Toddler Development: Popular & Enlightening Videos

Categories: General Parenting

Does the ‘terrible twos’ bit end on the actual day they turn three, or…? Asking for a friend. 

Asking for all our parent friends and for ourselves, because toddlers are crazy and we need to know if and when they ever become reasonable. But, do we actually want that?

Their lack of reason and rationality is what makes them so hilarious, and delightful and exhausting. The way they freewheel around, ordering people about and demanding snacks, eschewing pants and generally wreaking havoc – it’s admirable really. Wouldn’t we all like to live like that?

Anyway, it turns out that you can’t do that stuff when you’re an adult, we know because we’ve tried. But, if you’re the parent of a toddler, you can at least watch them do it. We suppose you could also try and nurture their development and provide the support they need to thrive, as well. That’s where we can help. As you’re reading this, they’re probably drawing on your work laptop with Ice Magic, so we’ll be quick. Here’s a highlight reel of six special vids from our collection of expert parenting advice on the topic of toddlers. There’s heaps more where these came from, too!

WATCH: What to say instead of ‘be careful’, with Teacher Tom

Toddlers seem to have an in-built desire to terrify their parents by scaling furniture, heading off on solo hikes in shopping centres and testing the strength and durability of various household items, including themselves. Teacher Tom says they’re actually quite bouncy, and if we don’t give them the opportunity to explore their physical limits, how will they know what they are? If you’d prefer to give your kiddo confidence in their physical abilities rather than a complex about the world, Teacher Tom will tell you how!

WATCH: Naming Private Parts, with Vanessa Hamilton

Vanessa Hamilton is a sexual health nurse and all-around good egg. If you thought the years of talking about all this stuff were ahead of you, think again! It’s never too early to teach toddlers the correct names for parts of their body including the genitals, and it’s actually really important to do this rather than give them cutesy names like ‘hoo-ha’ or ‘pee-pee’. Vanessa Hamilton explains the importance of empowering your kiddos with this info right from the start. A must-watch.

WATCH: Preparing toddlers for childcare or preschool, with Stephanie Wicker

Steph Wicker has a background in behavioural science and she just gets toddlers. She’s helped hundreds of families support their children with challenging behaviours and she’s filmed a bunch of videos for ParentTV answering some typical questions from parents of toddlers. Examples include: What do I do about tantrums, please make them STOP, please? Why won’t my little one share their toys, ever? How can I get this toilet training thing over with, quick smart? And one a lot of toddler parents are grappling with: how to smooth the transition to childcare or preschool. Thank goodness for Stephanie and her sensible answers or who knows what we’d do.

WATCH: Bedtime monsters: What’s the best approach? With Katie Forsythe

Katie Forsythe is a sleep consultant and we have it on good authority that some parents have actually tried to kidnap her, she’s that good. We’ve got the next-best solution, watching videos where she just tells you what to do about all the sleep (or lack thereof) stuff happening in your home. Seems easier than holding her hostage…This little ripper of a video is about that thing our toddlers do when their imaginations start to develop: Convince themselves there are monsters hiding in their bedrooms. Poor little poppets, scaring themselves silly! Katie tells us how to ease their minds and help them get some zzzzs.

WATCH: How much screen time is healthy for my 2-5 year old? With Dr Kristy Goodwin

Screen time is something so many parents agonise over. Dr Kristy Goodwin is a digital technology and wellbeing expert, so if anyone can offer some clarity amongst all the scare-mongering, catastrophising and conflicting guidelines around device usage for little people, she’s the one to do it. In this video, Dr Goodwin gives parents the gift of guilt relief, which is no mean feat. By understanding once and for all how much screen time is healthy for our toddlers, we can set good boundaries and know just how many episodes of Bluey they can chortle at per day! P.S. Adults can watch AS MANY eps as they like, nobody tell the kids.

WATCH: Play ideas with a 3-year-old, with Elise Easedown

So, what do you wanna do? Reconcile the household accounts? Research the Modernist painters? No? If you sometimes feel a bit stuck for what on earth to do when it’s playtime with your toddler, Occupational Therapist Elise Easedown has got you covered. In this video, you’ll learn where they’re at developmentally, find out how you can support their motor skills and cognitive processes through play, and get some tips for what sort of sensory activities their wriggly little fingers are itching for! 


More in this series..

Previously: Baby Love – babies in their development

Coming up next: Spotlight on Preschool and Primary School – 4 to 8 year olds and their development