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Toddlers, Trials and Tribulations Part 1

Everything you need to know about toddlers before they take over your life.

By Kelsey ParkPublished 7 years ago 6 min read
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Toddlers are a breed unto themselves. They have newly discovered that they are in fact independent of their parents, and so they act accordingly. Once a child as young as one year old realizes that they have control over the world around them, they start to test their limits, quite ruthlessly at times. This is the time in life where the “terrible twos”, “the trying threes” and the “forgetful fours” find their place in the world.

Toddler Sleep

Toddlers still need lots of sleep but not as much as a newborn would need. They have much more energy now and much more mobility, so they don’t always want to go to sleep when it is time to. Often times, toddlers will require a nap part way through the day to keep them from getting cranky and impossible to reason with. It is always a good idea to let them have a good hard play right before it is time for a nap or bedtime to kind of run off all of the extra energy they seem to possess.

As far as beds go, kids under 2.5 years old should be in a high sided crib to prevent midnight escapes from their bedroom, during which they will surely get into everything they possibly can. After this age it is probably okay to let them have a toddler bed, maybe even with a side rail so they don’t fall out and hurt themselves during the night.

It would seem as though toddlerhood is the time for chosen favorites, blankets are no exception to this. If a toddler doesn’t have their favorite blanket for naptime or bedtime, there is no force on earth that will make them go to bed. For this reason, it is always a good idea to buy two of everything your child likes. This is so that if it is being washed or something like a tear happens, you will always have a backup and your toddler will never have that as a reason to stay up and drive you bonkers.

Toddler Feeding and Nutrition

Toddlers have been known to be picky eaters, but this doesn’t mean that they should be able to get away with eating nothing but their favorites for every meal. Toddlers need as much nutrition as possible to sustain their high energy level and to help in the development of their brain. Although they don’t eat the same portions as adults at every meal they need just as many vitamins and minerals, if not more, than adults do.

Always make sure that a toddlers food is cut into small pieces so they can eat them safely and easily. Toddlers should also always be supervised while they are eating just in case something goes down the wrong way.

Healthy eating is really important to instill in a child at an early age. This gets their habits of eating healthy food started early, and should continue to stay with them their entire lives.

Here are some food group guidelines to aim for when feeding a toddler along with some suggested foods:

Food Group — Daily Amount for Suggestions — Two-year-old, Three-year-old

Grains

  • Two-year-old: 3 ounces ½ should be from whole grain sources
  • Three-year-old: 4-5 ounces ½ should be from whole grain sources
  • 1 ounce = 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready to eat cereal, or half a cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta or cooked cereal.

Vegetables

  • Two-year-old: 1 cup
  • Three-year-old: 1 ½ cups
  • Use a measuring cup to check portions. Make sure vegetables are cut into small pieces and cooked well to avoid choking.

Fruits

  • Two-year-old: 1 cup
  • Three-year-old: 1-1 ½ cups
  • Use a measuring cup to check portions.

Milk

  • Two-year-old: 2 cups
  • Three-year-old: 2 cups
  • 1 cup = 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 ½ ounces of natural cheese or 2 ounces of processed cheese.

Meats and Beans

  • Two-year-old: 2 ounces
  • Three-year-old: 3-4 ounces
  • 1 ounce = 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup of cooked dry beans, or 1 egg.

Toddler Health

Toddlers are always at risk of getting sick due to the fact that they feel compelled to touch everything and put everything in or near their mouth. Germs can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours, and 72 hours for superbugs like H1N1. A good way to prevent a toddler from getting sick as often is to teach them proper hygiene and handwashing procedures. Proper teaching of hand washing techniques and repetition will make sure that these are things your toddler could do in their sleep, so that they never forget how to wash them properly. Toddlers remember things that are fun and interesting, so make it your mission to comply with these two simple requirements.

When toddlers do get sick, they can be quite weepy, lack their usual energy and show all or most of the symptoms associated with the sickness they have, sometimes with great severity. This means that parents need to be very aware of how their child usually acts when they feel a certain way, so that they can know when they are coming down with a cold or a flu. This allows the parents to give their toddler children’s medicine before the symptoms reach an extreme.

Much in the same way you would treat an infant for a fever, if a toddler has a fever children’s tylenol can lower their temperature very quickly. Alternatively, a lukewarm bath with a story and a snuggle time afterwards can make all the difference for your toddler’s fever. If it reaches above 103 degrees it is a very good idea to take the child to the hospital so they can get medical help if it is required.

If a toddler has an upset stomach and makes a mess, it is important that parents do not come off as being angry with their child, children assume blame for many things that they do not understand and it can set a bad mindset in place early in life if they feel they are a disappointment. Let them know it is not their fault and that they will be feeling better soon.

Toddler Safety

Toddlers often put themselves at risk for getting hurt. This is mainly because they don’t know what everything is or how it will affect them and their toddler mentality makes them want to test their boundaries. Sometimes it takes a while for them to figure out that adults know best when it comes to keeping them safe. In the meantime, it is best to take precautionary measures like outlet safety plugs and door knob covers to prevent them from going where they shouldn’t go. All toxic chemicals should be put out of reach in a locked cabinet. Same goes for anything sharp that a toddler could potentially harm themselves with, knives and scissors should be placed in a drawer with a lock on it.

A good rule of thumb is to find anything that a toddler can get into, which is everything, and make it foolproof. Make it so difficult to get into that even the adults in the household have a hard time accessing it.

There is no sure fire way to prevent a toddler from getting hurt, but there are many steps the parents or caregivers can take to ensure the toddler is as safe as humanly possible.

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About the Creator

Kelsey Park

I'm an artist for all intents and purposes. Beading, writing, painting and momming like a boss are just some of my hobbies 😊

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