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Many toddlers may seem not to hear at least half of what their parents say, but in most cases, it’s just a matter of selective listening or inattention. The child who truly doesn’t hear well usually exhibits one or more of the following signs of hearing loss (although some of these may also be exhibited by a child with normal hearing) : Read the rest of this entry »

Swings, slides, jungle gyms – such are the stuff of a young child’s dreams. But dreams can turn into nightmares – in the form of blackened eyes, broken limbs, and worse – if playground equipment isn’t as safe as it should be. To ensure the safety of the equipment your toddler plays on at home or away:

Be sure it is age appropriate. For home use, find adjustable units that can be changed as your toddler grows.

Be sure that it is safe. Pay attention to the play (or toys) system, included it’s construction; assembling; soft padding cover; installation; small instruments such as hooks, screws, bolts, and nails (should be capped and well protected); materials; measurements such as high, weight, strength, and size; finishing touch such as metal should be painted to prevent rust, or wood should be weather treated to prevent rotting. Read the rest of this entry »

The world of toddler who is walking and climbing expands rapidly. Virtually overnight, almost everything is with reach.

To best protect your toddler, you will have to maintain safety environment around him, especially at home.

Parents should pay attention and making safety changes with: the windows ( included it’s glasses, frame lock, height, and width); the doors (included it’s sliders, lock, materials, glass, height and width); electrical cords and outlets (included it’s caps, cord, wire, plug, and any risk of electric shock or tangled by wire); lamp and lighting; fireplaces, heaters, stoves, and radiators; house plants; stairs; balconies; tablecloths, rugs and carpet; risky furniture (included those with sharp corners, string or cord, and unsuitable height, weight, and size for toddler); and hazardous small objects (included sharp, heavy, non-food, and poisoned objects) Read the rest of this entry »

We don’t have to be an international diplomat or negotiator to encourage peace conversation with our children. In fact, children who have been taught to understand the importance of verbal conflict resolution – such as the art of using right words instead of physical aggression to deal with frustrations and anger – will end up using peace talking as a choice in resolving their life conflict.

Since toddler has very limited verbal skills, it is quite difficult to show them how words can be effective. After all, it’s the fact that their words are ineffective that so often leads them to instead use their fists and body language. But while your message might seem lost of your toddler now, sending it regularly and reinforcing it in years to come will help ensure that one day it will get through.

Practice equal to preach. Children will get the message to resolve disputes by using words rather than action if the parents show the examples by actions as well as words. Remember that children are the mini copy of their parents. These examples can be set dozens of time everyday – such as, discussing problem with spouse calmly instead of slamming doors and banging fists, by informing your neighbor that his dog has been making trouble in your garbage again instead of taking revenge by throwing the garbage to his garden, and, especially, by sitting down and explaining to your toddler what’s wrong with hitting rather than hitting him for hitting.

Talk to your toddler. A toddler might not capable for having verbal negotiation when his toy has been taken away from him, or explaining his frustration for his inability to fit the octagon into the shape-sorter. So, when necessary, you can help by supplying the words. But wait until you’re sure your toddler won’t be able to speak for him or herself. Step in, for example, when the dispute over a coveted toy begins to escalate dangerously and suggest taking turns (a timer can help make this advance diplomatic skill easier to carry off). Or sit down and empathize about that hard-to-fit-in shape – “Are you upset? Is that a very tough shape to get in? Maybe if we do it together, we can get in” Read the rest of this entry »

There are many little scientists in every toddler. Look closely at yours, and you will not only see a physicist in the sand box, but a botanist,entomologist, and geologist in the park, an oceanographer at the beach, a chemist in the kitchen, an inventor in the playroom, an astronomer at the window – all examining, scrutinizing, experimenting, comparing, developing, and testing theories. All for the love of discovery.Unfortunately, the natural inclination to discover frequently doesn’t last much past the toddler years. Often, at about the same time children begin their formal science education, hands-on science becomes hands-off, and the scientist within are suppressed. It is possible, however, to keep the inner scientist motivated all the way trough their school years, or even for life.

To start with, try these activities :

Classify, classify, classify. Discovering how things are the same and how they are different is a fundamental skill. And though toddlers may not yet know a species from a genus, they can sort out trees that have leaves and trees that have spiky needles, fruits that have edible skins and fruit that have to be peeled, vehicles that have two wheels, four wheels, and more wheels.
Discover electricity. Watch the effects of static electricity. Have your toddler rub a balloon against your hair and then place it on the wall, or run a comb trough his or her hair and then use the comb to pick up little pieces of paper.

Grow some roots. To help your toddler see that many nonhuman things grow, plant a root garden. Cut an inch off the top of a few root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, or beets, for instance), then place the vegetables cut-side down on a shallow dish, pour some water in the dish, put it in a sunny lace, and watch it grow roots.

Plant a dozen seedlings. Use an empty egg carton as a planter for a seedling garden, they can use seeds from an orange or other fruit that they’ve eaten. Show your toddler how to set the seeds in the soil, water them, and give them sunshine; together draw a parallel between that makes plants grow and what makes people grow. If the seeds don’t grow, explain that some times that happens. Read the rest of this entry »

Though all children should be protected from the damaging rays of the sun, some kids are at greater risk that others. These include children with red or blonde hair and fair skin; those with blue, green, or gray eyes; those who live in a tropical or sub-tropical climate or at a high altitude; those with a large number of moles; and those, no matter what their coloring, who burn rather than tan (but don’t wait to find out by trial and error whether your child fits this last category).

A face full of freckles may be cute, but freckles, too, are a sign that a child is especially vulnerable to sun damage and may have had excessive sun exposure already (in duration or intensity). Read the rest of this entry »

There is no denying that disarming an eating toddler and taking full control of the feeding process will bring any meal to be faster, more efficient, and much tidier. However, for a toddler, eating is not an exercise in speed, efficiency, and neatness. In addition to provide him with some nourishment, eating is an important learning experience – but only if he has the chance to feed himself.

The only sure way to avoid mealtime mess is to withhold all food and drink, which is an impossible solution. So you have to find a way to minimize the effect of his mess. Try using the sleight-of-hand measures to deal with food blowing, as well as the following techniques for food throwing:

Rationing. Many children feel free to squander food when a rich bounty is set before them, so place just a few bites of food in front of your child at a time. Add a few more as those are consumed. Read the rest of this entry »

Many fears are simply outgrown as the toddler matures into a more confident and worldly preschooler. But others persists throughout early childhood, and – if they can’t deal with – sometimes into adulthood. Gently helping toddlers face what scares them is the best way to ensure that today’s fears won’t continue to hold them back tomorrow. Help your toddler work through fears :

Simple clarification. An older toddler might be reassured by a simple, rational explanation. For example, you may silence a fear of sirens by explaining that “Fire trucks have to make a loud noise so cars and people will get out of the way and let them get to the fire in hurry. It’s a good, loud noise.” For a young toddler, who may not be able to grasp even a simple explanation, a demonstration may be the route to reassurance. For instance, a toddler who’s afraid of going down the drain with the bath water may feel better about bathing after a little display of what can and can’t go down drains (water and soap bubbles can, rubber duck and children can’t). A toddler afraid of the vacuum may be relieved to see that through cracker crumbs can be vacuumed up, a toy truck, a block, and Mommy’s foot can’t be. Read the rest of this entry »

Searching for the recipe for a happy life for your child? The single most ingredient, child development expert agree, is loving, physical contact. One long-term study, in fact, which followed its subjects from early childhood into their thirties, showed that being raised with an abundance of hugs, kisses, and cuddling went further toward producing happy adults than being raised with any other advantage, and even seemed to help negate such potential risk factors as poverty, broken homes, and stress.

The study suggests that kids who are hugged a lot are not only more likely to turn out to be happy adults, but to find more satisfaction in all areas of life, including marriage and family, friendships, and career. So bear in mind that ubiquitous bumper sticker and ask yourself frequently: “Have I hugged my child today?” Read the rest of this entry »

Toddler art may begin with crayons, finger-paints, and clay, but there are countless other materials and techniques your toddler can explore. Try the following, then create a few of your own.

Crayon. For some two-years-old, chunky crayons are still the easiest to grasp and manipulate, but many prefer to standard “thin” crayon. Taping down the drawing paper still helps to minimize frustration, but you can also use an easel. If you’re using a roll of newsprint for drawing paper, you can tape a large sheet of it to the kitchen table and have your toddler create a mural, which you can then hang on the bedroom wall.

Finger painting. This old nursery school standby is a favorite with toddlers who derive tactile pleasure from squishing their fingers through gooey paints. Some toddlers however, resist finger painting because they dislike the messy feeling of paint on their fingers. Don’t push it. Another, cleaner option: “finger painting” with shaving cream or a foam soap in the tub (but supervise so the artist doesn’t rub the cream in his or her eyes). Read the rest of this entry »