5 Crazy Toddler Hacks I Wish I’d Known

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These 5 crazy toddler hacks--genius. I mean, I wish I'd known them...and I'm only ABOUT to have a toddler! LOL!

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Ok. I was not prepared to be a mom to a baby when I had one. I knew nothing. Eventually, I came up with 5 Crazy Baby Hacks…but it took me a while to get there. Now that I’m just about done with that stage of my life (yes, I’m sad, no, we’re not going to have another), I have discovered, through trial-and-error 5 Crazy Toddler Hacks I Wish I’d Known Before I Had One (or Two). Because, yeah, I have 2 toddlers. Two. And only two arms (which is why I won’t be having another–heh).

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5 Crazy Toddler Hacks I Wish I’d Known Before I Had One (or Two)

  1. Schedule. So, I’m not a super-scheduley kind of person. You can pretty much count on me being scatterbrained and lost half the time you see me. But toddlers need something better than that (or is it just different–not “better”?). Having a loose schedule is kind of important to them. Like going to bed at a certain time (within a few minutes) will make bedtime easier. Having a consistent time for meals. And a consistent time for doing important tasks like getting dressed or being dropped-off at daycare. Seriously. Keep it on a schedule and they’ll behave more nicely. Which IS better.
  2. Wellies. Apparently, toddlers like dirt. And even better than plain dirt is wet dirt–all over themselves. So, my favorite hack? Buying a pair of wellies for those little tootsies. I mean, seriously, you would think such a little person wouldn’t need a second pair of shoes–and certainly not a pair of rain boots. But they do. Trust me on this. This is a for-real “hack”. Not joking. Of all the things I’ve bought, wellies were the smartest.
  3. Potty Training. You can do this the hard way. Or you can do it the hard way. No way is easy. No way is fun. All those blogs out there saying that they did it in 3-days is great–but those 3 days sucked. It is hard, no matter what way you cut it. They just have tiny bladders and colons. So, here’s my hack: Be patient and add-in some patience with that–then be patient some more and laugh with the kid. They’re as frustrated as you. Lighten the mood. It will make it more pleasant and less stressful. For more helpful information, see my post “5 Crazy Potty Training Hacks I Wish I’d Known Before Potty Training”. 5 crazy toddler hacks I wish I knew before I had one (or two...) fb
  4. Independence. These little people are just that–short, tiny, drunk adults with little or no proper communication skills. And they want a driver’s license. So, give them some independence. Let them try stuff on their own–and even encourage them to do so. Your life will be easier for it. First, because they’ll take care of themselves to an extent. But second because they will be happier. Seriously. Happier and you have to do less? That’s nice. And “better” (see how I brought that back around–heh).
  5. Learn How Not to Say “No”. I’m not saying to say “yes” to everything. But learn how to put things off artfully. Say “tomorrow we’ll go for a walk” instead of “no, we can’t go for a walk.” Say “we’ll play with Suzie next week” instead of “no, we can’t play anymore–we have to go home”. This softens the blow and let’s the toddler focus on something positive in the near future (even if it’s a little fib on your part–I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told mine that we’ll go for a walk “tomorrow” then never do it). Just be artful and you’ll see a LOT less upsets during transitions.

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So, what do you think of these super-easy, but oddly crazy, Toddler Hacks? Wanna add anything to the list? Hit me up with a comment below–or find me on Facebook! I’d love to hear from you. And if you liked this, be sure to check out my prior post: 5 Crazy Baby Hacks I Wish I’d Known Before Baby. Because it’s good…so good. Heh.

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