Is Your 19 Month Old Toddler Trying to Assert Independence?
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At 19 months don’t expect your toddler to be the same sweet darling angel. This is the age where as parents you will see a whole new beastly side of your little one emerge. Toddler asserting independence comes as an essential phase in their growth and development.
There comes a time in a toddler’s life when they acquire a new found freedom. This sense of individuality begins to develop when they realize that they are their own separate beings who can be left alone to do things their own way. At around 16 months of age their physical skills and mental and emotional thought processes begin to kick in and by 19 months you’ll have a little monster on your hands.
Ways to Cope With Toddler Milestone Independence
1. Acknowledge their Independence
The most important thing to remember when dealing with a tempestuous toddler is not to allow yourself to be unfazed by their “I’ll do it my way” behaviour. It’s a phase all toddlers go through and acknowledging this independence is the first step in helping them along the way. So if your little one insists on wearing a particular outfit, let them. If they want to feed themselves, leave them to it irrespective of the mess they make. It can’t hurt to allow them their say every now and then.
2. Be Consistent When Setting Rules
Children thrive on rules and regulations provided there is a consistency to it. You can’t let your toddler know that he has to be in bed by 8 at night only to bend the rule on any other given day when it suits you. That will only give rise to a much more adamant and defiant toddler declaring independence from parents
3. Meet Them Halfway
When you find your toddler asserting independence a loud no isn’t always the answer. Sometimes meeting them halfway can do the trick. For instance, if your toddler hates the outfit you have chosen for her, let her decide what she wants to wear. Let her know that she will only be entitled to one choice. That way you’ll have given into their demands but on your terms.
4. Foster a Cconducive Environment
Exploring rooms and making a go at gadgets and breakable items are nothing but a toddler showing signs of independent behaviour. Stopping or yelling at them in the negative won’t help matters. It helps to create an environment that’s suitable for your little explorer. That would mean keeping breakables away from their reach and baby-friendly items within, covering electrical sockets and maybe even hiding electrical gadgets if it comes to that.
A 19-months-old child asserting independence is a necessary part of a child’s learning process. It’s a good thing that they want to do things on their own. There is a lot that children learn when left to make their own choices. We all learnt that way after all, didn’t we?
