What to Expect the Toddler Years Read Online Free PDF

the result of curiosity. It’s not the devil in him that makes him do it, but the Christopher Columbus and the Isaac Newton. Part explorer, part scientist, he views the world around him as both his oyster and his laboratory. But instead of receiving a grant to help further his discoveries, he receives dozens of daily reprimands intended to discourage them. “Don’t touch!” is probably the single most commonly uttered parental phrase in homes with toddlers. Yet a toddler isn’t even remotely capable, especially not early in the second year, of suppressing the impulses that drive him to touch—or poke or grab or squeeze or run his hands along something.
    You can’t—and you shouldn’t try to—keep your toddler’s hands off everything in his environment. To understand the world, toddlers need to lay their hands on it. Of course, some things just aren’t meant for a toddler’s touch, either because they’re dangerous or breakable, or both. So it’s necessary to steer a middle course, encouraging safe and discouraging unsafe exploration.
    Limit the risk. Try to make your home as childproof as you can (see page 622). If you don’t want to pack away all your valued possessions until your toddler comes of a more responsible age, start training him now in the fine art of touching “fine art” without breaking it (see page 237). When you can, use foresight to head off disaster. If your toddler loves to see what happens when he turns over a cup of milk or juice, keep liquids out of reach and hand him the cup only when he asks for it or when you think he’s ready for another sip. Take it back as soon as his thirst is satisfied.
    Away from home, avoid elegant surroundings filled with expensive breakables. If Grandma’s house falls into this category, she may want to consider putting her best possessions out of reach when her grandchild comes to visit. In stores and supermarkets, buckle your young explorer into a shopping cart or his stroller, and provide him with some interesting tactile objects to keep his hands occupied. If he won’t stay put, enlist his help as your assistant, harnessing his potentially destructive energies productively. Point out the cereal thatyou want, and have him remove it from the shelf and hand it to you. As you choose the oranges or apples, ask him to drop each into the bag. When he’s old enough to recognize the brands of staples (milk, juice, bread) you favor (which will be sooner than you think), challenge him to find what you need on the shelf and point to it. Then have him drop it into the shopping cart.
    Make limits clear and consistent. Though you don’t want to stifle the exploratory urge, you do have to let your toddler know, even at this early age, that some things are off-limits. Every time he reaches for the DVR or the stove or the china closet or any other no-no item, stop him and redirect him immediately. And remember, you may have to repeat the same redirections dozens of times before they sink in.
    Increase the opportunities. The more opportunities you provide your toddler to explore his world safely, the less temptation there will be for him to do so in a way that will get him into trouble. See page 456 for tips on safe ways to satisfy your toddler’s appetite for touch and exploration.
    Provide supervision and training. He wants to squeeze the toothpaste tube? Teach him how to squeeze it neatly, then appoint him the official toothpaste-squeezer for the family. (But make sure you’re there to oversee this operation or your bathroom will be decorated regularly with swirls of toothpaste.) He wants to try out your computer? Sit him on your lap for fifteen minutes (with your work safely stored) and let him tap the keys. He wants to turn the TV on? Show him how and let him do it, but only when you, or another adult, are close at hand. You can also teach your toddler to help you put away the groceries (except for breakables, such as bottles or jars), empty flatware from the