Lisa Clegg - The Blissful Toddler Expert: The complete guide to calm parenting and happy toddlers

Contents

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Epub ISBN 9781473501522

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Vermilion, an imprint of Ebury Publishing,
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London SW1V 2SA

Vermilion is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

Copyright Lisa Clegg 2015

Lisa Clegg has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

First published by Vermilion in 2015

www.eburypublishing.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9780091955007

The information in this book has been compiled by way of general guidance in relation to the specific subjects addressed, but is not a substitute and not to be relied on for medical, healthcare, pharmaceutical or other professional advice on specific circumstances and in specific locations. So far as the author is aware the information given is correct and up to date as at April 2015. Practice, laws and regulations all change, and the reader should obtain up to date professional advice on any such issues. The author and publishers disclaim, as far as the law allows, any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use, or misuse, of the information contained in this book.

Trusted maternity nurse Lisa Clegg gently guides you through your toddlers development, including:

• Potty training when and how to start
• Behaviour avoiding and coping with tantrums
• Feeding introducing new foods and avoiding fussy eating
• Learning encouraging language and movement
• Next steps preparing your toddler for nursery

With practical advice, answers to common questions and confidence-boosting tips, The Blissful Toddler Expert is the essential handbook for all parents with toddlers.

Lisa Clegg is a qualified maternity nurse and nanny with over 15 years of experience. She has helped and advised hundreds of new parents and is also the mother of three young children.

To my husband Martin and our three children Jack, Ollie and Loren. I love you all to the moon and back!

When I gave birth to my son in 2011, as a joke my mother gave me her battered and well-worn copy of Dr Benjamin Spocks Baby and Child Care book. This had been her bible. She had consulted it on all matters regarding our development as children, and it had given her easy access to guidance. Of course some of the now outdated advice made us laugh, particularly the tip about having a glass of beer or a cigarette to relax you during breastfeeding! With my newborn in my arms, feeling sleep deprived and hormonal, and questioning everything I did as a mother, I knew I needed a modern-day mentor to guide me through those blurry months. I was lucky to come across Lisa early on. She helped in so many ways, I could write a book about it!

My husband and I both have families that live far away, and I didnt have a huge amount of experience of dealing with babies. Lisa gave us confidence as new parents and was a constant source of advice at all hours when we needed it. You have so many questions at the beginning, and the conflicting advice from friends, family, the internet and even strangers is confusing. I think one of the biggest lessons I learnt early on was that there arent any right or wrong answers, and sometimes it is a matter of trial and error. All children are different, after all. I really valued the fact that Lisas knowledge and solutions were drawn from her many years experience as a maternity nurse and a mother of three children. She always said that she planned to write a book, and The Blissful Baby Expert has allowed her advice and guidance to be spread far and wide.

Those early months passed quickly, although I am not sure I thought that at the time. Our baby was growing developing into a little person and the fact that he was a blissful baby in sleeping, eating and personality was a big help from Lisa.

I hadnt given much thought to the toddler years, but they were quickly upon us. Our little boy was zooming about by 11 months. As always, there were plenty of opinions and advice about what to expect: Oh the terrible twos people would say, or Have you potty trained yet? As a parent, the challenges and development stages change as you start dealing with a talking, walking person who has very strong ideas about what they like, when they like it and how they like it. One of the biggest issues we faced was the battle to get our boy to stay in his big boy bed. He had always slept well in his cot but the freedom to roam around the house at night was too tempting he was in and out of his new bed like a yo-yo. At my wits end, I called Lisa and she was again able to guide me with sensible advice on how to tackle this.

One of the most important mantras I learnt from Lisa throughout the baby years, and now toddlerhood, is that as a parent you need patience and perseverance P&P for everything. P&P would see me through many a dark night putting my son back to bed, and help me to handle screaming meltdowns as he refused to put clothes on or insisted that he didnt want breakfast. It has meant I dont worry about those issues too much and can really value my time with my son. He makes me laugh at all sorts of things and there is nothing better than a cuddle after a long day at work. He is a blissful toddler, and I am glad that others will get a chance to benefit from Lisas help through this fascinating stage of a childs life.

Emma Roodhouse, mother to Jacob and Isaac

Some of you reading this may have already used the help and advice from my first book The Blissful Baby Expert, but now your little one is reaching the toddler years, there will be new challenges ahead. Even if you havent read my first book, it isnt too late to start implementing changes to work towards a calmer, happier house, using the techniques described in this book.

You will have discovered by now, whether you have read my previous book or not, that I work professionally as a nightly maternity nurse advising parents on all aspects of baby care and development. I have many years experience working with hundreds of babies and an extremely high success rate advising mums on sleep and feeding issues. Writing The Blissful Baby Expert was very easy as I could draw on my experiences with my own three children as babies, as well as my continued professional experience. What, you may ask, gives me the confidence to write a follow-up book based on toddlers?

Well, before I became a maternity nurse I worked as a nanny caring for many toddlers, and I also worked in various day nurseries, again with toddlers. So I have had a lot of professional experience looking after children of that age. On a personal front, I have been through the toddler stage with my three children and survived! My youngest child, Loren, is going through her toddler years as I write this book, and so I am right in the thick of all the phases that toddlers go through! Im finding it very helpful as the daily activities and challenges I face with her are ensuring this book covers all of the areas that parents like you will be experiencing too!