Tools for the Toddler Years

No one looks into the eyes of their newborn child and thinks, "I can hardly wait for the day that I start yelling at you!" Yet just as the joys of parenting delight us, the stresses of parenting test us. This book offers the tools to relieve these stresses, while also deepening our understanding of the toddler's brain, body and emotions. Plus, with Glance & Go Guides, Sample Scripts,and Illustrated Strategies, it fits seamlessly into the multi-tasking, mobile, always interrupted, time-crunched life of a toddler parent, who (though highly literate) has precious little time to read. From the expertise of parent educator Dr Yvonne Gustafson, once called "the manual children should come with," this book readies parents for the day-to-day challenges of the highly active toddler years with smart, compassionate and age-appropriate parenting support for meltdowns, sleep, sharing, transitions, refusals, whining, biting, toilet training and more. It includes a Playdate Guide, as well as guides to manage the challenges of daily living from grocery shopping to restaurants to chores. The focus is on the toddler, but also the toddler parent, with discussions on temperament, parenting style and the unique rewards, stresses, demands and discoveries of parenting. Grounded in an expert understanding of child development, a philosophy of parenting with respect, affection and support, and attention to parental stressors, needs and overall family dynamics, this book equips parents so that they can feel capable, loving and confident as they, in turn, nurture capable, loving and confident children.