The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

Book Play: Reading Is Feeding
Want your child to have a healthy brain? Feed it … by reading! The key
to reading with toddlers is to do it with them. Reading makes kids
smarter, and it’s a sweet opportunity to snuggle close and join your
hearts.
• Early toddlers (12 to 24 months): These tots are active! So
pick a reading time when your child is tired. Use books with
cloth or cardboard pages. Talk a lot about what you see: “Look, a
doggie! What does a doggie say? What do doggies eat?” Turn the
book into a game: “Hey, you be the doggie. Can you bark? Wow!
What other animals can we find?”
• Middle toddlers (24 to 36 months): Two-year-olds like things
“just so.” Your child may howl if you skip part of a story he’s
learned by heart. “Do it right!” he’ll protest. As you turn each
page, offer your child a chance to be smart by asking, “What’s
going on now?”
• Older toddlers (36 to 48 months): Older toddlers love stories
about animals and people (and trucks!). And they love to
compare what’s happening in the story to situations they’ve
experienced. “Oh, honey, Bigelow the rabbit dropped his ice
cream.… That’s like when you spilled your beans at lunch.”
Older toddlers repeat lines from books to their stuffed animals
and even make up their own stories. Now they’re at the stage
when they love it if you “accidentally” make a silly mix-up of the
words. They giggle with joy when they catch you making a
“mistake.”
Is TV a Good Time-In?
Today’s parents have it tough. We have lots of demands on our
time, but little family support. So it’s understandable when some

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parents flip on the TV to entertain their toddlers while they get
things done.
I think of TV like candy: A little is okay every so often, but not a
steady diet of it. I recommend you limit your toddler’s TV-viewing
time by following these guidelines:
• Keep the TV out of your child’s room. Sadly, one in five
children under age two and half of all four-year-olds have TVs in
their bedrooms. This leads to too much TV watching and too
many inappropriate programs.
• Put a cap on total TV time. Less is better! Limit your toddler’s
TV time to a maximum of thirty to sixty minutes a day
(including videos and DVDs). And when possible, try to watch
the programs with your toddler and talk about what you see.
• Be picky. Let your little one watch only gentle, nonviolent
cartoons; toddler-oriented nature videos; and slow-paced,
educational children’s shows.