Your toddler seems to be growing at a rapid pace once he passes his second year. He wants so many things all at once and because he can now form sentences, he asks too many questions. Sometimes you will be put in a spot in trying to come up with the easiest explanation he can understand. Your child will try to emulate what the people around him regularly do, so you have to be careful that your toddler does not witness much conflict and bickering around him.

His young mind will now be able to discern if you are trying to teach him something, so you can try giving him some short and easy commands. Doing this is a way of training his mind to follow instructions. Your little toddler may be eager during the first few times but you cannot expect him to obey if he seems to be engrossed or busy with playing or watching the TV. You don’t have to lose your temper over this if he chooses to disobey you, remember your toddler is still a baby. He still doesn’t understand the concept of having a sense of duty or responsibility.

If you were not able to curb his tantrums when he first started with his fits of hysterics, then you will have to contend with a lot of it by the time he’s three years old. It’s probably high time you deal with his tantrums differently before he acquires it as a permanent habit. In fact, it’s going to be more often as a result of wrong choices he makes or things he does purely out of impulse to test your patience.

Whether your toddler is a boy or girl, encourage them to engage in worthwhile activities, like Lego blocks for boys and other toys that can tap their creativity. In general, encourage your young one to scribble, trace shapes and stencils, and dabble in coloring books. You can even ask him questions about the images he created so you can have an idea what goes in his young mind and what seem to be his interests. If you see some form of fascination for a certain subject, e.g. dinosaurs, robots, or music, try to supplement him with more materials. This can keep him busier most of the time.

Your child is very eager to learn during these stages and it would be a good thing to nurture his interest for learning and acquiring skill whether in arts, music, or sports. All these will keep him preoccupied, as well as develop his self-confidence. Remember, in just a year or two, he will soon be a preschooler and there will be tougher challenges in store for him.

Tags: baby, growing up, tantrums, toddler