Parenting a toddler is just like operating a minefield because kids in this crucial age are learning and growing so fast. The most serious difficulties that parents face in those days are how can we help them teach to eat well, sleep well, and play well? Here are the most common parenting mistakes to avoid with toddlers for their better mental and physical growth.
Being Inconsistent
Just keep in mind that toddlers like their habits and routines. They flourish when they understand what to anticipate and what is expected of them. Try to put them on proper meal and bedtime routines, and be consistent when reacting to bad habits, like throwing food on the floor.
Providing Unnecessary Help
Being a parent, it’s intriguing to jump in and support your kids to solve a problem or fasten their shoes, but resist. Toddlers need to learn self-reliance and how to deal with failure. So let your kids try to do something, but give them plenty of support and encouragement.
Only Feeding Baby Food
We often see that the menus at the restaurant for kids are usually full of nothing but junk like hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, fried chicken nuggets, and other nutritional fears. Grocery markets are also loaded with plenty of unhealthy food sold to kids, such as candied cereals, processed cheeses, and goldfish cookies. There’s no reason toddlers can’t eat most of what grown-ups do. Put some of everything you are eating on your child’s plate, but don’t compel them to eat it all. Your kids might resist if you try to force them to eat something out of their choice at the start, but they will soon get used to it.
Removing the Crib Too Early
The most common mistake that most parents do is that they shift their kids into a real bed too early, which can produce sleeping difficulties. Kids may have difficulty staying in bed and end up climbing in with their parents. Shift to a bed when your toddlers can escape the crib by themselves, or when they ask for one, which normally happens between ages 2 and 3.
Forcing for Toilet Too Early
Some restless parents often compel kids to use the toilet by themselves before they are able. It’s OK to make them ready by showing them the toilet, demonstrating how it works, and asking if they’d like to try it. But don’t get depressed if they show no interest at first; give them some time and let them tell you when they need to start using it themselves.
Giving Too Much Screen Time
One of the most common practices seen in this modern era is letting kids spend too much time in front of TV or computer screens. Spending too much time watching TV could give your child learning difficulties later in life. Kids under 2 shouldn’t watch any TV at all. If you find it too attractive to use your TV as a babysitter, get rid of it. Try to practice more creative ideas to do with your toddler, like reading, sketching, making homes out of cardboard boxes, or talking.
Challenging Their Tantrum
No doubt it’s fascinating to try to control a tantrum thrown in public; tantrums often must simply run their course. All the kids have them. Remind yourself that your child is more important than the thought of whoever is watching, and focus on keeping your toddler safe and feeling cherished until the fit blows over.
Bribery
Bribing your kids will just inspire them to extract more benefits from you every time you need them to do something. Rather, strengthen good practice by encouraging them and saying things like, “I’m so proud of you for behaving so good at the party.”
Neglecting Family Time
While family time can be entertaining, kids really love spending time with their parents. Just make sure that each kid gets some quality time with a parent as frequently as possible. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you are playing together. This will give your kid a sense of satisfaction and confidence.
