early toddler behavior guidance

[Anonymous]

I feel like I was well prepared for the baby stage but don't really know what to do with my toddler. 14mo, very mobile, climbing. Is pretty good at listening and following directions- walking with me outside, throwing away diapers, putting away toys. Other times not so much- but not in a bad way, just in a normal toddler behavior way.

I get the redirect part and that works sometimes but other times he just laughs at me and keeps running back to do the thing I am redirecting him from. (like climbing on the table). Today he grabbed the cat's tail and pulled her off the table (normally he is pretty good with her, but like clearly her tail hanging down was just too tempting). I told him no, we used gentle hands and "comforted" the cat. But then he just laughed. I don't know

And methodologies or books I should look into? Thanks for suggestions!

[Anonymous]

Hi op, No Bad Kids by Janet Lansbury is a short easy read with some good foundations in understanding this developmental stage.

Big Little feelings has a toddler course with videos with some good concrete tips for how to respond.

As your kid gets bigger one of my favorites recently is Raising a Kid Who Can. But that’s not really for toddlers.

[Anonymous]

What you’re doing is fine. Just keep redirecting. You can drop your voice, if you’re not already doing that, when you’re redirecting for safety reasons. You shouldn’t be using a sing-song high voice while saying a clear “Nooo,” as you move him away from the cat.

Don’t worry about the laughing. Everything is fun right now.

[Anonymous]

Mainly just wait until he’s 3 and that part will get better.

[Anonymous]

Big Little Feelings

Toddler parenting sucks a lot. It just takes awhile to get a bunch of tools in your tool box. Take it one day at a time and remember you’re a good parent to a good kid. It’s just hard being a toddler.

[Anonymous]

I think if he does something wrong like jerking the cat off the table it's important for you to act upset as you say no to him and tend to the cat. He should not only be developing feelings of sympathy and sadness for what he did to the cat but he should also not want to make you unhappy and upset. I don't mean yelling or smacking him, I mean an unhappy face, a stern voice, he should clearly see he has upset you. If he laughs at inappropriate times say "It's not funny!" and then demonstrate that you are not amused. No punishing involved in any of this, just no nonsense reactions from you.

[Anonymous]

He's being a toddler- cause and effect, curiosity, still learning g about the world around him

You just ride it out to the next (annoying) phase (most likely throwing food off the high chair).

[Anonymous]

Why do you have a BABY throwing away diapers? What in the world

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you have a BABY throwing away diapers? What in the world

Sounds like you’ve never taken care of a toddler. They LIKE to imitate parents and do little chores to “help.”

[Anonymous]

They will understand better for things like the cat if you say NO in a deep voice. It makes more of an impression on their brains with the deep voice. You give a disapproving look and comfort the cat. At this age, it’s a lot about prevention and distraction, and simple phrases, like “Soft hands with kitty.” Over and over. Say what you want them to do, not what you don’t want to see. Pick him up and move him away when you need to, and it’s okay if cries for a minute over being told no, but get him engaged in something else quickly. This will pass as his brain matures. He has no ability to understand empathy yet, and just reacts to his environment.