The Toddler and The Family Definition Toddlers are tricky they've grown enough to have their own

ideas and wants, but their bodies and emotions haven't kept pace. To help you navigate the toddler years from tantrums to toilet training and that first toddler bed we offer lots of great info on toddler behavior, milestones, activities, nutrition, sleep, and more, from experts and parents alike. Growth and Development Age 1214 months Physical Mental Emotional

Walk alone well. Drink from a cup

Uses one or two syllable words

Use gestures or words to convey

such as "ball" or "cookie"

objects, such as: Pointing at a book, raising arms to be picked up, or saying "cup".

(poorly).

Can follow a simple command

Turn pages in

with an associated gesture, such as: bringing a cup to you when you point at it and say "Please bring me the cup".

a book (a few at a time).

Mimic actions such as

Play ball by rolling or

covering eyes while playing Peek a boo.

tossing it.

1518 months

Hold a crayon well

Address others with greetings. Mimic parental activities such

enough to scribble.

Lift cup up

as cleaning up or talking on a telephone.

to mouth for drinking.

Climb onto furniture. Uses 1020 words. May be able to

follow a command without a gesture.

1924 months

Stack two blocks. Feed self with

Speaks 2050 words;

Wants to be independent at

a spoon.

understands many more

times. Will throw a tantrum or possibly say no.

Run. Climb into a

Stack six blocks Understands non-physical

Mimics social behavior such

small chair.

relationships such as turning on lights or pushing buttons.

ashugging a teddy bear or feeding a doll.

Walk up steps. Helps with dressing:

Sorting toys. Searching for hidden objects. Problem solving through

Self recognition. Displays attachment. Separation anxiety. Can play turn-taking games.

Likes to dress and undress self.

experimentation.


2536 months

Begins to be ready for toilet

learning

Advanced mobility

Speaking in sentences. Ability to be independent to

Knows boys from girls. Shows preferences, such as

and climbing skills.

Increased dexterity

primary care giver.

clothes and entertainment.

with small objects, puzzles.

Easily learns new words,

Knows how to play different

places and people's names.

games.

Able to dress

Anticipates routines. Toilet learning continues Plays with toys in imaginative

oneself.

ways.

Attempts to sing in-time

with songs.

Coping with concerns related to normal Growth and Development

Toilet training Toilet training and using the toilet is a big step in your toddler's life. Some toddlers get the knack quickly while others need parental patience and support. Don't start toilet training too early and try to keep relaxed.Children are generally around two years of age before they can recognise and respond to toileting signals such as a full bladder. Some parents encourage their child to use both the toilet and potty. Sibling rivalry Always remember that the fundamental concern of toddlers in this situation is that they'll be abandoned by their parents in essence, traded in for a newer and better model. This is a fear that parents need to address repeatedly, even if their children never broach the topic. Sometimes the best ways to reassure a child are symbolic rather than direct. Temper Tantrums A child may be more likely to have temper tantrums if parents react too strongly to poor behavior or give in to the child's demands. Ignoring the tantrums and helping a young child learn how to deal with anger and frustration are often good ways to deal with tantrums. Pay attention to what starts the tantrums. Knowing what triggers the tantrums can help you act before your child's emotions get past the point where he or she can control them. You may want to use time-outs if your child age 2 or older has a lot of tantrums. A time-out takes the child out of the situation and gives him or her time to calm down. It also teaches the child that having a temper tantrum is not acceptable behavior. Time-out works best for children who understand why it is being used.

Regressive behavior

Try to determine if something in your child's life has changed recently to trigger the regression. Regressive behavior can often be an indication that your kid's craving attention. Do your best to refrain from yelling at your kid or pulling the "act your age" card. The path to growing up is often full of these little backtracks, so try to see the regression as more of a developmental phase than a true road back to babyhood.

Promotion of Health during Toddler

Feeding Your Toddler Children experiment with new foods between the ages of one and three. A few simple ground rules will help your toddler learn to accept a wide variety of nutritious foods. Mealtimes can be enjoyable for everyone.

Rules for Parents

*You

decide that foods your let your

what you in child child

foods have a use eat in

you the

will

serve most

and influence

where over eat and or

and your without then with

when childs too move other

you food

will

eat. choices. help. cutlery.

*Remember *Serve *Let *Dont

form

your fingers front of at

child first

can

much to

the

television

distractions

near

by.

*Stick to a schedule. Offering meals and snacks at regular times will help your child know what to expect.

Rules for Toddlers

*Children

decide

if

they

want

to

eat

and,

if

so,

how

much.

*Its normal for a childs appetite to change day-to-day. Toddlers may seem to be constantly hungry some days. Other days they eat verylittle. *If your child your is child not hungry, creates stay negative calm feelings and about try not food to and worry. eating.

*Force-feeding

*Serve small portions of food initially to avoid wasting food. You can always offer a second helping if your child is still hungry.

Prevention of Injury

One of the most important things to do is to child-proof the house and install safety measures in certain areas where it may be dangerous for the child to venture. It is also a good idea to make certain areas of the house inaccessible to the toddler such as tabletops, counters and footrests. Ensure that there is no sharp edged furniture in the house, or if present, place them away from the childs reach. One golden rule of preventing toddler injuries is to never leave toddlers unsupervised, but ensure that there is either a guardian or a caregiver present around the child at any given point.

The Preschooler and the Family Definition Three to Four years old are often called preschoolers. Preschool children want to touch, taste, smell, hear, and test things for themselves. They are eager to learn. They learn by experiencing and by doing. Preschoolers learn from their play. They are busy developing skills, using language, and struggling to gain inner control. Preschoolers want to establish themselves as separate from their parents. They are more independent than toddlers. They can express their needs since they have greater command of language. Fears often develop during the preschool years. Common fears include new places and experiences and separation from parents and other important people. You can expect the preschool child to test you over and over again. Growth and Development

Age

Physical

Mental

Emotional

3years old

They ride a

Preschool children learn

They need to know clear and

tricycle.

best by doing.

consistent rules and what the consequences for breaking them are.

They catch a ball. They stand on

They need a variety of

activities.

one foot.

They need indoor and

They enjoy dramatic play

They build towers

outdoor space.

with other children.

of 6-9 blocks.

They need a balance

Their emotions are usually

They walk on tip

between active and quiet play.

extreme and short-lived.

toes.

They can communicate

They need to be encouraged

They jump

to express their feelings with words.

horizontally.

their needs, ideas, and questions.

They handle small

They begin to learn to share.

objects such as puzzles, and pegboards.

Their attention span is a

little longer so they can participate in group activities.

They smear or

daub paint.

They draw or

paint in circular and

horizontal motions.

They grow about 3

inches taller in a year.

4years old toes.

They run on tip

They ask lots of

They sometimes have

questions, including "how" They gallop. They pump and "why" questions.

imaginary friends.

They tend to brag and be

They are very talkative. Their language includes

bossy.

themselves on a swing.

They have very active

silly words and profanity.

imaginations.

foot.

They hop on one

They enjoy serious

They need to feel important

discussions. They begin to

and worthwhile.

skip.

They should

They can be aggressive but

understand some basic concepts such as number, size, weight, color, texture, distance, time and position.

want friends and enjoy being with other children.

They throw a ball

overhand.

They enjoy pretending to be

They have more

important adults such as mom, dad, nurse, doctor, mail carrier, police officer.

small muscle control.

Their classification skills

They can make

and reasoning ability are developing.

representational pictures (for example, pictures of flowers, people, etc.)

They appreciate praise for

their achievements.

They need opportunities to

feel more freedom and independence.

They like

unzipping, unsnapping, and unbuttoning clothes.

They are learning to take

turns and to share.

Games and other activities

They dress

can help preschoolers learn about

themselves.

taking turns.

They like lacing

their own shoes.

They can cut on a

line with scissors.

They can make

designs and write crude letters.

They are very

active and aggressive in their play.

Coping with concerns related to normal Growth and Development

Anxiety and Fears Many anxieties and fears are normal Anxiety is defined as "apprehension without apparent cause." It usually occurs when there's no immediate threat to a person's safety or well being, but the threat feels real. Anxiety makes someone want to escape the situation fast. The heart beats quickly, the body might begin to perspire, and "butterflies" in the stomach soon follow. However, a little bit of anxiety can actually help people stay alert and focused. Having fears or anxieties about certain things can also be helpful because it makes kids behave in a safe way. For example, a kid with a fear of fire would avoid playing with matches.

Promotion of Health during Preschoolers

In order to be successful, health promotion strategies in child care settings will need to overcome tensions between providers and parents, allow professional growth of child care providers to serve in a health promotion role, and better integrate external health resources and personnel. Group sessions and peer learning opportunities that are culturally and linguistically sensitive are potentially successful strategies for implementation of health promotion interventions for many parents.

Prevention of Injury

Cognitive behavioral therapists have traditionally advocated three levels of intervention for parents in dealing with small children: Change the childs surroundings, also known as the environment

Change the parents own way of dealing with the child As a last resort, change the childs behavior. It is clear that parents or teachers can increase childrens safety skills and that such teaching should begin early in life and continue throughout childhood.

However, researchers believe that children under the age of four should never be made responsible for their own safety behavior. Whenever there is a choice between changing the environment or changing behavior, changing the environment is a better solution because it requires less energy, less vigilance, and less planning to execute. However, in many cases no environmental change is possible. In such cases, safety must rely on a parents protective behavior. Below, some of the leading causes of injury to children are detailed.