Well we have certainly entered toddlerhood, if not the (premature) "terrible twos" with Ben this week. Granted, he has been poorly with a cold, but his grumpiness has reached terrifying new heights.
Every mealtime, bath time, going in the buggy time it's "doh doh doh" accompanied by a shaking of the head and a tragic whimpering. The only thing he agreed to eat this teatime was some of Daddy's cheap sausage roll, even refusing his usual favourite, Greek yoghurt.
I think it could be a new insistence on only eating food he can put in his own mouth, and as he isn't yet very handy with a spoon or fork, it seems to be curtains for the shepherd's pie I lovingly made ten portions of last night.
Fortunately I recently bought a book on managing toddlers' emerging independence, Toddler Taming by Dr Christopher Green. This book, "The world's bestselling parenting guide" no less, promises to help me not only tackle the toddler years, "but also enjoy them!"
It covers tantrums, sleep, eating and potty training, among other areas. I'm on page 11, and so far I've learned that what toddlers want above all is attention, time, and love. Apparently "the key to toddler behaviour is giving lots of the best, Grade A attention: undivided, uninterrupted, one-on-one interaction". So they don't ask for much then! I certainly hope toddler groups fulfil these criteria because we go to at least one a day, to keep me sane and because Ben seems to get cabin fever otherwise.
So the main issues I'm aiming to resolve with the help of the book are 1) feeding himself a wider range of foods, 2) getting into the buggy without a fight, and 3) keeping still during nappy changes. The carpet will thank me for the last one!
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