Welcome to our second lesson which is all about the transition from Infants to Toddlers!
The Transition to Toddlers
Your baby is growing into a toddler!
This is a much different stage than newborns and infants, and there are a lot of changes to be aware of as your child is growing and changing. It can be both exciting and intimidating, so our hope is that you will be able to use some of the tips and suggestions we have provided to help you navigate through the next couple of years of both yours and their lives.
We would also love to hear from you in the comments about things that you learned as well as other helpful insights you have for other parents also going through this transition!
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Development Changes & Suggestions For Parents
The toddler stage is a very important stage where children are truly blossoming and becoming their own individuals. Their personalities are starting to show, and it is during this time that parents can help their toddlers to grow! Kelley Reschke shares in her article regarding caring for infants and toddlers how “Starting from birth, children construct an understanding of themselves, other people, and the world around them built on the daily interactions they have with their caregivers, which include both family members and early childhood educators” (2021, p. 36). There are so many simple activities that parents can do with their toddlers every day to assist them during this time of change.
The book “Teaching, No Greater Call” covers toddlers from 18 month olds to two year olds and what stages of development they are in. In addition to this, it gives specific suggestions of what parents can do to help their child during this time! This is what they have said about eighteen-month-olds and two-year-olds:
Here is the link to the full Manual.
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As you read through these articles and watch these videos, please share with us in the comments what things stood out to you, and what things you are planning to use with your own toddler now or when they enter into that stage!
Tips and Tricks
In this 11 minute video, you will watch a mother share her experience with her child as he transitions from an infant to a toddler. She shares some profound and insightful tips and tricks to help you navigate this transition as well!
Infant to Toddler Transitions: Walking, Milk, Naps, and Tantrums
Another thing that comes with the transition to toddlerhood is the need for a bigger bed! Here is a video of a mother’s tips for transitioning your child from a crib to a toddler bed:
TODDLER SLEEP TRAINING TIPS!! | How to transition from Crib to Toddler Bed
In addition to this video, the following article shares some insight that might help you as you are deciding whether or not to transition your child into a toddler bed or even a twin bed! You will find both the advantages and disadvantages to each so that you can make the decision that will benefit your toddler the most!
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Activity:
Mommypoppins.com shares 30+ activities to do with your toddler that will help them with their development as well as the connection that you have with your little one. If you have a toddler, spend the next 10-15 minutes doing one of these activities with them:
Bake cookies together! This helps them to feel involved in something and they learn new skills in the kitchen.
Bring out the play-dough and encourage creative play with it!
Go outside and have a picnic for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you don’t have time right now, plan for one later.
Grab some sidewalk chalk and go draw on the driveway or sidewalk.
Draw/create your own board game with them, and have them come up with rules. This helps them to feel like they are in control and it gets their creative juices flowing.
Make music with pots, pans, bowls, and spoons!
Blow up Balloons and play volleyball with them!
Go for a walk and allow your toddler to explore nature and things along the path.
Make sensory bins for your toddler using things around the home!
Play with legos with them and see what they build!
After doing one or more of these activities, share in the comments how it went and what you enjoyed about it!
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Next Week’s Lesson
We hope you enjoyed this week’s content! Next week’s lesson will be focusing on parents with toddlers transitioning to the preschool age. If you, or someone you know is going through this transition, or will be going through this transition soon, please feel free to invite them to join in these lessons!
References
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (1999). In Teaching, no greater call: A resource guide for gospel teaching (pp. 110–111). essay.
From the Public Health Office: Developmental milestones for infants and toddlers. (2015, April 27). Evening Sun, The (Norwich, NY).
Mooney, C. (2021, May 11). 30+ toddler activities to keep them busy at home - mommy poppins. MommyPoppins. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://mommypoppins.com/kids/30-toddler-activities-indoor-things-to-do-at-home
Reschke, K. L. (2021). Caring for the mental health of infants and toddlers. YC: Young Children, 76(1), 35–38.
Richardson. (2010, May 11). Toddlerhood 101: Transitioning to a big kid bed (Part 2). Family & Home Examiner (USA)
My son just turned 2, and we've been in the process of transitioning him into a bigger bed. I watched the video you shared about going from a crib to a toddler bed, and something that I really want to do is include him and get him some bedding that he'll be excited about. Also, I just want to say that this stage is definitely difficult at times, but it is also so fun watching them grow and learn! It sometimes surprises me with how much they take in and what they're capable of. They're always watching, listening, and learning from us--even at such a young age. Thanks for sharing the suggestions for parents, too!
ReplyDeleteThese are great ideas! I will definitely look into getting some play dough for my toddler and try playing more music for him because he loves to dance.
ReplyDeleteThese were so accurate in describing my two and a half year old..! I did check on the three year old section in your preschool post, and he fit that category pretty well also!
ReplyDeleteSomething on that list that I feel should be on both was the notion that we need to expect messes. I think as a people in general, we tend to put unrealistic expectations on young children - especially when it comes to making a mess. While we can surely teach them to clean up after themselves… at this age, it is still part of the process! I can’t tell you how many parents have told me “I can’t believe you let your kids play with play dough/slime!” Or “ I won’t buy my kids watercolor paints. They make way too much of a mess.”
I think if we know that it will be messy, we can create an environment that is safe for them to make that mess in! We will be with them the whole time, so we can make sure it stays somewhat contained.
There were some great ideas above about activities to do with your toddlers, but there is also a lady on Instagram named Miriam Sandler who has an account called mothercould where she shares so many different activities that you can set up for your children - infants to preschool mostly! Just another place to find some great and taste safe activities to do with your young kids (since everything goes in their mouth ����♀️)
Thanks for sharing all of these ideas!