Your top 3 tips for dealing with toddlers

Right, as before, keep it quick and simple so we don’t have to wade through too many words to glean your invaluable knowledge. Feel free to come back and add more – mums of toddlers need all the help we can get!

Ideally, use bold type for the tip title to make it easier to see. I’ll start:

1. Can’t sleep, won’t sleep? Controlled crying works, but tailor it to your child. Mine would go into permanent hysterics if I kept going into his room to reassure him – I have to stay well away. Oh, and it can take weeks, not days, no matter what the experts say. Stick with it.

2. Breadsticks and raisins: I carry them everywhere (thanks for the tip, Cathy!) and often end up sharing them out to other kids, too. They’ll last forever in your bag.

3. No! and time out. I pick my battles, because saying ’no’ constantly becomes meaningless. I also use time out on a 15-month-old, shock, horror! If it’s serious, and needs major reinforcement, I sit him down then and there for 1 minute (1 minute per year of their life). Then it’s love and hugs and NO recriminations.

My top 3 (as well as what cosywolf said):

1 Distraction works wonders. You don't always have to have a battleground when they're tired, stroppy or upset. Find something to talk about that will bring them round- with my niece it's animals (isn't that a lovely doggy? stops all sorts of tears).

2 Get a good toilet routine and learn the signs. When you're potty training knowing the little signs that they need the loo saves accidents and gives you a way of asking them whether they need a wee and congratulating them on getting to the potty on time, even when they're tired or excited.

3 Get them physically tired whenever possible, cos their attention span for quiet tasks is much better and their quality and length of sleep is much better when they've had a good run round the park or similar every day.

a lot of patience sorry about the spelling

ALWAYS remember to CLOSE the baby gate on the stairs!!!!

(Guess who didn't this morning!)

ALWAYS remember to CLOSE the baby gate on the stairs!!!!

 

(Guess who didn't this morning!)

Oh dear- please tell us that nothing disastrous happened as a result?

My top tip is bottom stair for time out and the 123 method it has worked on my two and now at 4 and 7 after two warning i will count to 3 and before getting to 3 they have usually done as told and i have to give time out very little but need training early

Arnica Cream - my newest best friend, with a less-than-agile toddler zooming about. Spread it on the bump, and there will be no bruises (or only quite small ones). Thank god, otherwise cosycub would look like I batter him, bless.

Dont get too downhearted because...

my number one tip is consitancy! If one says no when another says yet it can cause havoc!

Wear dark coloured clothes unless you likt the dirty footprint look on your pale skirts.

My tip is discipline. A couple of light slams now again installs this discipline.

One on one time Very important if you have more than one child to spend an equal amount of time alone with each one. It teaches them that they are loved the same and gives each one time to air any worries they have when they get a little bigger!