Are Crazy Toddlers Normal Toddlers?

If you have a toddler at home, you’re probably sleep deprived and just this side of crazy yourself.  But maybe it will help you survive the phase if you know crazy toddlers ARE normal toddlers. The best advice I ever heard about parenting toddlers, was “Just try to keep them alive.”  I laughed until I cried, which was a short trip in those days.   

If you’re tired of days that revolve around toddler body fluids everywhere, sorry for your hassle.  Knowing it’s just part of the gig probably doesn’t help much.  And really, so what if you regularly have to yank the car seat out to hose it down on the lawn?  Don’t you secretly wish you could do that to your furniture too?  Maybe your comfy pants are covered with ick.  If you can just hang on to your sense of humor, these will be special times.  Later… After you survive it.

You Aren’t Alone.

At least, that’s what Clint Edwards suggests in his Silence is a Scary Sound audiobook – because who has time to read.  The book reminded me no parent is alone in their exhaustion and worry.  It also reminded me that sometimes parents need to know the craziness at home means they have a normal toddler. 

Crazy Antics of Normal Toddlers.

Long after the funny wears off, your toddler will once more strip off his clothes and run around naked.  Why?  Experts remind us toddlers are new and figuring out our world in their own way, and at lightning speed.  What you see as crazy toddlers antics are normal toddler actions.  Sometimes naked feels better, never mind reactions from your house full of people. 

Why do Normal Toddlers Always Answer No?

Ask your toddler anything, and chances are he’ll answer “No!”.  Want to go outside? “No!”  Want to see Gramma? “No!”  Want to put your #@$#%^&* pants on? “No!”  What is up with that?  Ok, take a breath.  Toddlers are just learning to express themselves.  No is an easy early word that gives them back control.

Normally, we tell toddlers when and what to eat, how to dress, and where they are going.  But they want some independence too.  They were like one with their mom, dad, or other primary caregiver.  Now they yell “I do it!” every time anyone tries to help. How long can this stage last, and when did my cuddly angel get replaced by this hellion?

When Does This New Independence Start?

Normal toddlers want independence earlier than the experts once thought.  It turns out around six months a baby begins to become aware he’s an individual, separate from parents and caregivers. This is long before most children begin the cry of “No! I do it!” but it is when the next stage is forming.

Arguing won’t Fix This.

Around the do-it-myself period, a beastie appears where your angel once perched.  Tears, tantrums, screaming fits etc. erupt at the slightest provocation.  As one mom noted, even filling a sippy cup became a battle. Her daughter wanted to fill it herself. Mom hated seeing formula spill everywhere each time her daughter tried to self-serve.  

It Isn’t You.

Those fits aren’t caused by what you are doing.  Tantrums and spilled formula are essential steps in your child’s development and move toward independence.  It’s rough, but it helps them learn how to do everything they try and fail to do now.  So, just like the advice I got, try to keep them alive. 

Sammy’s Milk will do our part by supplying healthy clean nutrient rich Goat Milk formula.  You love them through the crazy, but normal toddler phase, and we’ll supply the nutrition to help them grow past the crazy toddler phase.  Please reach out with any questions or comments. We love hearing from you!!