Learning how to be a good mother to a toddler can take some time.
Toddlers are very difficult to handle.
There is a lot to keep track of when your infant grows older. They start to become much more social, energetic, and capable of expressing their needs and wishes.
They are full of excitement and laughter but are constantly testing boundaries which makes parenting them an arduous task.
Between telling them repeatedly to “Put that down” to trying to toddler-proof the entire house, only to find them covered, head to toe, in thick cream, it’s a trying time, to say the least.
In this article, we’ll review the best ways to improve your parenting skills and show you advanced parenting tips to keep them active and happy without yelling, screaming or tantrums!
Editorial Pick: How To Discipline A Toddler
Learning how to be a good mother to a toddler is about managing expectations and following guidelines that are flexible.
Good discipline revolves around knowing your child and being proactive with their needs and expectations.
It does not revolve around punishments or bribes, but these do have their place.
Most parents who want to learn more advanced parenting tips also want to know:
- how to be a better mom to my son
- how to be a better parent to a teenager
- how to be a better mom to a baby
Parenthood is full of trials tribulations and effective parenting involves providing a healthy environment for your toddler to learn, grow and flourish in.
Remember, this will always involve pushing boundaries as they need to learn what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour.
How To Be A Good Mother To A Toddler: 7 Effective Methods
1. Show love and affection.
Attention is a key way to be a good mother to a toddler.
Toddlers crave attention and they often look for it in the wrong way.
This behaviour can be labelled as disruptive, defiant and centres around the “terrible twos” stage.
The best way to combat this developmental milestone is to show more love and attention to the good things they do and less emphasis on the negative moments.
2. Communicate
Communication is key to being a good mother.
Many parents forget that while your toddler can inderstand a vas tmajority of what yousay they are still learning the necessary vocabulary to put together to express themselves.
This uncertainty can lead them to become aggressive and lash out as they seek to express to you how they are feeling.
Try to avoid this communicating well with your toddler so they are aware of what is about to happen and when.
3. Be a role model
This seems obvious but toddlers learn a vast majority of the way they view you and the world through their parents view it.
If you are scared of spiders, then you’ll your toddler will be.
Good at football, then your toddler may pick it up etc.
Being a good role model is more then just showing them the right things to do and say in each environment.
It’s about putting your best foot forward and keeping calm when they are being confrontational with power struggles.
4. Provide structure & routine
Learning how to be a better mother to a toddler involves running their calendar with routine and structure.
You need to have clear wake-up times, frequent playgroups and outside activities, regular nap times and appropriate diet restrictions.
This will help you to give them a positive structure to the day and allow them to know what’s coming next.
Many toddlers act out when they are unsure about what is happening and why it is.
Avoid this by keeping to a strict routine to help them feel secure and allow them to develop a sense of independence.
5. Push interdependence
Toddlers need to know that they are trusted to do things by themselves.
As they get older they will want to be involved in more of the day to day running of the house and will want you to give them more responsibilities.
Don’t shy away from this as it’s your chance to prove to them that you see their help as important.
This will provide them with a great sense of purpose and achievement and maximise the trust they have for you.
You can also give them a task to do and then when they get into problem instead of doing it yourself tell them what they should do to figure it out themselves.
6. Be patient
Ask any mother caring for a toddler and she will tell you her most used asset is patience.
If you want to be a good mother you need to learn to be patient with your toddler and give them the freedom to make mistakes.
Making and learning from mistakes is an important part of self discovery and problem solving skills and will equipped your child with the fundamental building blocks of life as they grow up.
7. Dealing with conflict
If there was a “how to be a good mother to a child” handbook, learning how to diffuse conflicts and tantrums will be No. 1!
Tantrums are a regular occurrence as your toddler fights to seek independence and purpose.
You can minimise the impact of most tantrums by following these guidelines:
Toddler Handbook
- Make sure their basic needs are met: Ensure your child is not too tired, too hungry or thirsty or not stimulated enough. This will mean that they will throw less body related tantrums.
- Pick your battles: Sometimes not all battles need to be won and you can retreat safely in the knowledge that your saving your best resilience for the next war!
- Offer choices: This will give your toddler a sense of freedom and responsibility. If they have chosen something specifically they will be more likely to follow any accompanying rules that go along with it.
- Avoid putting them in situations that will incite frustrations. A good example is giving your toddler a toy game for 7 years olds and up. They won’t understand the rules and will get upset when they aren’t able to play correctly.
- Encourage your child to express themselves by using their words instead of hitting or lashing out!
8. Respect
Respect your toddlers decisions no matter how bizarre they may sound.
Toddlers requests can sometimes seem a bit bizarre and out of context but as long as it’s not hurting anyone give them what they need.
Your job is to keep the peace and sometimes that means giving in to smaller ambiguous requests.
An example of this is if your toddler want’s to sleep with some bath toys in the bed.
It’s not needed in the bed but it’s not a big deal to let them have it.
Show them respect for their wishes and they should, in turn, show you the same respect back!
One important part of parenting is figuring out what your triggers are and working around them.
Learning how to be a better parent without yelling is a popular question many parents ask.
Let’s also explore the key to parenting and keeping your emotions in check
Learning how to be a good mother to a toddler takes time but as long as you are proactive, patience and positive you’ll stand the best chance of doing the best you can.
Here’s a quick video on How To Be A Good Mother To A Toddler.
Related Post: Child Jealous of Parents Affection
Mo Mulla is a work from home dad who enjoys reading and listening to music, He loves being a dad and husband to a growing family. He also loves writing about his passions and hopes to change the world, 1 blog post at a time!
