Sandy Jones - Great Expectations: The Toddler Years: The Essential Guide to Your 1- to 3-Year-Old

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2011 by Sandy Jones

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ISBN 978-1-4027-5816-4 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4027-8932-8 (ebook)

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This book and the information contained in this book are for general educational and informational uses only. Nothing contained in this book should be construed as or intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Users are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources and review the information carefully with their physicians or qualified healthcare providers. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians or health-care providers. Should you have any health-care-related questions related to yourself or your child, please call or see your physician or other qualified health-care provider. The author and publisher will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising therefrom.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my daughter, Marcie Jones Brennan, for her contributions to this book and her unflagging support of the Great Expectations series. I would also like to acknowledge the warm and always helpful input of the series editor, Jennifer Williams, at Sterling Publishing, and Melanie Gold, whose exquisite editing not only corrected the manuscript but made it stronger and better. In addition, I would like to recognize the efforts of designer Rachel Maloney for laying out the book so beautifully, and Elizabeth Mihaltse for the terrific cover. Last, but not least, a big thank you goes to Editorial Director Michael Fragnito, for keeping the faith; to Publisher Jason Prince; Leigh Ann Ambrosi, VP of Marketing and Publicity; and Marcus Leaver, President and CEO of Sterling, for their continuing support of the Great Expectations series.

WELCOME TO THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!

A toddler, by definition, is somebody who gets up on his feet and walks. The word toddler is a combination of the Scottish words todder and waddle, and it refers to the awkward way that babies get up and walk like drunken sailors, with their legs spread apart, arms held up in the air, and with lots of lurching around.

As youll soon discover, there are many wonderful aspects of life with a toddler, including his boundless energy, passion for exploring the world, spontaneous expressions of affection and clever shenanigans, and leaving babyhood behind as he continues on toward becoming an independent child.

As his sense of self and boundaries begin to take shape, there will be times when your toddler is likely to throw tantrums, to refuse to eat what you put before him, to stiffen and adamantly resist being strapped into his stroller or car seat, to be extremely upset because you cant read his mind, and to refuse to share his toys with his playmates. These are all typical behaviors for this incredible and very unique stage in the human life span.

Your toddlers language skills will leap from only one or two words at 12 months to a huge vocabulary of 900 to 1,000 words (or more) by the end of these momentous two years, and he will ultimately be able to speak short, intelligible sentences that are completely understandable. Physical skills will evolve from barely being able to stand up and take a few wobbly first steps to running, jumping, climbing, and kicking. Skills in every other area of his life will also be making quantum leaps forward.

Not only are you going to have the opportunity to introduce your toddler to a lot of wonderful new experiences, but hell be teaching you lessons, toothe luxury of slowing down to watch a caterpillar cross the sidewalk, the fun of splashing in mud puddles with abandon, the art of creating shapes from damp sand, and then smashing themall primal joys of childhood.

Hopefully, parenting your toddler will also be teaching you indelible lessons about loving and being human. Youll learn about showing affection and giving spontaneous hugs, thinking really fast on your feet and paying attention to two things at once, cultivating more patience, laying out plans and then letting them go, and communicating clearly in the simplest words possible. Best of all, youll learn that youre stronger than you think you are, that you should trust your gut instincts, and that you have the power to keep on keeping on even when youre so tired that youre nearly cross-eyed, because you care so much about your little one.

About This Book

Great Expectations: The Toddler Years: Everything You Need to Know About Your 1- to 3-Year-Old is designed to serve as an informative parents handbook. It offers research-based insights into toddler temperament and learning styles as well as practical advice about getting through the hard parts. Plus, it offers hundreds of developmentally based activities for sharing enjoyable moments together.

Here youll find tips to help optimize your childs mental, physical, and emotional growth, and options for dealing with the important issues youre likely to encounter over the next two years, including discipline, toddler nutrition, toilet training, and sleep problems. Theres also a chapter on ways to encourage independence in your toddler. For ease of reading, we have elected to alternate chapters between he and she pronouns.

We often refer to young toddlers and older toddlers. The book classifies young toddlers as 12- to 18-month-olds whose bodies are still developing along with their communication and eating skills. Older toddlers are 19- to 36-month-olds who are more skilled, are able to move around, and have better communication skills.

We welcome your feedback on this book. You can write to us in care of Sterling, the publisher of the Great Expectations series, or connect with us online at www.GreatExpectationsPregnancy.com.

Warmest regards,
Sandy Jones

As parents can attest, every child is unique, and there is simply no such thing as typical when it comes to describing children and their differences.

Just as each child has a unique fingerprint, every child comes with unique gifts and vulnerabilities. Theres no one-size-fits-all solution for how to manage a toddler, which is why parents are so important. They are the best judges of what is best for their child using all that they know about his personality, his maturity, and ways of responding that they are always in the process of learning.

As your dynamic child grows, you will be figuring out answers to some important questions about him: What does he like to do the most? What are his strengths and vulnerabilities? Whats he most curious about? What does he dislike? Whats his favorite way of communicating? What are the ways he likes to learn? What is changing about him? What is staying the same?

This chapter explores how toddlers personalities are shaped, and it gives you some rough guidelines to help you in dealing with some of the unique characteristics of your child.