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Providing for the Toddler’s Developmental NeedsChildren between the ages one and three years are called toddlers.

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Physical Needs

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Feeding

•Toddlers graduate from bottle and baby foods to a cup and table foods (foods prepared for the entire family.)

•Toddlers often join the family for meals instead of eating at other times.

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Toddler Eating Style

•Toddlers are very picky eaters.

•It is normal for toddlers to have odd eating habits.▫They may skip a meal or two and then eat

like they are starved a few hours later.

•Typically don’t like to sit down to eat.

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Self-Feeding•When toddlers feed themselves, they are

working on improving their fine-motor skills. ▫Playing with food-dropping it on the floor,

smearing it around, etc is all part of self-feeding. Parents need to remember they are not doing

this to be naughty, but to learn about the color, texture, and qualities of food.

▫This helps toddlers become independent and boosts their self-esteem.

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Providing for Toddler’s Food Needs•Empty calories should be avoided, feeding

primarily nutritious foods.•Food allergy: an abnormal response to a

food that is triggered by the body’s immune system.▫Milk, eggs, peanuts, fish, shellfish, wheat,

soybeans, and tree nuts•Registered dietitians: Specially trained in

nutrition and diet▫Can help plan toddler’s diet

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Providing the Needs of 1-2 Year Olds

•When infants weight about 15 lbs, they begin to need more nutrition than is provided by breast milk and formula.▫Solids are called complementary foods

because they provide the nutrients needed in addition to milk. Complementary foods should provide about

50% of the calories consumed by toddlers.

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Needs of 1-2 Year Olds Cont…•From 12-24 months, toddlers should

continue to breast feed or start drinking whole cow’s milk.▫Reduced fat milk is not recommended until

after 2 years of age.▫Toddlers should not be given fruit juices or

drinks in place of milk.

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Meeting Nutritional Needs of Older Toddlers•2-3 year olds can follow the myplate food

guide to determine what their nutritional needs are.

•The USDA recommends offering smaller serving sizes to 2 and 3 year olds.

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Preventing Food Problems•Toddlers should sit or stand still while

eating to prevent choking.▫Parents should avoid feeding toddlers

popcorn, grapes, raisins, nuts, spoonfuls of peanut butter, hot dogs, small/hard candies, and chucks of raw carrots.

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Clothing: Choosing Garments•Clothes that are too tight restrict

movement.•Some companies size toddler clothes in

Small, Medium, and Large, while others use 18 mo. (1T), 24 mo. (2T), 3T, 4T, and 5T.

•Clothing should be comfortable, offer growth features, durable, attractive, and easy to launder.

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Clothing: Choosing Garments Cont…•Some clothes make self-dressing and

undressing easier for toddlers.▫Toddlers are far better at undressing

themselves.▫This is important in potty training, to avoid

accidents.

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Fitting Shoes•Shoes that fit improperly can cause

permanent damage to the child’s feet.•Toddlers out-grow a shoe size about every

3-4 months.•Toddlers have flat feet, because the arch

doesn’t develop until around 3 years old. ▫Going barefoot or stocking-footed helps

with the development of the arch.•Shoes that fit properly have ½ inch of

space between large toe and shoe when toddler is standing.

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Rest and Sleep•Toddlers sleep and nap less than babies.•Toddlers are very likely to resist rest and sleep,

even when they are tired.▫Have a definite hour for bedtime▫Set a bedtime ritual or routine

Take a warm bath, drink of water, story, song, hug▫If a toddler doesn’t want to sleep, tell them they

just need to rest, they will accept this better.▫If a toddler is scared, tell them where you’ll be,

and that you’ll check in on them.▫If a toddler wakes up with a nightmare, don’t ask

them to tell you about it, listen if they want to tell you, but don’t dwell on it.

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Hygiene•Toddlers usually love baths, but never

leave one unattended in the bath tub.•Toddlers can learn while playing in the

tub:▫Some toys float/sink▫Water can be held in a cupped hand for a

bit▫Water makes all things wet▫The bottom of the tub can be seen through

water▫Soap makes bubbles

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Dental Care•Dentists recommend a first dental

checkup by 2 years of age.

•At 18 months, a caregiver should start brushing toddler’s teeth.

•Around 30 months, toddlers can begin to help brush his/her teeth.

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Toilet Learning•Some parents try potty-training before

the age of one, others have let the toddlers decide when they want to become potty trained.

•Experts know for sure…▫The timing varies from toddler to toddler.▫Many toddlers don’t complete the process

quickly

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Procedure for Toilet Learning•Many toddlers are ready to start toilet training

around the age 2.▫At age 3 a regression in desire to learn how to

potty train takes place.▫Children should not start while there is family or

child stress.▫28 months is the average age for complete day

control.•Parents can help children by telling them when

they are eliminating to make them aware of it.

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When the Toddler is Ready

• Caregivers should get toddlers a child-sized potty.

• Potty rings are also made to use in regular toilet seats.▫ These are more sanitary ▫ Step stools may be needed to help

child get onto large toilet.

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Once Toilet Learning Begins•Adults must remind children to use the

toilet.

•Take toddlers to the toilet at set times.▫Before and after meals and sleep times,

before getting in the car, etc.

•Diapers should be used during the night, and in long car rides.

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Accidents•Training pants: made of disposable diaper

material, pants with a multi-layered cotton fabric crotch, or specially designed ones for wading or swimming pool use

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Indoor and Outdoor Spaces•Toddlers need both indoor and outdoor

play areas.

•They also need play areas that are away from sleep areas to keep them from getting distracted while trying to rest and sleep.

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Intellectual Needs

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Learning Through Activities•Bathing and dressing provide the means for

language, perceptual, health, and motor learning.

•Helping with household tasks develops spatial concepts (putting laundry in basket)

•Vocabulary increases as toddlers learn the names of common objects found in the home and yard.

•Science becomes part of everyday life as toddlers see how the vacuum cleaner picks up dirt, how air dries clothes, and how heat makes dough change into cookies

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Learning Through Play•Playing lets toddlers check and recheck

their learnings.▫They may fill a bucket with the same toys

many times to see how many can fit each time.

•Adults should let toddlers play on their own, stepping in only when toddler needs help or they show desire in having the adult join in play.

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Sensory Stimulation Activities•Senses help toddlers learn about qualities

of objects.•Using senses helps toddlers form concepts

about objects.▫They learn that when peeled, oranges are

round, orange colored, sweet smelling, sweet tasting, and juicy (wet).

•Adults can enrich what toddlers learning by when they hear a sound say, “Do you hear that? I hear a bird. Do you hear it too?”

•Or when cooking, ask, “What smells so good?”

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Problem-Solving Activities•Toddlers can solve many problems by

testing their ideas.•Problem solving games involve motor

actions▫Finding hidden objects, watching how

objects move, etc.•Simple puzzles are good problem-solving

activities as well.

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Motor Activities•Toys that can be pushed with the feet or

pedaled also help develop gross-motor skills.

• Interlocking blocks helps develop fine-motor skills while sparking creativity.

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Language Activities: Toddlers Need to Hear Language•Adults should talk during games to

improve toddlers’ skills.

•As adults do things, they should say what they are doing and what the toddler is doing.

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Adults can begin talking in a conversational manner even before the child can respond verbally:

Adult: “Aren’t you hungry?”Pause about half a second. Imagined response from toddler “yes.”Pause about half a second.Adult: “Surely you are. Lunch smells good,

doesn’t it?”Pause about half a second.

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Language Activities: Toddlers Need to Hear Language•Adults should talk to toddlers using

statements, questions, and exclamations that help toddlers hear the rise and fall of voices.

•Adults should also teach different sounds to toddlers.▫Like rrrr for the sound of a siren.

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Language Activities: Clear and Simple Speech•Adults need to make sure they do not talk

beneath the child’s level, or this will hinder their development of language skills.

•Examples of ways to model language:▫Toddler: “My wed (red) sooes (shoes).”▫Adult: “Yes, these are your pretty red

shoes.”

▫Toddler: “I singed a song.”▫Adult: “You sang a song about a rainy day.”

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Language Activities: Clear and Simple Speech•Toddlers will repeat everything they hear.

•If a toddler uses an inappropriate word, simply say, “These are not words we use here.”

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Choosing Books for Toddlers•Reading books and saying poems and

rhymes help toddlers develop language.•When choosing books:

▫Pictures must be colorful and simple▫Subjects should be simple▫Books should be durable▫Pages should be easy for the toddler to turn

and keep open

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How Toddlers Read•Toddlers usually don’t want to sit still to

look at a book, but they may glance at it every now and then.

•They tend to enjoy stories that only have a short sentence on each page with pictures.

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Reading to Toddlers•Many enjoy the same story read

repeatedly.▫This helps child feel secure because they

begin to know what will happen next in the story.

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Singing with Toddlers•Songs that act out meanings of words are

helpful to toddlers.▫Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush lets

toddlers sing and act out lines such as, “This is the way we eat our soup,” and “this is the way we wash our hands.”

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Social-Emotional NeedsToddlers are in the transitional stage: passing from one stage to another. They go back and forth between wanting to be totally independent and wanting to be totally dependent.

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Discipline•Toddlers do not have self-restraint

▫They cannot always control themselves•They do not know all the rules of

acceptable behavior.▫Parents need to set limit for their toddlers

to keep them safe and show them how to become more socially acceptable.

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Balancing Self-Assertion and Obedience•Self-assertion: doing as one chooses

•Obedience: acting within the limits set by others▫Adults must help toddlers balance these

two

▫Best way to do this is to meet the toddlers’ needs.

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Toddlers Need to Feel Loved•Toddlers sense love that is shown to them

physically and directly.▫They respond to cuddling, loving words,

etc.

•They do not respond to indirect ways, such has having cooked meals or clean clothes.

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Toddlers Want to Feel Lovable•When toddlers are always made to feel

they are “bad,” they may grow to dislike themselves.▫Adults should not call children bad, selfish,

naughty, or mean.

•Harsh punishment may cause toddlers to feel they are bad, too.

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Toddlers Need Respect•Respecting toddlers helps them like

themselves.

•It also helps children build relationships with others.

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Toddlers need Understanding and Patient Guidance•Toddlers need some freedom.

▫Adults can let toddlers choose between two green vegetables for lunch.

•A toddler may also choose between self-control and adult-control▫The adult may say, “You may color on the

paper, or I’ll have to put the crayons away.”

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Toddlers Need Consistency in Discipline•Consistency helps people feel secure.

▫Toddlers may need flexible rules when they are ill or when other problems occur.

•Discipline changes as children grow.

•Toddlers have both good and bad days. When limits are set and discipline is firm, yet kind, toddlers will begin to have more good days than bad.

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Guidance: Helping Toddlers Control Their Emotions•Understanding toddlers’ emotions is the

first step in helping toddlers control them.

•Problems with toddlers often include contrariness, temper tantrums, and fears and anxieties.

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Contrariness•Contrariness: opposing adults and

toddlers.▫They replace yes with no, even when yes is

what they really mean▫By 18 months, many toddlers begin to do

this

•The simplest way to reduce this is to let the toddler make some choices (as long as the result will not be harmful)

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•Telling toddler about upcoming events in advance.▫“Lunch will be in a few minutes”▫Saying no is a way for toddlers to deal with

sudden change.

•Playing pretend games▫If a toddler doesn’t want to eat lunch, turn

it into a game of “I’m going to wash my hands before you do” or if a toddler is resisting a nap, “I’ll race you to your bedroom”

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Temper Tantrums•Toddlers who are lively, under stress,

hungry, and/or cannot talk are prone to temper tantrums.

•Ways to avoid:▫Make requests in a pleasant tone of voice▫Have enough toys or ideas to prevent

boredom•Tantrums are a form of release for the child,

so allow it to happen.•Tantrums are also a way for the toddler to

get attention-they may follow adult around house having tantrums in every room.

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Temper Tantrums: Comforting the Child•Adults should acknowledge toddler’s

feelings and offer comfort.

•Do not use spanking to punish tantrums because it is modeling that behavior for the toddler.

•Adult calmness serves as a model for children of ways to deal with anger.

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Fears and Anxiety•Adults should show differences between

real and pretend things.▫Explain that dreams aren’t real.

•Giving toddlers security also reduces fear:▫Night-lights, toys in bed, and familiar

caregivers add to security.

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Overcoming Fear and Anxiety•To overcome their fears and anxieties,

toddlers need to talk about their fear in a safe way.▫If a toddler is scared of dogs, the adult

might talk about dogs, then later read the child a book about dogs. Then after more time, the child might stand close to a friendly dog.

•Toddlers should be praised for small steps toward overcoming their fears.

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Planning Self-Awareness Activities•Ways to enhance toddler’s self-awareness

could be placing pictures of the toddler on the refrigerator, keeping a photo album of the child’s early years, measuring the child’s height periodically, etc.

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Developmental Delays•Both gross and fine motor skills, along

with language are used to judge any developmental delays.