Five Ways To Help Your Toddler Cooperate

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This article is written by Ryan Howard
For more on this topic, check out the full All About Toddlers collection

One of the biggest keys is to remember to stay calm. Toddlers are known to fly off the handle when they don’t get their way. As a parent this can be quite frustrating, particularly if you’ve had a long day. However, things will go more smoothly if one of you keeps a cool head (and this generally is not a strong suit for toddlers).

 

Don’t Cave

When you serve up chicken and broccoli for dinner, and your little one insists on eating ice cream instead, it can be really tempting to just give in. After all, one ice cream isn’t the end of the world. Plus, anything to make the crying stop is a good thing, right?

Not exactly. When you give in to a toddler tantrum, you are effectively teaching your young one that acting out is a good way to get what he or she wants. The more often you give in, the more often your little one will fight you on all things large and small.

 

Discuss Things Ahead Of Time So There Are No Surprises

Toddlers can get upset in the heat of the moment. One minute, they are blissfully playing in the living room, and then all of a sudden mommy or daddy comes out to tell them it’s time for bed. This lack of control can be frustrating for them. One way to mitigate this is to give them a heads up. You might walk over and say “in a few minutes, we have to go upstairs to brush our teeth”. Then, let them play a little while longer before telling them it’s time to go up.

To take things a step further, you might even talk to them a bit earlier in the day. Maybe while you’re having dinner you can say “I’m a little tired today, so I would appreciate it if you would cooperate when it’s time to get ready for bed. That would really help me.” Often times, communicating in this way can go a really long way.

 

Explain Your Point Of View

It might not always seems like it, but a lot of toddlers are quite capable of understanding your perspective. If you’re little one is in the middle of a melt down, it can be very hard to have a rational conversation. However, a few hours after the fact, or even the next day, it can be a good idea to discuss things. Simply explaining why it’s important to brush your teeth or eat a nutritious dinner can go a long way toward reinforcing good behavior.

 

Patience Is Key

Like a lot of things in parenthood, patience is a virtue. At the end of the day, when you’re trying to get your little one to brush his or her teeth, and you’re met with outright refusal, it can be really frustrating. All you want to do is brush those little teeth, so that both of you can get to bed. In these moments, it can be really easy to lose your temper. But, while this might get the desired result sometimes, it’s just as likely to blow up in your face. It can also lead to a more combative relationship over time. So take a deep breath and know you got this!