Survival Guide For Terrible Toddlers

Written by Jana Angeles  

We all need a survival guide when it comes to life. There is no “by-the-book” schemes for parenting unfortunately, but with a little support, you can get through anything. Having toddlers can be terrible but there will be moments where you will enjoy being with them, treasuring the family time and making memories.

The only way you can survive is to keep learning when it comes to the game of parenting. We all want to know how to survive the toddler phase, so how can we get through it in one piece? 

Teach Them About Consequences 

There will be consequences for the actions of your toddler. If they do something that upsets you, they need to learn the concept of time out and be removed from certain privileges. It’s easy to feel like the evil one when it comes to this but as parents, we need to draw the line when your child is doing the wrong thing. This is only the way to teach your kids from right and wrong; they should realise that you are doing this for their own benefit.  

Assign Responsibility 

Just because you’re doing things around the house doesn’t mean your child should get away from helping you out with chores. Teach them how to be responsible by picking up after themselves, putting toys away or helping you sort clothes appropriately for laundry. Assigning responsibility gives them the independence and the opportunity to learn that helping others is important. It will also teach them things such as initiative, organisation and confidence. 

Sleep is a Priority 

When our children are not sleeping, it affects their focus and routine for the day. If you’ve been letting them stay up a few nights a week, this may be the cause of their terrible behaviour. Nap times are important because it allows your child to switch off from all activities and avoids their crankiness.

It will also give you more time to work on other stuff while they are snoozing. Make sleep a priority and tuck them into bed at a reasonable hour. It not only benefits you but it will also boost their mental and physical health as well.  

Praise Them 

Though our toddlers can be terrible when it comes to their behaviour sometimes, we must give them credit for the times they are good! This will encourage positive habits from your children such as being courteous, listening and attending to your needs and treating others with respect without being asked to.

Praising your child will keep them in check and can help them recognise the impact of their actions to other people. It will also stop their terrible behaviour for a while. It also feels good to praise your children when they do the right thing. 

Have Patience  

Raising toddlers isn’t an easy task and we don’t expect you to get rid of their terrible behaviour immediately. Sometimes society puts pressure on us to have the “picture perfect family” but that’s an unrealistic goal. There will be long days of repetitive tasks or telling your child not to do something for the third time. You will also feel tired and uninspired because nothing is going like you planned it.

It’s okay to feel like this, you just need to have patience. Over time, your child will begin to adapt good behaviour. You just have to remember they are on a different spectrum of maturity. It’s true: they are too young to understand everything, so you have to give them time. Also, stop being hard on yourself.  

Surviving the unpredictable behaviours of your children can be overwhelming for parents. You want the best for your kids but you’re also frustrated that they’re too stubborn, won’t listen and are doing things that make you feel like the worst parent.

Behind all the mess, tears and tantrums, you’ve got to realise that they’re little humans, just figuring life out like the rest of us. It isn’t so much about surviving but it’s also about being able to experiment and prepare for change. You don’t know what to expect and everything will come to you as a surprise. In other words: you will get through it, it’s just a phase.