Toddlers are among the strangest, most unfathomable animals on planet earth. Parents, grandparents, and daycare workers can spend their entire lives surrounded by toddlers, but still be surprised with each and every antic that these tiny people pull. While they seem strange and shocking to use as adults, "weird" toddler behaviors are actually the norm for children in that age group.
Here are some of the oddest things that toddlers do, and why these behaviors are actually quite normal.
1. Head banging-- it's not just for rock stars. This is a toddler behavior that looks odd and even disturbing to adults. Many toddlers -- in fact, as much as 20% -- will slam their heads up and down during moments of intense frustration. It's a common reaction to strong emotions like pain, frustration, anger, anxiety, and despair, so expect to see it often as a precursor or adjunct to tantrums. Most tots will outgrow this peculiar behavior by age 3; mention it to your pediatrician if your child's head-banging lasts beyond this point.
2. Masturbation happens sooner than you think. This is probably the toddler behavior that makes adults most uncomfortable. I remember feeling squeamish when I read in Dr. Spock's guide to childcare that most children actually begin masturbating in infancy, not after puberty. As uncomfortable as it is to witness this behavior, experts note that it is completely normal, and that the most appropriate reaction is to simply ignore it. Later, as your toddler gets older, you can explain more about privacy.
3. Toddlers develop weird rituals.
Toddlers are very prone to magical thinking and peculiar associations. If she once wore a purple shirt to the playground, she may decide that she must always wear a purple shirt to the playground. If he always picks his nose while he sucks his thumb, he might refuse to give up one habit because he can't surrender the other. Toddlers often also develop strong attachments to random objects like empty bottles, boxes or pieces of paper. These bizarre associations seem strange, but they're a normal part of a toddler's cognitive and emotional development.
4. Can this object fit into this orifice? Once, when my sister was 2 years old, she piped up from the back seat: "I put it up my nose." Even at my mother's pleading, she couldn't explain just what was in her nose. A few hours later, a pediatrician removed a small plastic bead from the depths of the toddler's nostrils. Toddlers are constantly exploring to find out where things "go," and they don't understand that -- with the exception of food going into a mouth -- they shouldn't put anything into their bodies. The solution? Keep small objects, which are both choking hazards and potential threats to ears and noses, far out of your toddler's reach.
5. Yes, your toddler has defective taste buds. It's completely normal for toddlers to develop odd habits when it comes to food. A toddler might go a week eating nothing but graham crackers, then toss them aside the next week and dub them "yucky." Don't fret too much if your child quickly and frequently changes her mind about what kinds of foods she likes. It's often because she doesn't have the maturity or language ability to express that she's in the mood for something different -- or because she's only recently discovered the joy of a specific food. Your toddler will almost certainly outgrow the finickiness.
No matter how often you're around toddlers, their odd antics will leave you scratching your head more often than not. Fortunately, even the behaviors we find the most odd and challenging are ultimately normal aspects of early-childhood development. If you are concerned about any of your toddler's behaviors, contact your child's pediatrician for evaluation and guidance.
No comments:
Post a Comment