Oh, toddlers…
The craziest, cutest, scariest and flat out most exhausting creatures known to man, no?
If you have ever been in possession of one, you will no doubt know what I am talking about. If your baby has yet to enter the toddler years; good luck, mama. Stay strong and remember to stock up on wine. And coffee. In equal measure.
Being a toddler parent is full-on, and trying to navigate their unpredictable nature and developing free will, well, it can be challenging at times.
Luckily, Supernanny is here to help – and recently revealed the one mistake we are all making when it comes to our toddlers, apparently.
Speaking to Australian site Kidspot, TV nanny Jo Frost stated something all parents with toddlers should be aware of.
They are so much smarter than you may think!
Yup, that’s right. “Don’t underestimate them,” Frost stated.
The most common mistake we all make with out toddlers?
“When a parent says, ‘No, you can’t have it’, they cry even more. And when this ‘no’ is reiterated, they cry even more and even more, until the parent gives in and they end up getting what it was they want.”
Sounds familiar, mamas?
“So what does the child learn from this,” Frost asks? “If I want something I just have to cry like THAT and I’ll get it.”
Supernanny is also keen to stress that this is something all toddler parents will experience, and not something to feel like you are failing at parenting for.
“I will never believe a mother who says her child doesn’t do this. This is normal toddler behaviour.”
Phew.
The answer to toddler taming? Consistency and kindness, it seems.