r/toddlertips

So I have a son who just turned 2 and has limited words. On his own he says mama, dada, Wawa, open, book, papa, hi, yeah, uh-oh, baa for sheep, rawr for bear, car. A lot of the time he points to things and says “da”. I can ask him what a few other animals say and he gets it right but doesn’t do it on his own. He also can say other words with prompting such as bye, shoes, wow, and some others. He just started saying “hi dada, hi mama and hi papa”. He can sign more and all done. He can wave, clap, and point. I have a book to teach gestures and he knows a lot of them like hitting his head for “oh no”, knocking on a door, wheels on the bus motion, yawning, hitting his leg for ouchie, etc. His receptive language is great and he responds to his name. He also babbles a ton. He has been in early intervention since 18 months old and has made slow progress. I am a stay at home mom so I narrate everything, read tons of books to him, etc.

At his age how many words should be learning a day? Week?

Any tips and tricks that worked for your late talker that I should try?

I feel so discouraged hearing younger cousins around him saying more than he is! Especially since I feel like I’m putting in so much effort with getting him to talk.

Would love to know why

I am the dad of a 2 year old with very strong verbal skills - he will repeat pretty much anything his mom and I say at home. We listen to adult podcasts on the way to/from daycare and on weekend road trips and we got pretty self-conscious about the amount of casual swearing.

A couple weeks ago I made https://beepcasts.com/ so that I can listen to pods around the baby without worrying about F bombs here and there. Let me know what you think, any feedback welcome!

My 2 year old started day care a couple months ago. Since then it has just been sickness after sickness. Right now we are dealing with what I am assuming is a cold because he’s stuffed up, but he is getting this white eye gunk non stop and he won’t let us wipe it off for him so it just gets crusty. Any tips?

My toddler moves her jaw side to side maybe started a month ago did anyone else’s ? I assume is a toddler quirk or teething first time mum

We’re on Day 3 of potty training with a modified 3 Day method. We’re still going with no underwear and she’s getting most pees in the toilet with a few misses (no poops just yet).

We do pull ups for naps and bedtime.

She’s back to daycare tmw. Should we bring her in with pulls up and continue potty training after school? We haven’t tried with underwear just yet.

Looking for tips and advice!

It has been raining all day, and I’m realizing I don’t have enough indoor ideas for my toddler.

I’m trying not to rely on screen time, but I also can’t plan activities all day. I’m looking for something simple that doesn’t require much setup. So far we’ve done books, blocks, snacks, a short dance break, and I let him help fold laundry, which mostly meant he unfolded everything.

I can do some prep, but not anything that needs many supplies or a big cleanup.

What do you usually do when you’re inside all day and trying to limit screen time?

Does anyone have advice on how to get rid of the dummy? My 16month old is OBSESSED to the point we are now having massive massive tantrums when I don’t allow him to have it.

I’m happy for him to use it for sleep, that’s not a problem. But I’m concerned that it is delaying his speech as he always has it in his mouth, so really want to get to the point where whenever he is awake, the dummy is not around! Any advice welcome as I’m struggling here!

Hello. Mother of two boys, 2.5 years old and 1.5 years old. Recently both boys have developed some very poor table manners. Things like throwing food, flipping their plates over, screaming at the top of their lungs, sticking their feet in their food, sticking their feet in their mouths, doing everything and anything they can to be silly and make the other laugh even putting themselves in unsafe situations like pushing back from the table onto the back legs only of their high chairs or stuffing their mouths full of food and leaning their heads back things like that. To make it worse THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME AT THE TABLE. I could be calm and patient, I could loose my patience and yell and all they do is laugh in my face and continue to do whatever they are doing. Makes it harder because there are two and they tend to encourage each other. I just would love some tips on how to go about handling this. They are such good boys and such good listeners, they just really struggle at the table. I also don’t think just taking their food is an acceptable response to it because they are young and they still need to eat and I’m very sensitive to just wanting my children to have full bellies and not be hungry, but my husband and I are just so lost with how to fix this behavior. It’s not like we’ve ignored it we ALWAYS address it but I guess it’s not being addressed in the right ways? Anyway would love any advice or tips!

Now that we are spending a lot more time outside, Ive been trying to be better about making sure my kid is protected from the sun. I keep hearing that lotion gives better more even coverage, so Ive been thinking about using that more instead of just going with whatever is quickest.

My 16 month old was saying ‘mama’ ‘dada’ ‘no’ a couple of months ago, but now says none of them and nothing else. He babbles constantly, and uses gestures, makes eye contact etc, but the fact he was saying those words and now isn’t is concerning me.

I contacted the health visitor in the hope they’d tell me to chill out…but instead their response also seemed concerned so has made me panic more! He is obsessed with his dummy (just made another post about that!) so I wonder if that’s affecting his speech, but my mind is going in all sorts of directions. Anyone have experience of similar?

My niece lives with me most of the time and she is super picky about shoes and every sandal we’ve tried either gives her blisters, leaves marks, or she starts asking to take them off halfway through the day.

I’m trying to find something water-friendly and comfortable enough for playgrounds, errands, daycare, and everyday summer wear without buying five different pairs. I’ve looked at Keen, Stride Rite, and recently came across Ten Little while searching and have seen glowing reviews, but I’d love honest parent opinions before spending money on another pair she might refuse to wear.

What sandals have actually stayed on your picky kids all day?

Kudos to all Todd management squads out there! :)

As the title says my son who is 17 months is very high energy and on the go all the time, from the second he wakes up to the second he drops asleep and he's intelligent so gets bored very quickly with repetitive things. I take him on evening walks so he has some running around time, and we look at bugs and birds and trees and everything and he loves to listen to facts about them but I just need some advice on how to keep him entertained and nourished during the day especially at the moment because it's too hot to have him out at the park all the time, (it's like 30°c by mid day for the past 2ish weeks).

I know he's just a baby and just being a baby when he's running around crashing into things but we live in a small flat and I find myself getting overstimulated and frustrated which is not fair on him.

If anyone has any advice on activities to do, that would be amazing, I want to encourage his mind while also having an outlet for his craziness.

Sometimes we play rough and tumble which he loves to do and keeps his energy contained to one space but when he gets over exited he bites (we are working on it, he now bites by accident and then goes to find a chewy toy which is a massive improvement from when he used to bite and draw blood).

He goes to baby clubs during the week and a toddler gymnastics club, but I just need more things to do with him at home as he gets bored so quickly with things like puzzles and blocks and playing cars or dolls.

He often does cooking with me, which is the longest I can get him to stand still, but if it takes more than half an hour, he gets bored and needs a crash about break.

Really, I just need something constructive to put his energy into so that he's not hurting himself running into walls, and I'm not getting frustrated with him crashing around and pulling everything apart.

My son will be 3 in 4 months, he was evaluated a few times and autism was ruled out. They said he just has a speech delay. We go to speech therapy once a week, he can say MANY words and even phrases but chooses to babble and scream instead. His therapist says to be patient. I am patient but worried. Doctor and therapist believe its a decision thing and he’s choosing when to use his voice. But has anyone had their delayed child catch up or what other route can this behaviour possibly lead to?

I just want to add, he is very active, hyper, and overall a daredevil . Like i said, he can talk but chooses not to. Which wouldn’t bother me so much if he wasn’t yelling and babbling instead. It can be overwhelming for everyone.

My baby is just about 9 months old and over the last month or so has started to despise being in the car to the point that he just screams at the top of his lungs the whole time. We’ve been surviving since most of our go to spots are less than 10 minutes away but in a little more than a week I will be taking him on a 2 and a half hour (possibly more if there’s construction) long trip and I’m starting to get quite anxious about it! It will just be me and him in the car, 95% highway with little opportunities for a stop (we do plan on making one dedicated stop a little over half way) and I’m planning on trying my hardest to line it up with his nap so hopefully he will sleep a good chunk but I know he won’t last the whole 2 hours.

I’ve already got The Happy Song lined up but I’m looking for any other tools that helped your little ones hate being in the car less! (Also looking for reassurance that this phase will pass and wondering approximately how long it lasted if you went through it to!)

Also to add we did just move him into the next stage of car seat just to make sure the problem wasn’t that he was too big and uncomfortable in his infant seat. He seemed to love the new one until the straps were tightened and he could no longer freely move which I’m sure is his issues. I have sunshades for the windows coming in the mail and I make sure to keep the car cool but not too cold!

my daughter is 2.5 and she literally only eats chicken nuggets fries, and sometimes applesauce. everything else is a battle. i've tried hiding veggies in food, she finds them. i've tried the just try one bite thing she screams. i know toddlers are picky but i'm starting to get worried. is this normal? like is she gonna be okay? or am i failing at this whole feeding thing? any advice from parents who've been through this would be great. or just tell me i'm not alone lol.

Hi! I’m having major trouble with my 19 month old hitting other kids. Whenever we go to any class, library, playground, etc he just walks up and randomly hits other kids…. Like out of control and unprovoked. We’ve always gone to classes and he was always so good until last month. For a month I’ve been trying, “I won’t let you hit. I’m moving you over here to keep everyone safe” . Of course trying to block hands before it happens but at this point I basically have to hover over him the whole time and even then he gets some swings in. When I remove him, he often would try to make a beeline for the same child he just hit to hit again. It’s not gotten any better. I’m feeling pretty defeated because I’m not seeing other kids behave this way. He is very smart and verbally advanced for his age, like has hundreds of words and already using 2-3 together at a time. He used to always try to smile and wave at other kids but now he’s just hitting and often saying no when they approach him. Originally the hitting started over wanting a toy someone else had or other kids trying to take his toys, but now it’s progressed to completely unprovoked hitting all the time.

Any advice for what method works to stop hitting? For those who are on the other side, how long did it take to stop? When I remove him, should I just hold him away for a minute (he’s not hitting me or screaming, but as soon as he is released he often makes a beeline for the unoffending friend who he just hit to hit them again)? Do I move him away and release him and keep bringing him back until he stops moving towards that child (not letting him make contact again)? Do we just leave? That would put us leaving everything we go to immediately and idk that would give us the opportunity to learn. HELP.

My son is 11 months and basically never stops moving. He’s not walking yet but he’s cruising, climbing stairs, climbing on everything he can reach. He has zero interest in “typical” baby activities. Books get grabbed and bitten, not looked at. Flashcards get completely ignored. Any toys don’t really get played with just either climbed or chewed on. I set up a water table and he abandoned it immediately.

What he DOES love is pushing heavy things around (his favorite object right now is a big chair he shoves across the room), pulling on stuff, biting/mouthing things, and climbing. Feels like he wants a ton of sensory and proprioceptive input, heavy work, resistance, texture, that kind of thing.

He’s social and engaged otherwise, great eye contact, laughs a lot. Just zero patience for anything static. He absolutely loses it or just has no interest.

Looking for:
-Activity ideas for a kid who wants heavy pushing/pulling/resistance work
-Sensory play that doesn’t require sitting still
-How you’ve worked in language/gestures for a kid like this (no waving/clapping/talking yet)
-Toy or setup recs that actually held your mover’s attention

Would love to hear what’s worked for other sensory-seeking, on-the-go babies!

Any and all help, advice, reassurance, etc appreciated.

Our 20 month old became the biter as of a week ago. We went from a handful on incidents (including biting, scratching, pinching) since she has been at this daycare (she started at 4 months old), to two bites on Friday, none on Monday or Tuesday, “several” bites and scratches on Wednesday, and one bite with multiple attempted but intercepted bites on Thursday. She targets one child specifically (“a very sweet, mellow child”) but has also bitten others.

We had a meeting with the daycare directors on Thursday morning and they say they are going to work with us but we are concerned about the sudden uptick in frequency over such a short period of time and how much longer she has until she is kicked out.

They’re concerned because she doesn’t seem to be doing it out of frustration of anger and if anything her language skills are above average. She typically will go in for a hug and then bite, or has seen a specific child across the room and gone for them to bite, unprovoked. She is a very happy girl and is smiling before and after the bite.

We totally understand that the daycare needs to do what they need to do as other kids are getting bitten frequently. We feel helpless as she is not really doing the behavior at home so there’s not anything for us to redirect. We are working on practicing gentle touches and got the “teeth are not for biting” book.

They have tried to have an additional staff member with her to intercept but that has not always worked and we understand that isn’t a feasible longterm option. My concern is that she will be kicked out of this daycare and move to another, the problem will continue, and she will be daycare hopping.

Anyone have any experience with this? We were thinking of keeping her out next week if she has any incidents on Monday, just to give her time to reset. My concern with that is we’re just delaying the inevitable and she will go back to biting when she’s back at daycare. I feel that she needs to be there and have the behavior corrected for it to stop. Another thing we were going to explore was paying for an additional staff member for 1-2 weeks so that someone can be 1 on 1 with her to intercept the behavior.

This has been a ROUGH week dealing with this and we feel so helpless. We’re worried about moving her to somewhere where she knows no one and because she is so high energy, we’re worried that another daycare will write her off quickly and not be willing to work with us at all. Any advice?