job done.

“Ups, Mom’s mistakes !!” game. As someone small who’s always being told what to do and how to do it, nothing gives your toddler more enjoyment than showing you the errors of your ways. The purpose of this game is to give your child that distinct pleasure while giving you the distinct pleasure of his or her compliance. For example, when you want your toddler to drink his milk, for instance you could say “Oh, boy – yum, yum, my milk is very delicious; I think I’m going to drink it”. Your toddler would instantly correct you by saying “My milk, I want that”.

Reverse psychology. Sometimes, for a very rebellious and stubborn kid, a little reverse psychology, such as saying “Don’t you dare eat that broccoli” or “Don’t you ever try get into that bathtub” would probably very effective to avoid conflict. Using reverse psychology allows both of you to have it your way – he has satisfaction of doing something that you specifically told him not to do, and you have the satisfaction of seeing him do what you really want. In other words, it’s win-win game. However, you should mark this method only to deal with difficult situation, not to get in it over and over again, or your child would get used to rebel or the time. Also pay attention to the words you say, for example “Do run out in the street” or “Go ahead, play with that knives and matches” would never be accepted.

Gotcha !! gambling. Everyone loves to win a bet, and toddlers are no exception. The challenge “I bet you can’t get your shoes on before I get mine on” can motive a child to move faster than nagging, threatening, pleading, and screaming combined. There’s incentive not only to win the bet but to prove you wrong. An important rule of the game is if your toddler takes you up on your wager, let him win – even if it means putting your shoes on at a snail’s pace, singing in an exaggeratedly slow fashion, or taking two minutes to count to ten. Without satisfaction of winning, your toddler’s much less likely to accept your wager next time. It is important that there be no payoff in this game, other than the fun of coming in first. You dint want to start promoting full-fledged gambling.

Giggly games. Hold a hand-washing contest (who can suds up faster?); a mitten donning race (who can get their mittens in first?); a pick-up party (who can stash away more toys?)

Virtually all the toys that were appropriate at one year are still appropriate at two years. Mix and match, to your toddler’s delight. But be sure to check toys for age appropriateness and safety. You can also consider adding some more sophisticated items, such as :

• Dolls that can be bathed, fed, diapered – but avoid dolls that have extensive ward – robes, since most two-year-olds can’t yet to manage to dress a doll.
• Character figures or plush toys (from storybooks, movies, TV).
• More elaborate dress-up items (including handbags, aprons, shirts) plus costumes and pseudo-professional gear (such as a firefighter’s hat, police officer’s hat, sailor’s hat, doctor’s bag, dancer’s tutu).
• Toy typewriters, cash registers, shopping carts, tool chests.
• Preschool computer.
• Toddler tape player.
• Beads or spools to string.
• More complex cars, trucks, and airplanes.
• Hand and finger puppets, store-bought or handmade.
• Books with more words and longer stories.
• Simple wooden jigsaw puzzles (four or five pieces).
• Toys for water play (some that float, some that squirt, and some for filling and pouring).
• Shape-sorters with a wider range of shapes and sizes.
• Building blocks and systems, such as Duplo. Pieces should be larger enough so your toddler can handle them easily and won’t choke on them if mouthed. Avoid sets that require building a particular model – if your toddler can’t follow the directions (with your help) or build to match the picture, the result could be excessive frustration.
• Arts and crafts materials, including: play clay; materials for making collages; poster paints to be used with brushes.
• Alphabets blocks or magnetic letters; color lotto; very simple number and letter games; an abacus.
• All sorts of musical toys, including drums, tambourines, maracas, play horns and other wind instruments, xylophones, simple keyboards, toddler cassette players, and microphones, Favor instruments over music boxes and musical toys that require only the push of a button and offer no real musical challenge.
• Climbing toys, such as backyard gyms (the local playground can serve as well, of course).
• Sandbox and sand toys.
• A real tricycle (check for size before purchasing).
• -A “balance beam” (a narrow board placed on the ground, on which your toddler can practice walking to improve balance and build confidence).

• Toys that help build small-motor skills; nesting and stacking toys; simple wooden jigsaw puzzles (particularly those with knobs for easier insertion and removal of pieces); shape-sorters; blocks; boxes and containers for filling and emptying; activity boards and pop-up toys with dials, knobs, and buttons to manipulate.
• Toys that help build large motor skills; balls of all sizes; pull toys; push toys; riding toys; climbing toys; swings, slides.
• Toys that stimulate imaginations: stuffed animals; dolls and doll furniture; cars, trucks, and airplanes; board books; kitchen equipment and gadgets (pretend ones and appropriately safe real ones); play household items (telephones, shopping charts); dress-up clothes and accessories (hats, briefcase, handbags); building blocks and building systems (such as Duplo).
• Toys that stimulate creativity: crayons and paper, play clay; materials for making collages; poster paints to be sue with brushes and pieces of sponge.
• Toys that encourage musical play: drums; tambourines; maracas; horns; and other wind instruments; xylophones; simple key-boards; cassette players and tapes – made for toddlers.
• Toys that encourage learning about the grow-op world: dolls (along with carriages, cradles, strollers, and other gear); cooking paraphernalia (stove, fridge, sink, dishes, fake food); pint-size household and garden tools (pretend brooms, shovels, rakes, lawn mowers)l vehicles (cars, trucks, trains, airplane, fire engines); a work bench or “tool” belt; costumes (firefighter’s hat, police-officer’s hat, sailor’s hat, doctor’s bag, dancer’s tutu, etc); toy type writers, cash registers, and shopping carts.
• Toys that encourage discovery and interest in the physical world – that teach about how things work, about cause and effect, about numbers, shapes, patterns: dump trucks; blocks and building systems intended for young toddlers; nesting toys and shape-sorters; boxes and containers for filling and emptying; sandbox and sandbox toys; nonbreakable mirrors; water-play toys (some that float, some that squirt, and some for filling and pouring).

Find other partner. Usually a toddler would listen more to the third person rather than to his parents. Ask his dentist, teacher, aunty, or grandmother, or other person who seems has the biggest impact for him to listen, about the importance of tooth brushing, and persuade him with examples or media (book, video, etc)

Brush in style. Let your toddler choose two or three colorful child-size toothbrushes at the drugstore (make sure it has good quality). Then, each morning and evening, let him select the one he wants to use. This diminishes the control issue and may distract him enough so that he’ll forget to protest.

Let him do it himself. Give your toddler his own brush to do some preliminary brushing. Do not worry about his technique or the condition of his toothbrush, just let him get the job done the best way he knows how. Show some praise and respect on his efforts, even if they are feeble. As he becomes more proficient, you may be able to let him take over the morning brushing completely, while you continue to help out at bedtime. Do not expect really proficient, since independent brushing begin until somewhere around age seven.

Then do it yourself. After you have told him what a great job he is done on his teeth, let him sit in front of the mirror, where he can watch you work, so he feels he is still participating. Or you can sit on the floor, seat him in your lap, and have him lean back against you, letting him hold the tooth brush along with you. Or you can have him brush your teeth after you brush his.

Check each other. When he is done his brushing, have him open his mouth so you can check and make sure that he got all the visible bits of food. When you have done your share, allow him to check your work in the mirror. You can also have him check after you have brushed your own teeth.

If your toddler tend to wake up during the night only to look for a comfort from you, such as a milk of bottle, a pacifier, cuddles, and lullabies, or a place beside you in bed, he won’t learn to fall back to sleep on his own. On the other side, sleepy parent tend to give whatever the toddler wants just to make him (or them) back to sleep. Follow these few tips to make your toddler back to sleep easier:

Start the night right. It has been proven that children who go to sleep alone at night (without any help or accompanied by their parents) are more likely to go back to sleep on their own when they wake at night and find themselves alone. Staying next by your toddler all night just encourage more night-waking habit.

Consider her comfort. Being physically uncomfortable makes it difficult to fall back to sleep. Try to keep temperature in your toddler’s sleeping space neither too hot nor too cold. Try to discover whether your toddler prefers sleeping in a dark room or one lit with a night-light, and then adjust the lighting properly. Also pay attention to noise or any distracted sounds that might disturb his comfort.

Wait out whimpering. Many parents make the mistake of responding to the slightest whimper, and end up fully waking a child who was only half-awake and might otherwise have settled down by himself. Toddlers are notoriously noisy sleepers, and it’s important to recognize that most of the noises they make during the night don’t require a response. However, be sure the crib environment is totally safe.

Check it out. If whimpering increase into crying, check into your toddler’s room to make sure he is alright (not falling, sick, or tangled up in the blanket). Straighten out his bedding, or change his diaper if it’s dirty or sopping, without taking him out of the crib.

Offer quiet comfort. Keep your toddler comfort himself, by not doing the job for him. When he wake up and cry, without taking him up, soothing him and wait until he’s calm but not until he’s asleep, than quietly tell him that you’re going back to your bed now and leave the room. If he begins to cry again, wait five minutes before going back in, then repeat the comforting process. If the crying resumes, continue this process, each time adding five-minute increments until you’re waiting twenty minutes between visits to her room. At the same point, he will be sure to fall off to sleep at her own. Over the next couple of nights, the number of crying periods should drop, and by fourth or fifth night the crying will probably cease entirely.

Addicted to television has been linked to all of the following, as our toddler is growing older and bigger:

The couch potato syndrome. Kids not only looks like they’re being passive, but they are truly passive, that even have difficulty to move their body away from television. They will have very slow metabolic rate compared to kids who are more active.

Inadequate and lack of physical and intellectual skill. Addicted to television will minimize kid’s interest on books, stories, playing outdoor – indoor, drawing, painting, and other social activities, that actually can encourage their intellectual and physical development.

Obesity and high cholesterol level. Kids with no activities, sports, and physical action, but eating only in front of television, will definitely gain their weight into obesity level. Further more, obesity related to high cholesterol level, which also linked into many disease and illness, now and then.

Bad influence from television program. Television programs that are not suitable for children will give bad influences, such as violence behaviors, illogical fear, and sometime lack of values. At their age, children will easily absorb everything they saw and heard.

Less effective coping skill. Children whose parents use television to avoid their toddler get cranky, upset and bored, may grow up unable to deal with the normal ebbs and flows of life. The children will tend to find an easy solution (right or wrong) for their problems.

Less imagination and creativity. Compared to reading, drawing, sponge brushing, painting and other activities that let toddlers to explore their imagination, watching television explain the whole idea passively to the audience, it paints the whole picture and leaves nothing to the imagination.

Week independent play skills. Children who watch a lot of TV often can’t entertain themselves and certainly aren’t motivated to do so. Even heavy viewers don’t want to put effort into free play that requires thought and imagination.

Weaker family and social ties. Families that watch TV day in and day out may gradually drift apart. With everyone in a TV trance so much of the time, their is often little interaction, little sharing of ideas, feelings and values.

Sleepiness, hunger, or boredom can all trigger a tempest. Try to anticipate a toddler’s needs before he or she starts screaming for attention; bring on the snacks when meals will be delayed, reschedule a visit to a monument so your toddler won’t miss a nap, plan toddler-pleasing activities. Become a master traction, pulling tricks out of your little bag to occupy your toddler on the brink. And remember, more isn’t always better – under scheduling can prevent a tantrum as well. Building restful time into your schedule, time for reading, listening to music, hugging, may also prevent explosions.

Be patient, however, when explosions do occur. When a child has a tantrum in public, parents tend to put their own embarrassment first. Try not to do that; ignore those around you when your toddler lies down the floor and starts kicking in the airport, and try to treat your child as you would if you were alone.

Avoiding Tantrums

Prevention is the best defense against tantrums. Toward this end, begin keeping a record of your toddler’s tantrums for a week or two, noting when they occur (time of day; before or after naps, meals, and so on; following a particular event), and, if the cause is apparent, why (hunger, fatigue, restrictions, frustration). After a time, examine the record to uncover your toddler’s most common tantrum triggers, then set out to modify or eliminate them, using the following principles. Keep the record as a baseline for future comparison.

• Encourage better outlets for the frustration, anger, and other emotions that seem to lead to tantrums. Make sure you give your child enough opportunity to let off stream. The child who is perpetually restricted physically and emotionally is like a simmering kettle, always about to boil over. Encourage your toddler to express anger or frustration verbally or to release them in more acceptable ways. If his or her language skills are not up to it yet, help out: “You look like you’re mad about not being able to fit that piece in the puzzle. Are you?”
• Tailor your toddler’s life to his or her personality. For many toddlers, regular meals, regular naps, regular routines for bed and bath will reduce the risk of tantrums.
• Don’t let your toddler go for many long activities without food. Carry nutritious snacks whenever you go out and don’t wait until tantrum comes.
• A parent’s negativity is often the trigger for a child’s tantrums. So reduce the need to say “no”, including create your house to be a childproof environment and setting clear and consistent limits, to reduce your need to say “no”. Avoid setting off too many rules.
• Say more “yes” to your child, instead of automatic “no” every time he ask and want to do something. Giving an okay responds is far better than giving in under duress after tantrum begins. When you can’t give an unconditional okay, try negotiating – “You can’t skip lunch, but you can finish your puzzle first”
• Don’t make your toddler confuse with the word “maybe”. Either say “yes” or “no” immediately or offer a negotiation. If you say “maybe” when it actually means “no” just to avoid confrontation, you are asking for a fight down the road, because for toddlers “maybe” means “yes”
• Support your toddler to learn how to control himself instead of being over control over him. Controlling everything a child should wear, eat, do will lead to rebellion. So, provide absolute control only when absolutely necessary.
• Provide choices when possible. Having opportunities to make decision of his or her own – “Do you want to eat this red fruit or that orange one?” “Do you want to wear pants or skirt” – helps toddler to feel more in control, which can reduce the potential of tantrums. But avoid offering open-ended choices – ‘Which shirt do you want to wear?”, because your toddler is sure to pick the one impossible choice, or be confused by numbers of options. Also remember to make nonnegotiable options for certain issues, such as wearing seat belt, holding hands when crossing the street.
• Try to listen and understand what your toddler is saying. Don’t eliminate challenges from your toddler’s life, but do try to limit those that are truly beyond his reach. Help him when a challenge giving a trigger for a frustration; but instead of taking over the task for your child, offer a little guidance so that he can master it independently. Plus, expectations and standards should be realistic – not so high that your toddler is constantly failing to meet them.
• Keep your toddler from going over the edge. When you realize your toddler tottering on the brink of frustration, exhausting, overstimulation, boredom or anything else, divert attention toward something calming, soothing, or particularly interesting, such as singing a song, reading a book, looking at pictures, playing with singing toys, giving a hug and kisses, etc.
• Keep your principals when the tantrums occur. If you give in to a tantrum – buying candy to stop the screaming – it is only reinforcing your toddler’s stratagem and setting the stage for the next tantrum.
• Give comments for good or even neutral behavior. When your toddler has been out for an hour without tantrum, let him know your appreciation for his cooperation.
• Try to be a model of calm. Seeing you behave in an outwardly cool and rational fashion, even when you’re angry or frustrated, will provide an excellent example for your toddler to follow.

When Tantrum is Coming

If the tantrum comes and you don’t know what to do, parents should know actually there’s no super method that makes tantrum really disappear from toddler. Like most of the more trying behaviors of childhood, tantrums pass when they’re outgrown and usually not much before.

However, any possible and moderate methods are worth to try to minimize the tantrum. Parents could try these following suggestions, and find which are the most suitable for their child. Once you’ve discovered which do the trick best, practice them whenever your toddler begins to unravel. Be sure, too, that anyone else (caregivers or relatives, for instance) who may have to deal with your child’s tantrums uses them, too:

• Stay calm, balance your emotion, and never loss control. A fired-up parent will only trigger the more fire on toddler. Beside, a parental blow-up can also terrify a toddler, and decreasing the spirit of parental love.
• Speak softly, gently, and kindly. Your screaming over the screaming will only encourage your toddler to scream louder, without giving him time to exhale or even to understand what you are saying.
• Forbid any violence. Domestic violence is definitely forbidden for any kinds of reason, included handling tantrum for toddler
• Never try to reason or argue with your toddler during tantrum. Out-of-control toddlers are simply beyond reason. Save the rational explanations for more rational moments
• Protect your toddler’s surroundings. The toddler who does a lot of kicking and thrashing during a tantrum could get hurt or hut someone else, or even damage properties.
• Giving him empathy. Just saying something like “I know it’s hard when you don’t get what you want. Sometimes I get angry too when I can’t get what I want”
• Hold him tight. A tight hold can also help dissolve anger, with the hold often turning into a hug as control and composure are recovered.
• Distract him with something. Some toddler might – some easily, some not so easily – over his tantrum, by giving him distraction to anything else that interest him, such as butterfly, water flow from the faucet, phone ringing (or ringtone), or even colorful picture.
• Get down to your toddler’s level. Sitting on the floor may help to even out the frustration size differences between your little one and you.
• Ignore the tantrum. Often the best course of action is no action at all; a toddler who is left to tantrum may get it out of his system faster. Continue to go about your business, humming or singing loudly enough to top the screaming and to make it clear you’re not paying attention to the tantrum
• Call a time-out. For some toddlers, especially the older ones, a time-out can give them a chance to cool-off and regain their composure

If you’re still unable to stop the tantrum in its tracks, don’t worry – it probably needs to run its course. However you decide to handle a tantrum, try never acceding to demands made during it. If you do, tantrums will become the route your toddler routinely uses to get his way.

Whichever people’s memories of childhood, most parents absolutely want their kid to make friends and begin experiencing the joys of friendship. But, at this age, to most toddlers the only person who matters is “me”, they have no fully understanding of right and wrong, almost totally devoid of social graces, and basically unable to control an impulse (throwing, kicking, biting, hitting, etc).

It is alright to encourage your toddler to make friends, but don’t force him when he’s not ready, because over the next couple of years, these antisocial beings can learn to share and cooperate, as well as being sensitive of others feeling. Moreover, help your toddler to reach that point by following these tips:

The importance of self esteem. Children need to feel good about themselves before they can reach out to others.

Get closer to children. As the first persons a toddler know, the more he feels close and gets socialize with his parents, the easier for him to socialize with his surroundings. Chat about sharing, sticking the rules, saying “please” and “thank you” would help him building his sensitivity to others.

Start one-on-one. It’s easiest for most toddlers to socialize with only one other child at a time. So arrange frequent one-on-one play dates, especially if your toddler tends to have difficulty in larger groups.

Stay away from threes. For toddlers, three isn’t just a crowd, it can be a social nightmare. Too often, one of the three (especially the one with least aggressive and least social experience) will suffer of being neglected or abandoned.

Don’t expect togetherness. Unless your toddler has been in a play group for a while, most interaction with peers will be play side by side but not necessarily together. By the end of the year you can expect to see more actual interaction

Encourage cooperative games. To encourage togetherness among his friends, create some games and plays such as ball passing, block play, hide-and-seek, etc

Stay neutral, and stay nearby. Keep a constant watch on toddlers at play, don’t take sides when a conflict suddenly appears. Simply break up the skirmish calmly, and march the troops off to a quiet, supervised activity.

Don’t get involve personally. Letting your feelings get in a way of your child’s social life just isn’t fair, don’t let your frustration of his shyness make a forcing act for him socialize or even criticize him for his behavior.

Enlist support. If your child is in preschool or day care, but is nevertheless hesitant to mix, turn to his or her teacher for help.

Accept your toddler’s social style. Like adults, toddlers also have their own style in socializing. Some rush into every new situation with enthusiasm, others hold back and prefer to watch from sidelines until they’re ready to make a move.

Take note of potential problems. It makes sense to help a child deal with such issues as aggressiveness and shyness before they cramp his social style.

Offer plenty of opportunities for practice. Children who have lots of early exposure to other children – in large family, in a play group, on their block, in day care – tend to socialize sooner.

Apply no pressure. Parental pressure to socialize at an early age doesn’t usually help toddlers win friends and influence people. In fact, given the contrary nature of this age group, it could make them more antisocial.

It’s at this stage that the seeds of self-worth, sown in infancy, must be cultivated and encouraged to grow. Studies show that children who learn to believe early on, “I am a good person, a valuable person” are more likely to grow up believing in themselves, they have less need to impress others or to receive the approval of others to feel good about themselves; they can have rewarding relationships with others, can better handle peer pressure, and can reject drugs and other self-destructive behaviors. They have high self –esteem.

Though building self-esteem is something a toddler needs to do for himself, with parental help, support and patience, his construction phase will go more smoothly. To protect your sanity while you protect your toddler’s self-esteem, a sense of humor will definitely come in handy. As will these tips:

Love love love. Human beings can’t feel good about themselves unless they have known love, the no-strings-attached kind of love that says “I Love You No Matter What”

Give attention. No matter how confidence we are, we would begin to doubt our worth when someone special starts to ignore us. The toddler, too, needs regular attention in order to feel worthwhile. Talk to your child. Really listen when he talks. Pay heed to his needs and desires (even when you can’t fulfill them, they shouldn’t be ignored). Avoid constantly saying “I’m busy …”

Provide space. Hovering over your toddler, always dishing out advice or assistance before it’s requested can squelch self-motivation. It can accustom your toddler to looking to you for answer to questions and solutions to problems, rather than being challenged to discover them on his own, which at the end will result to lose of self motivation then continuing into lost of self satisfaction and confidence. Parents should know that building confidence is to let your toddler play by themselves occasionally, so that they discover that they can be independent, don’t always have to look to others for entertainment, and can be “good company” for themselves

Hold toddler in high esteem. Toddler’s self esteem, in the long run, depends on the esteem others show for him. Make your child feel like a valued member of the family. Show him respect by being there for him – don’t regularly put your social life before the needs of your child, though sometimes it is very difficult.

Hold yourself in high esteem. Be a model of self-respect for your toddler; avoid denigrating yourself, doubting your judgment, indulging in self-destructive behavior, because having parents who think well of themselves inspires toddlers to think well of themselves, too

Never compare. Your toddler is a unique individual. Making comparisons in behavior, development, habits, intellectual skill, or anything else, from your toddler to other kids, would never fair to any children, even it is negative comparisons – “Why can you taller like your brother” or “The boy next door could walk early, you are slow to walk”, or positive comparisons – “You are the most prettiest girl I’ve seen” or “The girls in your class are less smarter than you”. Parents who give positive comparisons every time and everyday will create an arrogance kids who will end up with having no friends. This kid would not understand why he was avoided by his friends, which continues into lack of self esteem.

Pay attention to language. Be careful not to use offensive names or labels, even it is for fun teasing way, such as “Hello my fatty boy”, such name calling can be taken seriously by the innocent toddler. Avoid the words like “You always ….” or “You never ….”, which can hardly be accurate, but saying it often enough will make your toddler believe it’s true. Never put a guilt on your toddler, like “You have such an expensive play school that we can go on vacation”

Expect no more any less. Toddlers, who were pushed too much to do accomplishments earlier, will begin to feel as a failure when he can not complete what he expects to do. On the other hand, toddlers who never been pushed or expected at all will never find to do his personal best. Balance your expectation to your toddler as his physical and intellectual grows and provide challenge that are realistically within reach, would be much better to build his self esteem

Consistent with expectation. If one day you aspect your toddler to sit down at the table to eat his snack and the next day you let him roam the living room with it, you can generate confusion, which is turn can lower self-esteem, because knowing what’s expected makes a child feel confident and secure.

Accept no matter what. As important as accepting your toddler’s personality, talents, and abilities are accepting his feelings in bad or good emotions. Teaching a toddler to express these emotions in socially acceptable ways, rather than criticizing, it is better to comfort them with feelings.

Self decisions. It’s not realistic to offer your toddler a choice on everything; but it is realistic and advisable to give your toddler choices when feasible. Not only is early practice in decision making essential preparation for life in the real world, but it’s essential now for your toddler’s self esteem.

It is alright to make mistakes. Making decisions sometimes means making mistakes, and making mistakes is part of the learning process in becoming a better decision-maker. If you take away the opportunity for your toddler to make mistakes, you take away his opportunity to learn from them. On and on, from his ability to understand his mistakes, your toddler will make right decision more and more, which definitely could gain his self esteem.

Criticize constructively. Criticism should be used to teach, not wound, to build self-esteem up, not tear it down.

Criticize the behavior not the child. Toddlers need to feel that parental love won’t be diminished or withdrawn if they misbehave. To make sure that the message comes across loud and clear, show disapproval of what your toddler’s done – “It’s not nice to throw toys” is much better rather than “You are naughty”.

Keep criticism under control. Having to correct behavior is unavoidable with a toddler. But constantly finding fault can undermine a child’s self esteem. A child who hears “You are naughty” over and over again may come to believe it and will see no gain in trying to “be good”

Show gift and empathy. Helping others helps both adults and children feel good about themselves. Give him applause when he did something good, give him empathy when he feel sad, and give him reward or gift when he is been very nice in a month or a week, even a kiss, hug, and hand clapping can be very special gifts for your toddler to gain self esteem

Nourish the body as well as the ego. Kids who are hungry, have not enough food or too much bad and wrong food, have a hard time of working or playing, will end up being easily frustrated which can damage their self-esteem. Too much tantrums can also bad for his self-esteem.

Make the world easier Your home should be child-safe, but it also be toddler-friendly. Provide a stepstool to bring sink handles within reach, a towel bar at toddler level, etc. those can easily gain toddler self esteem, as they can do as much as the adult does.

Put toddler to work. By assigning your “little helper” chores around the house, you’ll make him feel useful, while also expressing confidence in his abilities. Once that confidence is established, though, don’t criticize his effort, even he is slow, clumsy, and more hindrance than actual help.

Learn to take it slow. Because they’re still new at many skills, toddlers can move at snail’s pace when it comes to getting their jobs done. Never push your toddler, in action or words, be patient and teach or support them to master their new skills. When they succeeded, it can gain their self esteem easily.

Let sleeping (and eating) dogs (and cats) lie. Don’t touch or go near them when they’re napping or dining. And never touch their food: curious fingers can easily be perceived as a threat – retaliation is likely even in a mellow animal.

Never poke an animal’s eyes, pull his tail, or tug in its ears. Always pet gently under the chin rather than on top of the head – which implies domination (Show you toddler how to do this).

Don’t tease an animal. Don’t offer a bone and then withdraw it, block its way to the water bowl, pretend you are going to hit it, and so on.

Stay away from dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, or other animals you don’t know

Stay away from animals that are sick or behaving strangely. This will have to be your call for now. The signs of rabies in an animal include one or more of the following: limping or staggering (because of paralysis of the hind legs); frothing or foaming at the mouth (due to paralysis of the throat and stiffness of the jaw); aggressive behaviors (attacking people, other animals, even objects); behavior changes (a nocturnal animal may come out during the day, a diurnal one at night); dis-orientation and lack inhibition. Some infected animals, however, may not have any noticeable symptoms

Stay away from dogs or cats when they’re fighting

Stay way from a new mother dog or cat who is with her babies: she will fight to protect her offspring

Never go near any animal without a grown-up around

Always move slowly when approaching an animal. Don’t run toward or ride a riding toy up to an animal: don’t make sudden movement or jump around in front of it. (Cats are likely to run from a young child at play, but because toddlers can’t necessarily differentiate between dogs and cats – and just to be on the safe side – this rule should apply to both species.)

If a dog growls or is angry, don’t run away (the dog might give chase): instead, roll up into a little ball on the ground and cover your face with your arms

Never put your face near a dog’s face. (Because toddlers are small, they are most likely to be bitten in danger areas – face, head, neck) the same goes for cats. (Since a feline’s claws can do a lot of harm to tender young skin, too).