Teaching your toddler to do things on his or her own will benefit both you and your child. These 5 ways to help promote your toddler’s independence will make your life easier, less stressful and reduce their tantrums.
As a Stay at Home Mom of (soon to be) two under two years old, teaching my little one to do things on his own quickly became a priority of mine. Not only because I wouldn’t have the time to always do everything for him but because I noticed he was happier doing these things on his own. At first it made me sad when I noticed he didn’t need me anymore for certain tasks but then it gave us both a feeling of pride. You will be surprised how much your child can do on their own when they are given the opportunity.
- Feeding Themselves: This is one where you will have to allow them to make a mess at first. Cut up the food and provide them with the necessary tools to make this as easy as possible for them. They will be discovering how to hold the utensils and may end up dropping half the meal before it gets to their mouth, but that’s okay. I found that using the Oxo bib (click here to purchase) has literally been a life saver. It catches all spills, whether liquid or solid, and is so easy to wipe clean. My son even eats out of it after his plate is empty and notices he dropped some yummy food in there…haha
- Personal Hygiene: Whether it’s washing hands, brushing teeth or bathing independently (with supervision of course) encouraging your little one to take care of their personal hygiene will go a long way. I used to hold my son over the sink to wash his hands for him until he started expressing interest to do it on his own. I bought this step stool (click here to purchase), so he can climb up and reach the water himself. This one is great because it folds up easily afterward for storing. I didn’t realize my Son was understanding the steps to bathing either until I let him try to do this on his own (while supervising). I recommend using the 2018 NAPPA award winning, Big Bee, Little Bee ScrubBEE (click here to purchase) because it is very easy for your toddler to grasp and they will love the texture. They can add soap to it and learn to clean themselves! Give it a shot & let them explore.
- Making Decisions (within limits): Whether it is picking a story to read, snack to eat or activity to do, let your child decide what he or she wants. This will help promote confidence in your child, allow them to understand the decision-making process and minimize tantrums. We designated a lower cabinet for all Daniel’s healthy snacks. He now knows that he can go in there and grab what he decides he wants to snack on. His book shelf is also at his level, so he can pick the book he wants to read.
- Toddler Chores: Assigning your kid to take responsibility for cleaning up their mess is important. Whether it is handing them a napkin to wipe down their high chair table after eating or giving them the task of cleaning up their toys in the playroom. You will be surprised how well they pick this up especially when you lead by example.
- Allow Them to Undress (or Dress) Themselves: The first thing we taught our son to do is take off his shoes when we enter the house. He sits on the landing step, pulls off his Velcro sneakers and off he goes. We then taught him to undress himself before entering the bathtub. Undressing is much easier than dressing, so I recommend starting here first. He is trying to dress himself but hasn’t quite mastered the one leg in each hole yet.
Hope these tips will help you in promoting independence in your toddler. After all, we can all use a little break sometimes!
