Do you live with a bunch of tiny people who serve as your middle-of-the-night alarm clock, keep you on your toes with their unpredictable mood swings, and challenge you in new ways every day? Today’s episode is part 1 of a two-part series on toddlerhood. Since we are not experts on toddlerhood, we have enlisted the help of Megan Pierson of The Potty Shop to help.
In this episode, Megan covers toddler behavior & development and educates us on discipline methods and sleep training for these little humans of ours. She breaks down what all mamas need to know about their toddlers, what can be expected during this period of their life, and how you can best handle being a supportive figure to help them grow.
What’s In This Episode:
- Megan’s background and how her career transitioned after becoming a mother
- The age & developmental stages of toddlerhood
- High tides & low tides when it comes to having a toddler
- How smart and manipulative toddlers can be
- The main challenges and themes a toddler will experience
- How to approach your toddler when they are having a tantrum
- Creating a spot in your home for your toddler
- The importance of role-playing & utilizing pictures
- How to successfully transition from activity to activity with your toddler
- When to use time out & how to use it appropriately
- Utilizing positive affirmation to reinforce positive behaviors
- Sleep regressions in toddlerhood & creating firm boundaries around bedtime
- Comforting toddlers during night terrors & nightmares
- How to determine when to check in when your toddler cries at night
- Transitioning a toddler from crib to bed
About Megan:
Megan is your partner for all potty training needs. She has extensive experience in early childhood education and development and has a passion for assisting children and their families to lead happy and healthy lives. She holds a BA from USC, Teaching Credentials from CSU Long Beach, and a Masters in Special Education from Chapman University. In addition, she is a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator.
Having spent over 400 days in the hospital with her middle child who was born with a severe heart defect, Megan and her husband learned the true importance of parents being a cohesive team and creating quality sleep and daily patterns for all family members. This has also allowed Megan to fine tune her potty training manual to meet the needs of all children.
After years of research and speaking with doctors and mothers all over the United States, Megan developed the Yes, You Can! Potty Training/Toddler Sleep Manual, a Pediatrician and Urologist backed, complete and easy to follow potty training manual. She teaches sleep, behavior, and potty training classes and also works with individual families.
As potty training is one of the first chances children have to show their independence and take pride in their accomplishments, Megan sees this time as a wonderful bonding period for parents and their children. What makes Megan’s approach different from others is she teaches parents to allow their toddlers to take ownership over potty training in a safe and supportive atmosphere. Once your toddler takes ownership of potty training, the struggle is over.
Megan has helped potty train hundreds of toddlers all over the United States using her potty training manual.
Connect with Megan:
Website | Megan’s Manuals for Potty Training & Sleep | Instagram | Facebook
Quotes:
“I cannot live my life in fear because fear will take you down.” – Megan Pierson
“I’ve always had a love for toddlers and just their wild spirit.” – Megan Pierson
“I do not really think a 12-month-old is a toddler yet, a 12-month-old, to me, is still a baby.” – Megan Pierson
“A toddler’s goal and really their purpose in life right now is to test and to see kind of where they belong and what their boundaries are and what they can get away with.” – Megan Pierson
“Toddlers are not given enough credit, they are little master manipulators.” – Megan Pierson
“Always phrase something in a statement and stay clear of asking them questions unless you really want to know an answer.” – Megan Pierson
“When they are in that moment just let them be and be five minutes late to an appointment.” – Megan Pierson
“Once your toddler feels like they are in control and they know what’s happening next a lot of those tantrums and behaviors subside.” – Megan Pierson
“If you do have a time out or time away area or zone or you need to have a time out, set a timer so your child knows there’s a start and they know there’s a finish.” – Megan Pierson
“Always mean what you say to a toddler because if you don’t say what you mean they are going to catch on and they are going to test you and test you and test you.” – Megan Pierson
“You don’t want to create a child that has never heard the word no.” – Megan Pierson
“During the 18-month sleep regression, it’s a great time to start incorporating visuals for your nighttime routine for your child.” – Megan Pierson
“You want that crib to be as comfortable as possible because you want that child to stay in that crib as long as possbile.” – Megan Pierson
“A good rule of thumb is a toddler needs between like 10-14 hours of sleep over a 24 hour period.” – Megan Pierson
“If you’re going to go to sleep with your toddler, you better wake up with your toddler.” – Megan Pierson
“Always tell your child that everyone is safe in this house.” – Megan Pierson
“You always want to go to them if it’s something out of their routine.” – Megan Pierson
“I’d always rather you go to them than bring them to you.” – Megan Pierson
“Toddlers and freedom are a very scary thing, especially at 1:00 am.” – Megan Pierson
If you’re looking for easy ways to feed your family, Liz has got you covered. Liz’s Healthy Table Podcast gives you healthy recipes, expert advice, and a big helping of fun! Find out more about Liz & the podcast here!
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