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.
Jo said the secret to dealing with many a toddler situation is to make sure you have a consistent prepared routine:
"Say you’re at the park on an outing and children LOVE the park. When you tell them that it’s time to leave they panic, and think they will never return. So what you need to do is start prepared and keep a speaking clock.
"Say, 'We have 20 minutes left till we need to go home' or make it a regular part of the child's routine and go there several times a week. Consistency is a really key part of parenting."
Another key to successfully managing your toddler is to be positive and calm – even when – especially when – our toddlers are having total meltdowns over something.
"It's vital parents are positive and happy role models," Frost explains. "Positivity is an energy and children are receptive to this energy. If we are confident and our tone is confident, children will see that Mum and Dad are fine and they will follow our example."
