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Browsing Tag: Toddler
There is a lot of debate about whether babies and toddlers should have a schedule. Some think a strict toddler schedule with no wiggle room will help. Others think going with the flow is better because it gives the child what they need at any particular time. So what do I think? Well, I practice both of these: a schedule and no schedule. How in the world does that work? Let me give you the run-down.
From the time Mac was born, I tried really hard to not keep her strapped into one kind of chair or another. She occasionally sat in her swing. And obviously she would be in her (not bucket) car seat in the car. But otherwise she was either sitting with me or down on the floor, free to explore her own space. I believe whole heartedly in giving a toddler and even a baby freedom of movement. But it can be a little scary. Here’s how I gave Mac freedom of movement without also giving myself a heart attack.
Isn’t it great when toddlers finally start to talk and you can have conversations with them? (Although sometimes you can’t understand them.) They say cute things and are excited to converse with you. But then comes the dreaded phase: your toddler asks why all the time. It is enough to drive anyone nuts! Here are three things you can do to keep your sanity.
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There are many toys that I think are worthwhile to give to a toddler. (Read my post about what a Montessori kid plays with.) Some are good for gross motor skills and some are good for fine motor skills. But one thing that I feel is so worthwhile to give to a toddler is a book. But what makes for good toddler books? There are two important qualities that toddler books should have.
I will throw in my usual disclaimer here that I believe in all things in moderation. Are a few books that don’t have the qualities listed below going to mentally damage your toddler? Of course not.
Toddlers are so adorable when they are babbling. That is, until they are trying to tell you something and you have absolutely no idea what they are trying to tell you. Take it from someone who speaks toddler language, there are four strategies that I use when I can’t understand what a toddler is saying. (Now, if your toddler just won’t stop asking you “Why?” then read here.)
Eating as a family is so important. I am totally savoring the fact that right now we can have a nice dinner together almost every night. As Mac and any future siblings get older and busier, it will be harder to sit down together. But right now, we manage to have nice family dinners. I have come up with four different things we use to make dinner extra special on an otherwise normal night.
As I have written about before, we never used an infant seat with Mac. Many people would question us about how we managed to make things work without one. It was much easier than expected to carry her around. There are three, very simple ways we managed to still go out and about without an infant seat. Two were helpful when she was younger and the third is one we still use today.
The toddlers in my room bring their own lunches everyday. And there is one thing I frequently see in there that I hate with a passion: food pouches. I’m talking about the applesauce pouches and yogurt tubes. Most of you will probably say things along these lines:
“But my kids love them!”
“But they are so easy to throw in a lunch box!”
“But my kids can eat them in the car seat on the way to school!” (although for more on why kids shouldn’t snack in the car, read this post.)
Well let me tell, there are three big reasons (and one small reason) why I hate them.
Snacking in the car seems so prevalent nowadays. Many children in my school come in covered in crumbs from eating breakfast in the car. Some are even upset because they have had to leave their sippy cup in the car. And I’m left wondering what happened to eating at a table. I talked a little about that yesterday in my post about using an open glass instead of a sippy cup with toddlers.
Now hear me out, I get it. Sometimes you are on a road trip and you have to get somewhere and can’t stop. Or every once in a while you have a morning where everything goes wrong and the only thing you can do is shove a granola bar at your kid as you pull out of the driveway. We all have those days.
But there are two major problems that come from regularly snacking in the car and no, a dirty car isn’t one of them.
There have been stories in the news lately about sippy cup lids getting all moldy and disgusting. There is a really easy solution to that, but most people don’t want to hear it. It makes them nervous and uneasy. They have lots of questions about how in the world you can make it work. But I have a really easy solution to make sure your child isn’t drinking mold: get rid of the sippy cups and use an open glass instead. Yes, even for babies and toddlers.
