About Spirited Children
The Ultimate Spirited Child – Jack-Jack Attack
As the mother of a spirited toddler, this Pixar Short really hit home. As far as I am concerned, Jack-Jack is the ultimate spirited child.
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Spirited Toddler Info: Handling Spirited Toddlers
It takes lots of patience living with a toddler, especially spirited toddler. The toddler years are the most trying times for parents. Toddlers are busy. They are climbing and jumping and throwing things! This is stressful for parents. It is more stressful if the child is very energetic: doing more than usual toddlers and having longer lasting and more intense tantrums, which makes taking care of them harder. But there are ways to defuse daily battles with toddlers; parents just need to teach their children self-control.
So what should parents do? Parents should let their children know what is coming. Spirited children need events spelled out to them. They can become anxious when they can’t predict what’s coming next. So when it is time to leave the playground, it is recommended that you tell him what you are going to do next. You can tell him or her details like: you’ll go to the car, we’ll drive straight home, find Sis and Dad there, and have spaghetti for dinner.
Parents need to be clear and consistent. Children need security and consistency of clear rules and set limits. Thus, if naptime is after lunch and your child does not want to nap, be firm and confident in enforcing his or her rest period.
Physical contact is also important. Children need connection. So, it is important that you spend time to cuddle with your children or play with them or give them a backrub before bed. Physical contact lets children know that they can trust you to be there for them. This can also help make them become more independent.
Creating a “yes” environment can also help control your children. Parents should let their child pour their own juice, use a fork, and put on his own shoes. It doesn’t matter that it would be a little messier or it takes a little longer. Letting your child do these little things can help increased independence and cooperation. Parents should also ensure that there are no danger spots at home. The more child friendly your home is, the less you’ll be fighting with him or her to keep away from special things and places.
And more importantly, parents should soothe their child’s senses and acknowledge their child’s feelings. Soothing their senses will help wind down when your child’s intensity level starts to rise. You can give your child a warm bath on a cold night, put a cool washcloth on his forehead on a summer afternoon, or let him play with his rubber ducks in the kitchen sink while you’re cooking. Parents should also talk to their toddler and let the child know that he is not the only one who is overcome by difficult emotions sometimes. Remember not to become angry with the child when your perfectly logical explanations don’t result in his quick compliance.
These activities can help you get connected and empathize with your child. It will help your child learn to trust you and become more cooperative with you.
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Article from articlesbase.com
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Spirited Toddler Info: Moving your Toddler from a Crib to a Toddler Bed
Moving our spirited toddler from a crib to a toddler bed ended up being a lot harder than we expected. But, once we figured out a few key things, we had him sleeping in his own bed in no time.
Remove all toys
Asking a toddler to stay in bed when their favorite barn is in the middle of the floor is just cruel. Plus, a toddler with new-found freedom to move about his room can make one heck of a mess. We put all of his toys in his closet and put a child-proof doorknob cover on the knob. No distractions. No mess.
Use a Pack ‘N Play as a threat
If you are lucky, like we were, the slippery sides of a Pack ‘N Play make it harder to climb out of than a crib. We started calling it his “baby bed” and let him choose where to sleep. “Would you like to sleep in your big boy bed or the BABY bed tonight?” When he chose his toddler bed, we made it clear that if he got out of bed, he would have to sleep in the BABY bed.
Don’t close or lock the door
Closing the door on our toddler scared him half-to-death. We ended up putting a gate in the doorway and leaving the door cracked.
Don’t stay in the room with them if you can avoid it
With our toddler, staying in the room was not an option. If we started sleeping in his room while transitioning him to a toddler bed, we would have been staying with him in his room until he went off to college. Instead, we gave him a good night light and made it clear that we were there for him if he needed us.
Make sure you have a good bedtime routine
Changing from a crib to a toddler bed is hard enough. The rest of their bedtime should be consistent. Whether it is reading books, watching educational TV, or saying goodnight to all of their stuffed animals; a consistent bedtime routine will make it much easier to transition your toddler to a toddler bed.
For more toddler tips and dozens of toddler activities, visit WildEdisons.com
Sarah Coles writes for WildEdisons.com, a unique parenting site that has ideas for activities to inspire, educate, and entertain spirited toddlers. Toddler learning activities are organized by skills such as activities to practice fine motor skills, improve vocabulary, learn ABC’s and more. Visit us today!
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Finding a Babysitter for Your Spirited Toddler
Looking for a babysitter is hard enough, but finding child care for a spirited toddler can be especially difficult. As you know, caring for a spirited child requires extra patience and understanding. Below are some ways to find a baby sitter for your child:
Look for babysitters on community bulletin boards
The next time you go to a local restaurant, community center, church, or local grocery store, check the bulletin board. Often, babysitters and childcare providers will post fliers with their credentials and prices.
Check Care.com
We don’t have family around and we are pretty picky about who we trust with our son. My sister-in-law recommended Care.com. We found a number of babysitters in our area that were rated by other parents. This site has been a lifesaver.
Ask other parents if they can recommend a good sitter
Who knows sitters better than parents of other spirited children? Even if their children are not spirited, other parents would at least be able to give you names and numbers of baby sitters they trust.
Ask family if they want to make a few extra dollars
If you have family around but feel guilty because your toddler can be challenging to watch, offer to give them a little something. You might feel better about asking and they might appreciate the gesture.
Suggest a babysitting swap
Ask other parents if they would be interested in swapping babysitting hours. You watch their child for a few hours one night, and then you get to go out while they watch your child.
If you have other suggestions for finding a baby sitter, please comment. We would love to hear your ideas.
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What is a Spirited Toddler?
When I first heard the term “spirited toddler”, I almost cried. Finally, I had a name for this wonderful (and exhausting) quality that set my little man apart from other kids his age. Once I did a little reading, I realized just how perfectly the label suited him.
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka had the best definition for “spirited”. In her book, Raising Your Spirited Child, she writes:
The word that distinguishes spirited children from other children is “more”. They are normal children who are more intense, persistent, sensitive, perceptive, and uncomfortable with change than other children. All children possess these characteristics, but spirited kids posses them with a depth and range not available to other children.
Aside from being a very good description for my son, Mary’s definition actually made me feel proud. Yes, I am exhausted. Yes, sometimes he drives me crazy. But, the things that challenge me at every turn are the same things that make my son so interesting and endearing. I would take a spirited toddler over a bump-on-a-log in a heartbeat. Many of these children grow up to be extremely successful, and our lives are never boring.
Unfortunately, many of the conventional methods for handling problems simply don’t apply to spirited toddlers. “Redirect,” my mother always suggests when my son gets into things he shouldn’t. I could pull out a firetruck filled with candy and puppies, and he would remain intently focused on the dishwasher buttons. “Ignore a tantrum”…Nice idea, but it is hard to ignore a child who can happily kick and scream for two hours.
If you think you have a spirited toddler though, don’t worry. There are plenty of resources out there to help you guide your child without breaking that beautiful spirit. I highly recommend Mary Sheedy Kurcinka’s book, Raising Your Spirited Child. It has been a life saver. Kurcinka is a parenting teacher and offers many real-life examples of spirited behavior as well as excellent solutions and ideas.
Of course, Wild Edisons is a great resource as well. 
Tell us about your spirited toddler by leaving a comment below. We would love to hear from you!
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