Catering to every need of a toddler while pregnant is exhausting, right!? Unfortunately, it isn’t going to get any easier when the new baby arrives. Once you find out you're pregnant, it may be wise to start encouraging your toddler to become a little more independent. Your toddler’s ability to fend a bit more for themselves could be just what is needed to avoid a lot of screaming and crying when everyone is stretched thin with a new baby in the house.
While your toddler’s current age will dictate what is realistic for them, below are a few areas you may focus on if your child is in the appropriate age range. Using the magic and excitement of a stork delivery may be a great way to accelerate their maturity and independence.
Doing Simple Chores
Expecting another child or not, teaching your kids responsibility through chores may be one of the most important things you can do for their long term health and happiness. Chores can help your little one feel a sense of accomplishment and see themselves as important contributors to the family. Validating their importance in the family is especially important during this time of transition in the family. Below are a few simple chores that are appropriate even for a toddler:
- Clean up their toys
- Help set the table
- Put their dishes in the sink
- Throw away their trash
- Put their dirty clothes in the hamper
- Flush the potty
- Help put away the groceries
Make sure to keep the tasks simple and consider offering a reward for completing their chores. The reward could be something as simple as a special sticker on their chore chart, a trip to their favorite park, or a sweat treat you know they love. Below are a few items that might make for a good stork delivery that we hope will get your kid excited about helping out around the house:
Potty Training
If you still have a toddler in diapers, I would guess the thought of getting your toddler potty trained before the new baby arrives has crossed your mind. You have probably also questioned whether it is really the right time, or if you may be pushing them prematurely to avoid having two in diapers. Despite the many opinions you can find from a quick google search, there really isn’t a perfect time to tackle the potty training journey. I have heard stories of parents who feel their child’s potty training experience went terribly because they tried to push it too early. I have also heard of problems parents have faced for waiting too long. All that said, if you think your toddler is ready, you may want to go ahead and knock it out early in the pregnancy. Let’s be honest, it’s probably now or WAY later, as it will likely fall to the bottom of the priority list when the baby arrives! Below are a few products that might make for a great stork delivery item:
Getting Dressed
Toddlers may start to show interest in learning basic dressing skills as early as one-year-old. While the journey to a fully independent dresser is not a short one, every little step your child can learn to do themselves will be one less you have to do when the baby arrives.
Self-dressing ultimately requires development of your child’s fine motor skills, including things like pinch grip, hand strength, and hand-eye coordination. Using colorful tape and stickers is a simple and fun way to start working on hand-eye coordination. Simply put a small piece of the tape or a sticker on different areas of their body and let them practice reaching and pulling it off. Consider the items below for a stork delivery to get your child excited about developing their fine motor skills and learning to dress independently:
Links to other great Stork on the Stoop pages:
The Starter Set | Other Everyday Delivery Ideas | Baby Development Ideas
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