Toddler Behaviour

Tips for dealing with toddlers

Give your toddler some independence and try to avoid saying No to everything she tries to explore by diverting her route or distracting her with something that she will find interesting.

Deal with misbehaviour immediately rather than threatening them and eventually doing nothing. Once it has been dealt with do not keep referring to it

If a toddler flatly refuses to co-operate it may be best to remove her from the situation

Remember hitting or smacking children teaches them that physical aggression is acceptable.

If you have a problem with your toddler biting you or other toddlers, check out our guide to stopping toddlers from biting

Toddler Tantrums

• praise good behaviour as much as possible.
• ignore bad behaviour that is minor and obviously attention-seeking.
• don’t pick fights over issues that can be handled differently. For example, if your child is scribbling on the walls and doesn’t know this is wrong, remove the pens, or supply a piece of paper, gently explaining that pens are for paper, not the walls.
• be firm when you need to be. For example, when your toddler hits another child, snatches someone’s toy, or sticks a knitting needle into the electric socket.